SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2401, 8 March 1900, Page 7

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.') A few strong gales of wind were experienced

during the latter half of the The Weather past month : and the crop? and have ripened very rapidly in the Harvest. consequence. They have been knocked about a good deal, but as there was not a large area fully ripe, the loss is small in the aggregate. The oat crop is good, but it is noticeable that there is not so much difference as usual between the crop growing on the light soils and that on the heavy, which is no doubt explainable on the supposition that the copious rains were of greate: benefit to the light and porous soils than to the heavy. Reaping was commenced in many places about a week ago, and will be general everywhere in the course of a week. Rust has not yet appeared, and smut appears only in a few places — where the Sutherland or similar varieties of seed were not dressed with bluestone. Farmers who get their seed oats specially dressed in the threshing machines remark that smut appears among their sparrowbill which was dressed after Sutherland on neighbouring farms. This experience should make farmers careful to see that the machines are thoroughly clearned after dredging seed of a different variety. There is a very large area undei oats, which is ripening so fast that the cutting cannot be accomplished in due time. Harvest hands are scarce. The small birds have been more destructive this season than in any previous one, and their depredations are spread over a large area. Poisoning is not very effective in winter, except during severe snowstorms, on account of the abundance of feed ; hut I think that it. would be worth while to lay poisoned grain during November and December, as feed is so scarce in these months that sparrows will venture into kitchens for crumbs. As a matter of fact, some people have proved that aawrows will

eat poisoned grain readily near the end of the year. This has been one of the worst seasons for dealing with ryegrass crop. The value was reduced by slight frosts, which were experienced occasionally for a few weeks before cutting, and since then by wet weather, which prevented farmers from getting il stacked or threshed till within the last fortnight.

There is an abundance of feed in paddocks laid down to gra^s 10 or 12 Green weeks ago, and pasture seeds

Crop. 1 !. sown during January also give promise of providing feed for lambs or calves before winter. There was so much rain during the (first two weeks of last month that it brought on late-sown seeds very rapidly. In one case at least pasture seeds that were harrowed in germinated in four days, and ryegrass sown on well-prepared soil, but not harrowed in, took root in ten dnys' time. As the old pasture is alao good in most places, it will not be necessary to feed off the turnips as early as usual, which is a fortunate circumstance, since the crop is late. Early sown turnips are a good crop, but although the late-sown are looking well, it i 3 too soon to offer an opinion as to what the result will probably be. It may be said, however, that there is a large area of these roots, and that if the crop should prove only a medium one, there will be sufficient to carry the stock through the winter and spring. A very large area has besn sown on the flat surface, and in many places the weeds are in consequence so abundant that the crop will not be nearly so heavy as it would be on the raised drill. The yield of oatrf next season will al&o be reduced to such an extent through the unchecked growth of weeds this season that horse and hand hoeing could be recouped two or three times. Very good crops of swedes are to be seen where farmyard manure was ploughed in during winter and artificials applied at the time of sowing the seed. This turnip is more expensive to grow than the softer varieties, and pro\es a failure on some farms unless farmyard manure is used. Sonic farmers assert that their turnip crops are much better when the artificial manures are sown broadcast, and the soil afterwards drilled \ip, than when sown on the raised drill. Experience seems to show that turnips derive much more benefit from the manure when it is all through the soil than when it is in a thick row below the seed. If one takes the trouble to pvill up a small turnip plant it will be seen that a root is sent down, to a considciable depth, and that numerous small roots bianch oft' from it in all direction*. It is the opinion also of some that a liberal application ol manure is injurious when it is immediately below the turnip ; but that a very much larger quantity" sown broadcast would be beneficent. Rape did not promise well eaily in the season; but exceeded expectations latterly. Only iii,,^ few places is this crop to be eeen mixeci with turnips. On some farms they have been grown together until it was found that th& turnips were nipped to a slight extent, causing their decay early in winter, especially when the weather was severe. There is, it should be said, this advantage in growing both crops together : that weeds are eaten off before the seeds ripen, and that the land is in consequence cleansed to some extent, and the growth of the turnips promoted. It may be pointed out, also, that the objection to growing turnips broadcast — viz., the encouragement given to the growth of weeds, does not apply to rape, as this forage crop grows so rapidly that it is eaten off before the weeds have time to mature their seeds.

Sheep of all descriptions, old as well as young, aie eagerly competed for at Sheep. the sales, and now is the

time to dispose of old ewes in a fat condition. But I am of o ; \inion that in many cases fie ewe lambs will have to go. Large-framed store lambs are selling freely at 9s, and small ones at about 7s. There is such a small difference in price — from Is to Is 6d — between good stores and fat lambs that farmers are in no hurry to sell.