NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2761, 13 February 1907, Page 7

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

A correspondent this week send-, in a query about lucerne. Thii Lucerne. i-, a good -ign, indicating that fanners arc learning the le^on taught by the present abnormally dry season. The correspondent appeal = to be apprehensive that Income will sriw an objectionable taint to tho milk or to tho butter, but on tin- s C oro ho need havo no fcai-. Where\er given a tnal m the. lolony lucerne under favouiabl-o condition^ ha^ -ueceeded admiiably Jr th.ivor, hc-t on deep but free loams and alluvial and calcareous soils, but will grow luxuriantly on medium sandy -oils, if these aio sufficiently fertile to some depth. Alluvial river flat is therefore specially f.wourab'e to its growth. To prepare the land properly for lucerne two 'ucce^no cio]>> of roots — both manured — .hould be taken, and jf fed off the soil will be thoioughlv cleaned and enriched. It i-> fol'y to attempt the giowth of luroi'io a- a fo<J<!< r crop unle-'i the laaid 1- peifectlv f ]•»•«■ from woods arul highly ferule. If it iintended that tho lucerne -hall follow .1 giain crop taken til.; the «tu!)'uUvhoukl be ploughed or trench plouglx d if pos-iblc. to a-, gnat a <>plh >i- ti.<' l"i k| • pouer util admit; ih<n v, ,pur oj;- rj«\ O! caj." bail<v soy n uith .1 1 I>i i.il <b<--/im of ari.fiL.a) or faimyarl iii.iriji< '1 h<> catch crop < .in bo twice U<\ off ai- 1 tho'i tano will be affordo I for tinpreparation of the land for tho lim-mo <•> od. Cleanliness, d. op ti'th. fino coikll tion of mould, and liberal inarm) ing arc ee=entia!s in the assurance of higliiy romunerati\o crops of luccine. The «eo<.l must not be fown until all danger from s< vcro frosts has pa°sed, for tho=e would be fatal 1o the young plants. By broaJra~t;ng the seed at the rate of at loa-t 241b to the aero upon a perfectly clean feeed-bfd. weeds are niuth more effectually kept do%\n than where drilling is axlop'cd In order to increase the auluo of the crop in the fir-^t year — a, it bhould be then mown lot green fod'Jor not crazed--niany exDoriencotl growoi^ wiion seeding gi\e a half seeding of oat-= r^ o. or barley in addition. The ciop should be cut, but not too near the giound, to a\oid injury to the crown of tho plant--, as soon as iho lucerne flower is formed In the =ocon»J f-ea-on it will gl\e three heavy cutting-, and to ensure those and a heaiy yield, while pronKjtirig the root giowth of tho p'ant=, top dre—mgs are indi-pen«able. After the second 5-tason when ihe root 6 haxo ptictiatcd to a considerable depth it v. iU 2aVC fiom four to Ui. cuttuigs

ycarlv fo>- at lea-r >i\ year*. pi'o\ ided tho Top-tUce.s'nQre — pr< fcrably supei phosphates and potash -alts such as Icjimt— arc applied. Tho a-l\antages winch lucerne as a forage crop offers arc its permanent and productive habit, which ensures a heaxy \oarly yield of highly nutritious food, on which cattle. sheep, hordes, an<l swino thri\e better than on any other description of green forago, for so\en or eight years at a minimum co->t of production. Exception may be taken to the ''intensive treatment" indispensable if a lucerne crop is to be a success. It can be easily shown that the cost of production is trifling. After the cost of labour in the preparation of the land and the outlay for manure, seed, and seeding, the annual disbursements will be: For artificial manures as top-dressings. eo-4s and application, £1 per acre : two light harrowmgs, 2s 6d : to ■w hioh must be added the expense of cutting the crop and feeding to stock. In the second taoaeon and subsequent yearssay, till the eighth — the gross produce per acre of green forage will range from 18 to 25 tons. This from experience can be considered a moderate estimate, while tho labour -bill is inconsiderable. Lucerne may be fed down in the second year, but by yearling or light beasts only, for sheep would pinch out the crowns of the plants ' and permanently impair the growth. The ' excellence of lucerne is well and long established, and no farmer ought to neglect having a few acres of it for green forage | on his best land. On a 200-aoe farm, part , under cultivation and part in grass, five acres of well-grown lucerne will hold the | farmer fiee from all ex : gencie« of droughty ( summers, while providing a superior and acceptable variety of food for the stock. Closely associated with the growth of lucerne is the construe- I Kn«il»ge tion of silos for ensilage for j Silos. use iv seasons of plenty to make provision for the lean years which farms must expect. A iccent j report of the Missouri ' Board of Agncultuio , contains the following hints, which may prove of service to those contemplating the construction of Eilo.s:— lt dors not matter what material tho silo is made of; it must be airtight on sides and at bottom. Any crack or knot-hole or poor joint at the door will admit air, and the silaoe will rot just in proportion to tho amount I of air that enters. The receptacle must be strong enough to withstand the lateral pressure o£ the silage when it settles, lnis lateral pressure at 10ft from the top i, 1101b per square foot, at 20ft 2201b, at 1 30ft 330 ib, and at 40ft 4401b. It is veiy ( difficult to make deep rectangular silo-, whose walk will not spring enough to allow air to circulate up and down the «ides and cause losses. " The depth bhouUl be made as gieat as practical, because first in this wav the largest amount of food per cubic foot of space may ho stoietl; f and, second, the «lage keeps better be- ( cause packed < o *olirt : and third. tW ■ ,s le. s relatne l«i«s at tho Mtiface. The top I of the silage aluav, spoils to a doptli of 2in to Bin. Xo si'o should be I«|^ th.\2, 25ft ck-op A »ilo 20 x4O will hold twice afmuch P as one 20 x 25. and one 36ft doe p «ill hold fho time, a-, murh as one 12ft deep Summor m!os should be deepei in proportion than rho^o intended for winter U, because tho milage spoils faster m , dimmer, and must bo k<l down a the ,dI«, dI « of about 3m a da? to havo ahxavj fre-li sildge. The foundation mu-t Man. , on level, firm eaith. and should exton.l about 2ft above the s ,irfar- of tho ? ,uund If the foundation i, .staitod .loop tne ho .• .hcukl bo dug laigo enough to gne ample room outside the wall to thorouKh.v tamn tho earth tin close to the f.nindat.on It i, a good plan to d'« down 4lt or af in order to secure good firm caruh on wlnoh , ,„ , ratt tbo foundation, and al>o m n.-.y t0 get tho latest capac.tv ... the ]„ w.fhout uo.nsr too high into tho an j D-en-t than sft would not be cither con win i.t or -afe Care must be ta»en in wot p!,.cs not to dig down much, or else the .oil nui-t be drained. In many i>U<«» own a good wall «.f -tone laid in oe.non and w. 11 pla = m-i'l*' cement. V.HI o, luvniho -u,l water Ol ,i. It d^noi ,„,„,,^iVo „, fiwz» lye,. )f tho heat of ,1,0 -/..■,'• i'-:f -» "''» " nt V — "nt * h <- If' („„, clc •• in i-»< wall fiom f.-oozLiig. tint po.rirr n...v b- pil"'l »P »v »»clf on the Miago and fed a- <=oon a- it thaw- out On ~.ihU -0.l a fiooi will bo nordod to keop „at '-oil a... but on clay land tho.o nood be no floor u'ilo<-, lats and nvto tiouble; , tln-n a cement floor may Le laid

There is plenty of rcom for the exercise of judgment in the making Fasllage. of ensilage. Those v.ho have not made the experiment of making en-ilage should, it they require feed, certainly try it, and if successful on a small scale should extend th^ir operation's. If the use of ?nsilago in dairying districts were general, it is quite safe to predict that the season might bo prolonged almost indefinitely. One condition appears to be essential for the production of sweet ensilage— that i=, tho temperature of the ensilage mitf>t be 122<lo l r Fahr If that temperature be not reached tho en-ilage will bo sour. Though both kinds are nutritious, a= a feeding subis tan cc s\\<~et enailage is bett< r than sour. A good silo should be aii tight and watertight. It may be of an? form, provided the cmering can follow the ensilage as it sinks. Wooden boa ids about 2in thick may be u=ed for co\ciing; the weuchtuur. should

not be loss than 1001b to tho square foot. Kaixl or oarth can be employed, or some mechanical method. The mct-t convenient site is on a hill side, tilling on the upper =ide, emptjing by means of a doorway' on tlve lower side. Sweet ensilage may be made b> stacking the green fodder in tho even and compressing by mechanical means. Ujider ordinary circumstances the silo is tetter than a stack. For the production of sweet ensilage of fir=t-rate quality the crop should be cat in the same stage as that ohosen by farmers when cutting fodder fey: lmy. At this stage most plants contain, about 75 per cent, of moisture, which is a yuitable amount for our purpose. The objects, when filling the silo, are two. First, to get in every part of the silo a temperatuie of not less than 122deg Fahr. ; second, to prevent the access of air after that temperature has been obtained. In what way will ensilage benefit the farmer? It is one more resource, and a useful ode, too. It preserves in an easily digestible fajrm more of tlip constituents of the original crop that the haystaok does. There are fodder crops, such, as Trifolium incarnatum. green rye, maize, green oats, sainfoin, lucerne, etc.. from which, excellent fWsilage may be produced, under conditions and circumstances which would render gcod hay impossible. Let any farmer try the effect of feeding cattle with a mixture -of sweet ensilage ami oat straw chaffed) together, when he may bo short of feed in his paddocks, and the result will be in mO6t cases more than satisfactory. The process of hay-making does not consist in the mere drying of a fodder crop. A& soon as the crop is cut the cells of the plant begin to absorb oxygen and evolve carbonic acid, w itli a change of starchy substances into sugar. The principal change in the ripening of fruit is starch into sugar. In like manner hay-making, when properly conducted, is a ripening process, not merely a drying process One other point regarding on.-alage should not be forgotten, that of preserving it from the attacks of mildew when the silo has been opened. The small fungi commonly . known as mould do nob attack plants of which the cells are living; they also require a certain amount of ail? for their existence. The cells of the plants are killed by a temperature exceeding 122deg Fahr. ~ Therefore, after the plants have been exposed to that temperature, the access of air to them should be prevented. During- the filling of a silo, as soon as the temperature of 122deg appioaches within 3ft of the surface 'fresh fodder should be added, so a 6 to prevent the access of air to the cells which have been killed by the heat. The pressing of the contents of a silo by weighting is of great importance. Procure on the fodder in a' imlo prevent* air from penetrating the ensilage, which, if completely done, would' liot allow the spread of mould or mildew * am extent. In conclusion, it raav be confident ly stated that good-quality sweef ensilage is as suitable for milking cows as good hay : buf if the ensilage contain cou-,-iderable quantities (if butyric acid the dairy products will not be good jn fla\ouf or quality.