NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2293, 10 February 1898, Page 5

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

The making of ensilage for winter fesd has nob become the business of the N<-w Ensilage Zealand farmer lo anything like

for the extent one raigiil Lave Winter Feed, thought it would. Altsoogh the

labour iuvo'ved in the preparation of dry ensilage is sl'gbtly more Ik^ts that required to make good hey, yet the vaUw of tha finished product more than compensates for any extra labour involved. The preparation of ensilage in pits or silos is a more c j&tly afEiir, and requires a fair initial outlay to lay dosn a good concrete sile. Bat in etaek3 with pressure tho work ia quite different. I have s^en very good ensilage iv stacks which were weighted by covering wi h svdb and earth, and after it had been two years ia &tack the cattle ate ifc quits freely. Tina ensilage was mads from good ryegrnss ; bub the value of this method of preserving preen feed is that almost any kind of grass will do to put down in the et?.ck. I have eeen very good ensilage from the trimmings of a gorse hedge, and this the cattle ate greedily. Good kinds of grasn of oourse make the best kind of ensilage ; bat inferior grasses which s'coek will scarcely eni, wlien converted into ensilage will be e&teu readily enough. The manner of preparation need nofc involve any great outlay in appliances, and the ingenious farmer can easily fix up an arrangement whereby to apply th*, necessary pressure. If before building the stack a faw crossbeams of any kiari are laid down these will afiord a secure anchorage to which the power may ba applied. A simple o c h«.nical appliance is what is called by sailors a Spanish wmdlas3. A round piece of wood about 3ft long ia fixed so fck&t it Trill revolve icside of a, couple of loops of

fenoiDg wire not far f roai the ends. A couple of wirea crossing the stack of ensilage are fixed to the roller inside the wire loopa. Then by means of a short lever tha roller ia turned round, and as it turns it winds the fix-id wire round it, thus making the strain greater »t every turn. ..Three or four such atiachmewts along the side of the stack will apply all the presfcure required ; and by means of sue 1 } attachments the pressure can be increased as desired to meet shrinkage or to arrest fermentation. The curing process in making ensilage is brought about by the aid of fermentation. Iv liquids fermentation is aecompauied bj the evolution of gis, but in solids by the evolution of hoat. Consequently the grass requires all its natural moistur-e at the tims it is placed in the stack. Undur moderate pressure the fermentative process soon commences, and unless checked 1 at the right time ths centre of the stack will I become overheated and spoiled. The temperai ture can be taken at any time by driving a i wooden gpear wich a recess coata ; aiag a thsrEnometer irito the "stack, or by building into the stack at intervals a length of iron down-pipe, into which, a thermometer caa be thrush at any t : me to ascertain the tempsratu c. Whsn ths thermometer shows 1 110, that is abtmt hob enough. T^ke a reading about an hour afterwards, and if tha tempeiamrs is still rising, apply greater pressure till ib falls again. A large stack should ba built i.i sections, so thai t whea fcbe temperature reaches the eomsct thiug in the centre of the portion built another layer can be laid on top, and the added weight will cbeok the fermentation in the lower secUon. This can be repeated till the slack is carried ta th« required height, when tb.B pressure can be applied. Fermentation converts the starches aud cellulose in the grass into sugar or an equivalent ; hence the eah^uced feeding valua ot f n«iil.>ge over hay, or even gco?u grass. The value of ensilage for winter fead make 3it well worth the trouble to prepare it.

Opiniocs differ regarding the proper time to leb milch cows dr? off. Some When to Dry maintain that it d"C3 a era no Off Cows. barm to milk her right up to the time of calving, while others think that a cow should have at lea^t sis weeks' spell before calving. I think this nrttfcer dape-ads very much upon the cow, and also upon the time which intervenes between the time of calving, and upon the way in -which she is treated in the matter of food and shelter. As a rule a cow that ha 3 been maintained in profit for a long pp.iiod one year is iikely to give a I reduced yield the next, but not if she has abundance of good food. If a cow ia iv low condition it seems only natural aad reasonable that she saould have a monch or two off before calving in order to enable h^r to get up her strevgbh and condition. She will probably do all the batter for it after calving. The ideal dairy cow should not only give a lot of uiilk after calving, but should k^e;} it up for seven or eight moabhf, afrtr which she should run down in her yield and be ready for drying off ab the end ot the cinrh or tenth month, if she is going to c»iva within 12 months. I have frequently milked cows until within a few days of calviag without any notieeablG injury to their future us iiulness, bub, as I have said, much depends upon the character of the ca^v and of the food. I htve a cow -whi^it does not gfct in calf until about sis mouths after cilving, and she gives a good j isld of mi!k for 12 or 13 months. Punctuality in milking time and doing if) as nearly as po«s'ble eudfy 12 hours tends to prolong fche period of profi 1 ", as slsa does kind and gentla treatment ! end the habifc of milking each cow in the same order. Litt'e tnatlera like these seem too trivial for some paople to notice, but I am confident that they all help fco maintain the fl'>w of milk, «*nd that is the chief end of cos? keeping.

When cattle-raising for beef was the principal occupation of the New Zoalaad Hand-fed farmers, we never hr-iird of Calve*. diseased cattle. The cilves, reared on their mothers' milk, which they drew from the pure fountain head for themselves, were aWays robusb and grew fasb. Bat the dairy industry has changed all that. Now the calves are taken from the cows just after bicih and hand-fed. At ficst they ■ gei warmed-up sweat milk, but after a time they have to be content with skimmed miik, and ij many cases even with whey. Ttie latter is a wry poor material from which to raise up s!roog healthy animals with robust bodi&s and well-built bones Calves fed with whey require plenty of lin;esd meal or oil cake along with it, for whey alon-e cloaa noh contain the elements which go towards building up the body. Even when fed on skim milk the cal?ce would thrive mneh better if they got a little oil c--ke or linseed ruetil. Those who can grow linseed for tlieaibelveo have the very bfst thing at hand to give the calves along with their lailk, Lins«Ted boiicd to mske linseed jelly is ju.-t the thiug to add to the milk or whey. When we consider how calves for the most part are fed we aesd not marvel that we hear so much about tuberculosis in cattle, and unt'l we adopt a more rational method of calf-ftediag we must expect that diaoase to be on the incrensf . Wo cannot have our cake and eat it, too, which we are attemp'Aiig when we send our milk to a cheese factory, getting back whey with which we feed our calves. The young calf, rapidly making bone and muscle, gets all ib requireß from Its mother's milk, but not from whey or skim milk either ; hence the absolute Eecsssity ' fo- supplying the deficiency in some otiiar way. 1 Improporly fed calves are always hungrj, and try to alleviate the cravings for suitable food by gorging themselves with the unsatisfying whey or elsica milk, The inevitable result is that

they became pot-bellied and hide bound. If tfce calves are worth reariug at all, it will pay to treat them geuerously, for the ill-fed brutes too often take scour when the young spring grasa comes away aud die after a summer's feeding and a winter* care. Young calves want to be rushed ahead from the very outset and kept growing during the first year without let or hindrance it' they ara expected to grow up big, healthy animals.

In northern districts the crop is for the tnoab

part harvested, and in tha south Wint will the the harvest wiil soon be on. It HairPbt be? is a very good lime, therefore,

to form an estimate of what the yield will be like ia general. JThroughoub alaaost all northern districts, on account of the nnusaally dry Bummer, the crops are lighter than evsn the light crops of the previous harvest. Then, added to the bad effects of drought, there were high winds which still further reduced the light; yield. All things combined have rtduced the yield dowa to pret'y naar homo requirements, aud there will ba none or next to noae to export. Unle*e good autumn rains bring on a growth of grasi before the winter there will be a marked shortage o£ winter feefl, consequently a considerable quantity <f the oat crop will have to be reserved for chaffing for stock. The gatue drought has nofc bean txperipuc-d along the seaboard throughout the south ; but inland the cereal crops ar« practically a failure, and unless ruin comes soon there will be no winter pasture for stock. Along the coastal districts and the low-lying areas in Southland the crops are very light. A wet and cold spring h»3 been followed by » boisterous cold summer, with a minimum of rainfall. High winds and rain squalls have been frequent enough, b'lt the parching wind* have dried up the rain almost as quickly ft* ib fell. The general result, is stunted growta and a small yield. Many of the crops of oata appeal to be scarcely worth harvesting, atxd the shortage in grain aud afcra 1 * is very groat »s compared with last year. Her« and there one hv^s good crops, notably on tb.9 fertile Taieii Plain and the Tukomairiro Plain, where lime^uas been freely applied to the ground. In the JaWer place the-e are some first-rare crops of wheat, which R.ny Canterbury farmer well might ba proud of ; and many of the oat crops ar-3 'good. Too alluvial flits in the Clutha district alaa carry some excellent crops ; and at Orepnki there are some good wields of oats. But the areas of good crops are too limited to aii'-ci the markets ; although the favoured few *mongsb the f arm^ca will reap the benefit.. Then, to sum up, there will be a general ahwrtaga in thß yield of oats and wheat all over, and in spite o£ the increased general area under th&SB crops there can hardly be much surplus abofo our own needs. Prxes mr.sb consequently remain higb, which will in ft measure compensate for smalter yields. But wfces>fc will never run up to a big figure, for fes soon as ife ra&ches a paying price it will bs shipped in frona elsewhere. Otfs, however, may reach a very good price, al hough the days of, boom prices are fortunately past.

LisS year tbe Government put the estimated wheat yield much too h'gh, and Our Wheat the same error appears to have

Yield. been committed this yecr also. I thisk an estimate of 16 bushels an acre will ba much nearer the average yield for the colony than that of the Agricultural department. An average of 16 bushds will give, afieorriinsr i.o a Canterbury paper, a cross yield of 5,150,000 bushel?, and sllowiag 600,000 bushels fo»- segii and 4,460,000 butu^ for our own eonsuaapticn, there will be a very s'u-udsr surplus over for export. If the price maintains a4s level it is probable Ibat aa , extended area wiil be devoted to wheat next ve^.r, and rf quire more seed than ths amcuut allowed, co th*t the result will probably be that oar total available supply will just about" balance our requirements, and therefore we shall not have a chance to compete witti the British farmer in his own market this year. We must, then, reduce our imports of goods and trust to our wool aud mutton; and rabbits lo pay interest on our big loans this year.

The poor British farmer has bad very hard times ior many ytars, but haa The British also had the sympathy of tha Farmer general public and sl J .o much and good advice fcom all and sundry Wheat Booms, as to the way in which he should conduct his business. He haa nob. however, profiled much from tha gratuitous advice and sympathy, and now that wheat has gone up 10a per quarter and enabled him to grow that cereal at a fair profit tbe BritUh consumer la btginning to calculate what this rise is going to cost him, and is coming to the conclusion that a boom in wheat is a disastrous thiug for the nation as a whole. For example, an alarmed British consumer says that as about 32,000,000qr of v»he«.t are annually required to feed the British natien a rise from 30i to 40s per quarter comes to the huge sum of £16,000,000 sterling, of which £12,000,000 goes to foreign producers, andthua Je&vas only £4,000,000 to be divided among Briush wheat-growers. It is therefore argued that the rise is much to be deplored as a serioug loss to consumers f s.r beyend all proportion to the advantage received by the British, farmer, bad though his case was, while wheat

20,000 Bedding Plants, including Asters, Phlox, Cosmos, Stocks, Lobelia, Coreopsis, Marigolds, Dianlhas, Gaillardia— ls dozen. Orders for 5a post free to country,— NiMMQ ASt. Blair, Duaedin.

was worth no moie than it cost him to produce it. In conclusion, then, it is stated by this consumer whose figures I have quoted that though the farmer really required some means of improving his position, ife is bo be rt-gretted that relief could not be obtained in K.m9 otter way that would not touch the eoafnnier3' pockets. Just so ; evet yono for himCili, and the de'il take the hindmost, especially JHe poor British farmer. I should like to know, Mowever, in what way the British farmer is to benefit if it is not through his procuce fetching a remunerative price in British markets. Ifc pay be quite tcue that Ihree-foatths of the rise in wheat goes to outside producers, bub how is r similar state of things to be avoided in conueci'icn with everything he produces ? His /wool muat nou improve in price, as the contumer's tweed will cosi; more and foreign growers will get the lion's share of the increased ,value of all wool. Meat, butter, cheese, eggs, *&.{•., are all largely imported into Britain, and a rise ia all these will pub more millions into American and colonial growers' pockets than the British producer will receive — .therefore the arguments put forward by consumers against a rise in wheat seetn to apply to 4*ll tbe staple atticles of British agriculture, .and the question is how in the name of common sense the farmer is to benefit without the consumer h&ving to contribute towards his (the 'farmer's) increased profits. By carrying the laurguments to the other extreme it would be just as consistent to say that the British faromera should all emigrate to the colonies, aud fchen instead of getting one-fourth only of a rise iv value of produce they would share and share Alike in the whole of it as we do here, without She consumers being able to grudge it to them. if t is idiotic and short-sigbted policy to deprecate iv any way whatever tends to the improvement of the agricultural community of any country, for it is an incontrovertible fact that a couutry caDnob prosper while agriculture languishes, and that a prosperous year for farmers is good for everybody, notwithstanding that bread and meat may be a trifle dearer thau the consumers think it should be. 3?ho consumers here have to pay an increased price for bread without anybody receiving any counterbalancing advantage, for the last two bad 8ea«on8 have seriously reduced the spending power of the farmers and also made the necessaries of life dearer to all. We have no foreign people to gobble up our profits, but the effect of the bad seasons has been the same to the country as if we had had good seasons and shucked a few millions sterling into the sea. Not quite the fame, perhaps, because the failure of many of the crops has nob causod the

20,000 Bedding Plants, including Asters, Phlox, Cosmos, Stacks, Lobelia, Coreopsis, Slnrigolds, Diantbue, Gaillardia — Is dozen. Orders for 5s post free to country. — Nimmo and £z<ai&j Donedin.

j soil to be exhausted, and that is about all the i eonsolatioa there is to be got out of the I droughts.

If British farmers must cob grow wheat at a profit there is an opening for Sugar Beet them in sugar beetroot, in which to the they wc-uld have to contend oniy .Rescue. with continental growers. Great Britain and Ireland consume 1,000,000 tons of sugar per annum (781b per he*d), and the coib of thab is nearly £20,000,000, so thab the total cost of the [ nation's sugar ia nearly equal to the cost jof the total wheat requirements. It is said j that sugar beet can be grown in Britain with a j satisfactory percentage of 6ugar, but somehow | Biitisb. farmers do nob seem to catch on to that j idea. If they could only produce enough sugar j lor their own consumption a prohibitive duty ', could be placed upon beeb sugar from the Continent, where tbe industry is aided by a bounty system. Of course huge quantities of cane sugar are imported from Queensland and the Mauritius Islands, but that could be reduced also if Britain could geb along with beet sugar alone. I see by a recent paper thab a certain gentleman has offered to dibtribute sugar-beet setd gratuitou^y to anybody who will give it a trial, and he also promises to analyse the roots when grown and reporb upon their fitness for manufacture into sugar. If British farmers can get 40s per quarter for their wbeat I am suve they will not be induced to give up wheat in order to take up beetroot. It would be a good thing if they could cultivate the beet successfully, for the refuse pulp is splendid cattle food in conjunction with chopped straw.

I see that our Agent-general is of opinion this grass may be profitably Rliea cultivated in New Zealand, and

or according to a cable message he Kiusiie Grass, is sending out a consignment of

seed for experimental purposes. I dealt with this fibre plaut in a note l&st winter, and referred to the facb th&t r'cea, or ramie is being grown upon the Duke of Wellington's estate at Strafchiieldsaye, but not on a large scale. The Duke's gardener, upon being interviewed by a reporter, gave some information about this fibre grass, but did not seem to be very sanguine aboub its proving a profitable crop for English farmers, as he thought it better adapted for countries where labour is mnch cheaper thun iv England. I infer from his remarks that it is a plant requiring a good deal of attention and careful culture, bub no more, probably, than linseed fibre. The ordinary market value of the fibre is said to ba about £<M) per ton, but that, I take it, is not for the stems in a raw state as supplied by the farmer, but after tho fitxro has been separated from the bark. Very expensive machinery is required to deal with this plant, and in a previous note I said that '■he only factory established 80 far is one now

Locdon, run by tho R: mie Syndicate. There is no doubt about the fibre being of splendid quality, but if the production extends in all countries its value will come d<,wn considerably below present quotations. Most of us can remember the boom in New Zsala.nd flnx fibre, and how the production was overdone, with the usupl result. We farmers La\e baen told over and over ttiafe there is money ia growing Euglish flax for fibre, and hava been coaxed and encouraged to grow it ; bub somehow or other we prcjfer to devote out attention to crops less trouKUsome and !es^ precarious in results both es regards yield aud price. I do not wish, however, to diccoura^e a tiial of rhea grass. IL is prolific, and can be cut tlree times a year in sorce countries, but at the present stage its reputation i* similar to some of ihe big fodder crops, and tbe Luge profit- »r», as ytt, all upon paper. A telegram from Wolliugton last we^k says that the rhea grass on the ixperitaental farm at Blouaobaka is doing well, aud that the Government Agricultural deparlm-H t hopes that in duo course io u ts will be available for distribution for cultivation by tho?e who wiah to &ive it a j trial. It is staled by another authority that j the present v&lue of the fibre iq £30 per j ton, nnd that the cost of cultivation is only PA per ton, and the yield is about a ton and a-qu*rter per sere. At a ton per 1 acre, V7bich teems to me to be a large return of | dref-sed fibre, the profit would be £26 par acre. It that; is the ca<e, there should be a ruah for seed and roots by all farmers who have hitherto considered a 50-bushel crop of wheat at 4-s per bushel the acme of successful farming. Aghicola.