SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, 5 December 1900, Page 6

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

fFHOM Our Own Cokkespondent.") The weather was variable during the month

and strong wind prevailed. The Weather There was a heavy rainfall on and the Crops, the ,15th ult., and occasional heavy showers have fallen since that date. Still, the rainfall has not been sufficient to saturate the soil, and although the crops have a good appearance, they are not growing rapidly, except on flats, and they are too thin in a number of places. The pasture is good, but the paddocks are not overstocked. A good deal of pasture runs to seed every season, owing to the fact that many paddeks are too large. A few farmers reduce the areas during the summer by dividing paddocks with sheep netting, and waste is avoided by heavy stocking with sheep until the seed stalks are eaten. A good deal of ryegrass, but not more than usual, if reserved foi seed. Ryegrass f=eed has loeen so low in price during the past two seasons that there is not much profit in growing it, and as many farmers sow none but the best seeds, the bulk of farmdressed seed has to be reduced considerably in order to become saleable, thus reducing the returns from a crop. The seed should not be sown upon a corn crop if the ryegrass is to be cut for seed, as the crop 'is not so good, and the oat stubble makes the ryegrass more troublesome to reap. A number of farmers took advantage of the recent demand for oats, but others are waiting in the expectation of getting better prices- a few weeks after this. The approach of the shearing season induced a number to sell in a rising market in order to mate room for the wool. Hoggets have been shorn on a few^farms, but shearing will jiot be general for a week or two yet. Sheep are in good condition, and the fleeces are clean. This is a good season for lambs on account of the little rain that we experience. .It is expected that the price will be equal to the satisfactory rate ruling last season. When lambs were appearing in the paddocks last year remarks were made to the effect that buyers were prepared to guarantee 12s each

for fat lambs. But verbal guarantees are not worth much, nor are written guarantees worth much more in a matter of this sort. Experience has taught most farmers to be content to wait till farm products are ready for sale.

There will be a much larger area of turnips on the raised drill this season Turnips. than there was during the last two or three seasons, as broadcast sowings on weedy land have been proving partial or complete failures. Farmers are paying much attention to all improvements in implements for facilitating the work of preparing the soil for a crop of turnips. But the work can be done cheaply and quickly with any of the ordinary implements which have been long in use; it was the cost of singling that caused farmers generally to continue sowing turnips on the flat surface. During the last fortnight the preparation of the turnip land has been earned on, and the sowing of swedes has been commenced. The softer varieties will be sown immediately afterwards. It would be an advantage if they could all be sown by the middle of December or Christmas at the latest. Later sowings do well only occasionally. Swedes are sown principally for horses and pigs. A few should be grown also for feeding ewes which have to be kept with their lambs in sheltered situations for a few days. One or two tons would probably suffice for a flock of 200 or 300 ewes in the lambing season, when soft turnips are of little value. To show how swedes are relished, one or two facts may be mentioned. This season a farmer had a few tons of swedes during October in a heap in a corner of a paddock , of very good pasture. A flock of ewes which were depasturing there consumed every turnip root, but they would not eat the .softer varieties of turnips 'at that time of the yet.r if pasture were available. In a previous season a flock of lambs while feeding on rape, broke through the netting into a crop of swedes, and it was with difficulty that they were kept on the rape after that. Both yellow and white-fleshed turnips in the same paddock were neglected. Of yellow-fleshed varieties the purple top and green toxi Aberdeen are the principal sorts grown. The former As a more certain crop, and for that reason some farmers mix the heed — about two-thirds of the former and one-third of the latter. The principal white-fleshed varieties grown are the purple top mammoth and the Devonshire grej'stone. About 2cwt per acre of artificial manures are used on most good soils. About double the quantity is required for swedes, but farmyard manure is better than any artificial. Indeed, a good crop cannot be grown in some places without farmyard manure.

Last season there were 9337 acies of rape grown in Southland. The preEape. vious season the acreage was 6632, and the one before that 5251 acres. It will be noticed that there has boon a considerable increase in the acreage these three years, but it is doubtful if the acreage will be increased this season, as lambs did not fatten well on rape in many pieces last season on account of the wet weather. Even in dry weather the lambs should be in good condition when put into a paddock of rape, so that they may not require this rich food much longer than three or four weeks. Lambs have a tendency to sickness if fed a long time on rape, especially if the weather is wef r and one or two wander away- now and again and ■ die from scouring. Last harvest I had a number of lambs on rape, and noticing that at I the end of three weeks they were not looking well, I put them on a young pasture for a fortunight, but although the weather was very wet, the lambs recovered, not one dying. They ' were afterwards kept for five weeks on Devonshire greystone turnips without a change of food except the little they could pick up on the bare portion of the paddock where, the rape had been. The weather was very frosty at the time, but there was not a single death, and they fattened well. As few lambs are fat enough for freezing till after harvest, and as they are then a sufficient time weaned to feed on turnips, tho soft varieties should be grown for them. These turnips grow to a very large size, and there is much more food in an acre of turnips than in an acre of rape. [ Very good results are, however, obtained from ! rape in some places, especially where the I lambs have a run on to nutritious pasture.