FARM NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2295, 24 February 1898, Page 7

FARM NOTES.

Humus in Soil.— An esteemed correspondent sends us the follow -ng on thfi above subject, which ban «*lso cp&u dealt with by "Agricola" ia Rural Topics this week:— 11 It is nob easy to assign a definite formula for what is generally termed humug. Ifc is a combination of several complicated organic compounds, and contains, besides the usual carboD, hydrogen, oxygeß, and nitrogari, several other elements in organic combination. Humus conais's of a mixture of m-jny »übfetancae, mostly of an avid nature, undergoing ! decomposition under conditions which prt c'nda h-ee access of oxygen. The aeaount of humus iv any soil is influenced by the character of the vegetation growing- on the soil. In swampy lands j the accumulation of humnn is greatest, a peat i bog consisting of littlft else than humus and ! vegetable fibre. All good f oila require a certain ! proportion of humus to ensure their fertility ; j but before it is liberated for the food of culM- i vated plants air joust be admitted to the *oil, j This we accomplish by drainage and cultiva- j tion. Any soil containing ft surplus of humus is &U the better if oxpostd to the action of a summer's sun and wiuter's frost before a crop is sown up m it. That UcX many of our southern farmers have learned through experience. li\ the process of cultivation humus becomes ex- j haustedin the soil, and unless proper meaua are J taken torestore it, the sail -will cease fco be fer&ilfi. | A'l fertile soils contain a fair amount of organic or vegetable matter, and that must be kept up somehow. By the use of highly conctnbr»ted chemical manures the natural fertility of the j soil is too often exhausted. Ia such rases moans niusb ba takea to return, io the soil what is deficient. For bhat purpose f-hare is nothing like good farmyard or stable manure. Ths pity in that farmers do not employ more of thU j useful fertiliser, or endeavour to make more of i it on their farms. By houaing their dairy cows ! on cold winter nights and supplying them with } plenty of straw it is surprising how much good i manure can ba made with even half a ftozsn j cows during a season. Nexb to this Icina of J mauure comes ploughing down greew crops, j such as clover or some other catch ot-op grows by the aid of artificial manures. In any ca?e the proper proportion of vegetable master in the soil mu't be kept up if the farmer intends to live r-U his laad " Sugar Beet im Waikato — It certainly does seem singular (sas s the New Zealand Farmer) that some systematic steps to save the sngar beet regularly grown io different parts of Waikato have not been made, and this in fair-siz-ed | areas of, say, not lt-ss than an acre each, from | which portions could be taken for analysi", and | also weighed to ae cevtain the yield of beets p«r acre. Nothing short of this will uafciufy capitalists that the sugar beet can be grown in the i (Harriet in payable quantitities and of sufficient J richnes? for manufacturing. Some practical scheme of this kind might well be taken up by the Watkato Farmers' Club, who could with very little difficulty arrange for substantial prize 3 for the best field of sugar beet, weight per acre snd sugar richness to be taken into consideration. Instead of this, however, the local press is kept full of information re- > speetiog the profits obtained from cue growth of sugar beet in other countries, the latest being a paper read before the W.F. Club by Mr Taos. Wells, of Cambridge, which was certaii.tly a most complete treatise upon the subject. As Waikato settlers have signified their willingness to grow the beet, being satisfied with the prospects offered, it seems rather like a waste of \ time putting further inducements before them j while no adequate steps are being taken to J demonstrate to the other fellow— the capitalist — for our settlers will find no capital. The district is proved beyond mare garden experiments to be suitable for the profitable growth of sugar beet, whirh briefly means that beet can be' grown of sufficient richness to pay for milling and in sufficient quantitips to induce settlers and land-owners to continue its growth. The Ways of Tuberculosis. — A great deal has yet to be learned by observation before the authorities will be able to accurately gauge the possibilities of the disease and tell stock-owners ' all that may be expected of it (says the Sydnay Mail). Some cattlemen balieve that more than one form of the same disease «xists in cattle. Their observations cover sucb varied conditions that they fiad it difficult to believe it is the same tuberculosis every time. A discussion arose on the subject in the Albion Park show ground recently, and our representative gathered that: some experienced dairy-farmers are disposed to class the most pronounced forms of the disease under two heads. These represent what are popularly known as " galloping " consumption and a "decline" in human beings. One owner stated that he had employed a veterinary sur- '• geon to test some stock with ths tuberculin ] test. One bull was given a clean bill of health, j yet four menths lat«r that bull wm dokd, kiml

a post-mortem revealed an advanced stage of tuberculosis. The owner has confidence in the tuberculin test, but believes that the disease developed during four months. Another owner remarked that he had known cows affected in the throat to suddenly shake off tho symptoms ai>d thrive remarkably on fair pasture. Still, thp evil day »raß only postponed, for the disease developed later *nd destroyed tho animais. Mosfe cattlemen now believe in the tuberculin test;, and tha idea that the only way in tha disease will be stamped out is by every owner insisting on having a beat certificate with every animal that he buys is gaining ground. At the same time, practical men eav that until the disease becomes less prevalent frequent tf sts would be necessary, bacause they hold that tha disease may be contracted anil developed in a very brief period of time. Aft tho Albion P*rk show two special prizes were given for caltio that had been tested. This ia the firfC movo that has been made in the direction of insisting that exhibited stock shall bs free from disease, and it may lead to the div» cussion of the matter by other societies.