SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2558, 25 March 1903, Page 7

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

! fFsoai Ova. Own Cobbxsfoitdkwt.") Strong gales of wind from the west were prevalent during the latter The Weather half of the month, and a and good deal of rain (1.83 in) The Farm. fell. The rain has clone much good after the chy weather of tJ--e previoue part of the month ; but tha wind has not done any good' to i tha crops, causing them to incline too much, i and breaking a small percentage of the i stalks. A few paddocks here and there are being reaped, but the bulU of the crop will not be ready for at least two weeks. The lateness of the harvest i 9 causing some anxiety, but it is advisable not to cut until the crop is pretty ripe, as spreen sheave* might not become sufficiently tjry in a late season, and in any oase ripe- sttdf does rot require to be nearly so long in the stook as green. As it is most important in a 'ate season that both sides of the 6took should receive the direct rays of the sun as early in the day as possible, a slight deviation should be made from the north and south direction. By setting the stook to point about 15deg to the east, between north by east and north north-east, the west side of the stock will receive the direct rays of the sun by 11 a.m., by which time a heavy dew will have evaporated from the sheaves facing the east. Stooks and stacks should also be kept as much as possible out of hollow 6or sheltered situations. When the stuff is not in the best order, oblong stacks should not be move than 12ft widenor round stacks more than 15ft in diameter, and the additional precaution may, with advantage, be taken of using the stuff from sheltered situations for the outside rows only of the stack, so that heating may be avoided. It would only be a waste of time- to take such precautions in an ordinary season, but too. muoh care- oannot be taken when harvest work has to be performed after the due t^me. Turnips are growing rapidly, but it fs unlikely that they will attain. Green a medium size owing to the Crops. seed having been sown- too late. It will be necessary after this to sow. some- of the yellow turnips as well as the Swedes during the latter half of- November, in- case- the misfortunes cf this season should be again experienced. Looking oyer a crop of swedes which were 6own on the 20th of November, the advantage of early sowing was brought vividly before my mind. Many jf the roots were over 4in in diameter, ireighing about 2£lb. A crop like this is likely to be heavy by the end of May, but what can one expect paddocke to produce where the turnips vary in size from the thickness of one's finger to the size of a hen's egg? According to the reoently-published agricultural return, the area under rape this season in the counties of Southland and Wallace i 3 a good deal less than it was last year — viz., 4837 acres, as against 6830. But the acreage under that forage crop must be far short of the area returned, for it was found impossible to get the seed sown in time. The returns are, however, an indication of the estimation in. which rape is held. They show- thai divers opinions are held, which is confirmed by conversations with farmers, and the question, naturally arises. Has Ike value of rape for fattening lambs been overestimated? The answer must, I think,, be in the negative, and, while admitting that wet seasons have contributed towards unfavourable results, a good deal of the unsatisfactoriness must be put down to inexperience in its use. Rape alone is too heating, and lambs should not be confined to it more than two or three weeks, co that only forward lambs should be fed on it. Them is another objection to feeding lambs or sheep in low condition on rape ; they do not thrive on the less nutritious turnip afterwards, and the mortality is likely to be considerable. Lambs do particularly well on rape if they have access at will to pasture where the chief constituent is clover, but grasser of any description and several weeds are very serviceable f clover is not available. Some farmers who were prevented by the wet weather from laying paddocks down to grass in due time sowed oata instead for the use of sheep in spring. Rye, it may be remarked, is an excellent sheep feed, being also earlier than oats, and may be =own wherever the turnip crop has failed. Of the winter cereal fodder crops, winter barley h next in order of merit, and oats last. Rye ia slightly binding in its nature, and is therefore suitable for feeding with turnips. | The payable price ruling for ?att!e during: fie la-t two or three years Cattle. ].as caused more attention to be given to breeding. Farmer .s who have u=ed shorthorn bulls with ■\yr«Wire cows find tko progeny much liVrdier, the calves <-tancling fh<i winter much beUer than when a mi? of- the same breed as t\he cews waa used. The improvement in size has ako been most marked without impairii\2 the milking properties .The Heroford ilie ;s; s a!-:o very suitable among Ayrshire vows or crosses, having a good deal q£ the blood of that important breeds if

I the stock is required principally for fatten-" ing. Owing to the difficulty of findingmilkers, some farmers let the --alves run with the cows, twinning the calves belonging to the few cow? kept for milking wifll ' some of thogo whioh are. not milked. Thau returns are, of course, not nearly so large as they would be if the cows were milked, but tlTere is no help for it in some cases. Now that the wool sales nr© over, a word or two may be said about Wool. results. A considerable number of farmers sell their clips on the farm to local buyers, and have consequently np accurate idea as tc whethor they are receiving full value oi not, as, without submitting the wool occasionally to auction, they do. not know, )xcept in a general way, how it compares in value with, others — whether it is superior, good, medium, or- inferior. One farmer who received locally last year 4£d for his crossbred wool decided to try the Dunedin sales this year, as he could only get 6^d on the farm. The prico received at auction was lid, leaving" him 7 l-7d net, so that it was advantageous in more ways than one jo try a new market. The inferior parts of the fleece averaged about the- same as could be obtainedlocally. It is a common assertion here that the cost, including commission, etc., of sending a few bales of wool 100 miles by railway is 3d per Ib. but it is not so, being only3-sd. The railage is the principal :ost, being exactly double the charge of receiving, ■weighing, classifying, and commi=sion. Many good crossbred clips have been sold at from bid to 63cl this season, and* the returns *oul<J vary from 3s 6d to 3s 10fi por fleece-. Thoro would be a number, of course, both below and above- these figures. Soroe farmers are not so particular now regarding the finenesa of the wool, but, a» fineness usually co- v exists with other good qualities, it should not be overlooked, as a. good fleece helps in swelling the returns as well as the saleof fat lambs. Not only should all ewos cf defective fenture and form be weeded out", ' bu€ also those whose fleeces arc thirrly' grounded and uneven. What wo\ild be. thought of anyone whi kept hoggete for breeding whose fleecce weighed from ♦lb to 61b? Pile fleeces of hoggete md ewoa of ordinary flocks should weigh betweeu 71b and Blb. It is sometimes remarked that the progeny of sheep with light fieeoes are more easily " fattened than those , of -well-woolled sheep. Thk is no doubt true, but the wiser course would be to feed tho well-woolled 'sheep a little better.