NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2511, 30 April 1902, Page 8

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Tlio pa=t season has been an exceptional one as regards weather. A cold, The late spring was oucceeded Season. by a month or two of dry, windy weather, and then, early in December, the winds gavo place to ram, and that has pi e\ ailed to an excessive extent ever since. All districts in tho south ha\e not experienced weather of tho same eharactei, but, all the same, and allowing for local variations, the season has been a very trying one, and the rainfall during the laut few months has been excessive. The floods during the last week of March were general all over Central and North Otago and the whole of Canterbury, while in Southland harvesting was going on almost uninterruptedly. ICokonga, one of the driest spots in the island, got a sufficiency of rain for a time, and North Canterbury, -which had been lacking rain for a good while aLo, received a thorough soaking. We want dry weather now everywhere for completing the oat harvest, for threshing and delivering, and for autumn cultivation of the stubble land. At the time of writing, the weather is a>t ill very unsettled in many districts, and late oats are being seriously damaged. In fact, in some instances the stooks are matted together with sprouting grain. It is much to bo regretted that tho-e farmers who were hoping to get a crood picio for their oatd as a *et off to the slump in wool should have met with Mich unpropitious harvest weather. Kxccn--Mie moisture has also hindered the wink of the farm in eve-ry way, ami made indifferent roads almost impasi-able. I hoar that potatoes m low -lying land have become rotten to a groat extent, and hundreds of acres will not be woith taking up. Sh«ep and lambs e-peeially the latter, have heon doing very badly, so that, all things considered, I reckon the season ho- been a mo-t un-f-atii-faclory one. There is no good in crocking, but it is jtipt a= well i o face the petition and bo prc-paiod for a deficiency in the oiedit side of the balance bheet. If oats and wheat wore in poor demand, the damo<rd -ample- would be prartuallv unsaleable at any price, but, lvi kily, there is ;i pro-port of n fair pru o for any cram that is not coir.pletelv ruino.l. Wool, too. i« looking up a littlo. and food is plentiful for wmtf-nncr our ;-tork; ihPicfoiP. we mn'-t look a- mu< h a- po-<-ib!o upon the bncht side, and ho])f foi a hotter -eason to come

I have rcd'ived a batch of C]uono= from " Inci uiror.' 1 Palinn-ton. A I.ars-e wlnrh I fiml veiv difficult Order. to an'urr, Imhuu-p. ho wi-he-iiK- to \i\\n definite information about matter-, winch aro puiely gu<"— woik. He a-'»5, for m-t.moo. how mnnv hu-helj <-f oaU .iro likclv to l;o thr" hocl fioin a toil of oaton slv-avos, ami as hf thinks that tho vu'ld depend- altogether upon tho If 114 th of ri.o 'traw, 1 an' a-k<-d to '_'i\p nn f-;,'u.(t r v foi the- vip'.d p< r ton of >-l f i.. f1 j \ir\ jll k Vi Efli Tf "Tn<|iuic 1 h.-d . ih'i rv|, nr p, • ,n ;i mi -,n ..nc,'. ho urn lei Llij-.> iii.it t'i i" f^-u Ls tin rule

whatever for judging the proportion of oata hi any given weight or volume of sheaves. A short straw crop may be so badly headed that a long-straw crop, well headed, would give a better yield from a ton of sheavesMuch depends also upon the variety of oats, as some kinds yield more in proportion tc the straw than others, though the dieavcs may be the same length. In estimating the weight of a stack of sheaves, the foregoing remark* apply, because what applies to one) ton also applies to a number of ton?. It is easy to calculate the cubic contents of a stack by outside measurement, but it ia impossible to arrive at even an approximate idea of the weight without any other data, than the size. All that "Inquirer" has to do, in >ider to find out the bushels of oats in a ton of sheaves, is to weigh a. hundredweight, and then thresh them, and, if ho has taken a fair sample, he can tell to a nicety what percentage of grain and straw there" is in the whole lot. To find the weight of a stack of oats or meadow hay, he must firist get the cubic contents by measuring the stack, and then cut out a square yard, and from the_ weight if that ho can obtain v pretty correct estimate of the v. eight ct the stack. He mentions the facfc that tiie weight of a given volume of slu-nves or hay depends upon the time the stack has been built, but he must not forget tb/j fact that the density is not altogether governed by that. The quality of the hay is an important factor, also tho height of the stack and the pitch of the roof. As to the density, I may say thafc a cubic yard of light, rubbishy hay from a stadk which has been up for years will not wpigh 6O much as a, yard of good, sound meadow hay, though taken from a stack a few months old. In taking a yard of hay from a stack it should be chosen from about the middle of the stack in order to obtain a fair average weight. The proof of the hay in in the eating, and I need scarcely tell "Inquirer" that no matter how heavy the hay may be, its value really depends upon it being good and sweet and nourishing to the stock for which it is intended. With regard to the oats, too, it is necessary to mention that the weight of a stack ot sheaves is governed somewhat by the stage at which it is cut and the condition in which it is harvested. If oats are cut ore the gieen side, there will be more sap and weight in the straw and less meal in the gram- if the stooka have been long exposed, the straw gets very dry and brittle and bleached, and is then very light, and the proportion of grain to straw by weight wilF be greater than in the case of sheaves secured in good order. I regret that I cannot oblige my inquiring friend with tho "rough and ready" tables he aske3 for, because they wcui'J necessarily be too rough to be of any service to him or others. l>xrentnee and observation must be our chief guide in such matters, and if I saw a crop being stacked I could form a pretty good idea as to how it would turn out, but 1 ear.not possibly do po by merely knowing the length of the sheaves or the measurement of a stack. One might as well ask a butcher to state the weight of a bullock from merely knowing his length and breadth. If he could see and feel the beast, he would make a good <-hot jt hi, weight, but not ot'ici w i-e

Horn 1 papers received per la«t mail contain reports of the twenty-third The Shire annual show of the .Shire Horse Show. Horse Society, held in _ the huge Agricultural Hall, London, at the beginning of March. The show extended over four days, and was. a. nr table one m =orat respects. The number of p: trie- of ntallions. mares, fillies, and geldings was 860, exceeding the highest previous, number by 200. The attendance was Inrpe. and on the second day the championsh'os were awarded in the presence of tho Pi mre and Princess of Wales, who gridon ly presented the cup- On the third day the "-how was honouied hy the presence of 'in, Majesty the King, who watched the j.aiadc for the space of an hour. From the rc^oit- I eathc-1- tho following item» of m.tnci : — The sires were not «o pood, taken all rctincl, as the marcs and fillies, and it i, .<:nci tint thorp v\as ne\er pucli a granrl lot Di the-? brought together before. It is cvi'pnt 'I.nt tho veterinary examinations ni'i-t an pli/y tlie judging of the very large fi;i--es; for instance, theie were 127 ent'-iea in "the cla=s for two-year-old stallions, but o.ily 25 were placed before the judges after the" > Pt- had fompleted their examination. In tho Jiree year-old cla.,, 22 horbes were

Ximmo and Blair's Agricultural Secda should be used to get prood results. They are of the hc-t quality cud r<>a=onablc in price. Xm.n.o ii.-id Blair will he i>!ra = t-d to send s-ainp'c^ and £ 1V - quotations .(t alii' timo b/

twought back from the vets, out of a total of 120 entries. The proportion of animals (passing the veterinary examination was .much, greater in the mares, fillies, and geldings than in the stallion classes. There was, as usual, keen competition for the blue {riband of the year, and immense interest .was taken, in the judging of the champions. iLord Rothschild's horse was the favourite ■with the public, and their opinion was endorsed T>y the judges. The champion four-year-old mare had previously been bought from Lord Rothschild for 750gs. The Prince and Princess of Wales entered the ring to present the champion cups, and as they ■were leaving, one of the stallions became excited by the tremendous applause and fore round the ring, dragging the man with ibim, and almost knocked down their Royal Highnesses, ■who, however, were, it is said, more amused than alarmed at the incident.

After posting my note about pig-fanning, I received a few lines from <i Peas farmer of Orepuki, who for Pigs. says that he grew a few rows of field peas last year, and after knocking out the bulk of the seed gave the haulms or pea-straw to the pigs, and was pleased to see that they did exceptionally well while picking over the straw for the remaining peas. I can assure "W. B." that he cannot do batter than grow peas for pigs, because pigs are very fond of them, and put on good, sound flesh, ■which makes the best bacon. He asks whether it would answer to grow peas, and instead of cutting and threshing same, to put the pigs on them in small breaks, like folding sheep upon turnips, as they do in the old country. That is ihe best and most economical plan, and is very frequently adopted in districts where the land is suitable. I/arge fields of peas are grown in North Canterbury, and so many pigs are kept that they are turned into the whole lot without fencing of breaks at all. Peas are rather particular as to soil and climate, and will not do on cold olay soilsr A warm, loamy soil is tho best, and they may "be Eown broadcast if the land is pretty clean. After the peas get well established they •will smother all weeds, and are, on that account, a good cleansing crop. There are several kinds of field peas and numerous varieties of the garden sort ; the field pea has a purple flower, and the garden pea ■Usually a white flower. The field peas usually grown, are the blue Prussian, the early grey or partridge pea, the late grey or hog ■pea, and a wirter pea. Two bushels of seed drilled and three bushels broadcast i 3 about the usual sowing; if the coil is .good ihe peas will branch out and cover th° ground very quickly. A wet seed bed is bad for them, as they are apt to lie flat, which prevents the proper ripening of the pods. Anything above 20 bushels per acre is a fair crop, but double that is grown when soil and season are both in tneir favour. A week or two age I saw an illustration in a northern paper of fine large stacks of 'blue Prussians from 20 acres at Clafkville, and the crop is said to have threshed 40 •bushels per acre. If "W. B." wishes to drill an acre or fo by hand, lie can. ma<cp the drills by means of a rougli wooden rak» with a head 3ft wide {of 3 x 4 scantling), and t-hree teeth, nailed on lft apart, made of 3xl batten. This, dragged along, will make three drills, and the seed can be dropped along by hand, just as in mowing garden peas. BctteT still to do the work •with a Planet Jr machine, if he has one. Some farmyard manure should be worked into the land this autumn, which should be ploughed and prepared for the seed in September or October. AGRICOLA.