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WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Boisteror winds have been the chief • • - Weather element, with" now The and again light showers, -so Weather. that the land has dried 'up too fast on the top, while the subsoil is boggy — an almost unworkable condition for preparing a seed-bed. O{ course; this only applies to low-lying land, where the stiff clay \f near the surface. There is still a good area of rape" to be sown, and swedes and mangolds should be got in by the end of the month. Dairymen who grow maize for green feed also like to get a patch in by this time. In my experience there is as little risk in sowing maize early this month as there is of doing co about the New Year, frosts being so erratic that 1 have Been potatoes cut down by frost at Christmas; so that it ia advisable to sow a patch at intervals, both as a means of avoiding frost and having the fodder in the best condition over a longer period.

Of late years we have been very careless in looking after the young Treatment of grass paddocks, thinking t Young Grass, was sufficient to put plenty

of stock on to prevent the grass getting too spindly, Nowadays some are inquiring if something more might not be done to make i bstter sward. What Mr Gillanders says, "That there is net a better place on the globe than the West Coast for growing weeds," is quite true. The question of how b&st to deal with the "l^est is ' therefore one of vital importance. Of course, before sowing down a oaddoclj in grass every endeavour should be made to eradicate the weeds first, but I am sorry to 6ay tiii: ha* been seldom done in- the past, the general custom having been to grow grain or roots until the land gpt too foul to produce a with the mistaken idea that the grass would kill the weeds. For the first year. or two, after having been powii weeds will not ba much in evider.'v* in the pasture, but they are there all the time, and live af,d stand as a menac3 to cropping after 10, oi even 20. je-ars. Weeds are one objection to autumn-sowing, as they will grow throughout the winter when grasses make little headway, and paddoclcs can be seen "n the spring about which -it would b& hard to say whether gra-ss or' weeds, ' especially docilcs. had been sown. Personally, I have put 'tho binoer over a ycrang grass field, a'nc*' then carted off the sheaves, principally of docks. Certainly it was> a very rich piece of land, and the docks got possession. However, after reaping the docks" the grass wa 'kept well down by 1 heavy {stacking, and the fol- i lowing year there, was a splendid svra'rd, i with no docks to ba seen. In the- Homeland grass is usually sown with a light crop of grain, so- that ifc' is cut' with the' machine. But for some unexplained reason -such a system does not eeem to answer hereabout —at least, it is saidom followed. Then, again, hi the Old Country 'n the,, second year the grass -is cut for hay. There being no' need here for wch large quantities, of hay, the usual orocess is to feed off Tyith sheep, which to a certain extent answers : w€ ll — only that .the' sheep do not keep the 1 weed from seeding. I therefore suggest that the mower bs run over the young grass fie'd when the- weed stalks appear., 1 Besides preventing -weeds propagating by Scattering iheir seed broadcast ovei the farm, mowing would have the same effset on all the coarser - grasses that may havebeen sown, or like weeds indigenou- to the soil. The expense- would not be much-, i and probably would be handsomely repaid by the eradication- of A'eeds, without taking into consideration thb betterment of- the i pasture. The mowing machine and roller are not made use of as much as they should be—at least, i n tho North Island.

The first annual meeting of he N.Z. Ayrshire Breeder-*' Society was Ayrshire held on the show grounds Cattle- at Palmerston on the

brepdor*' second day of ./he show, Association. when 13 members attended.

Mr J. Kyle (president) was in the chair. Members expressed regret at the absence- of the- hon. secretary, Mr Bcnseman (now of Motueka. South Island), owing to meeting with an accident when about starting to attend the meeting. However, he managed to forward the books and correspondence In irue, and everything being in order th 3 business was got through without a hitch. From the correspondence road the society appears to bo making good headway, as will be recognised by the- election ofY:e following vice-presidents for the ensuing voar : — Mes?is P. Ireland (Palmerston South). Gait (Mataura), H. Olsen (Taranaki), A. M'Fai-lano (Dunedin), G Watts (Cambridge). Mr K}l<* was unanimously re-clscccd president and Mr Bensemarn hon. secretary. To both of these gentlemen Ayrshire-breeders are largely indebted for the onerous work they have dona in inaugurating ths society. Several new membeis were elected at the meeting, and from the enthusiasm s'iowu by ths- committc, who retain office, we may expect shortly to see the breed better appreciated. Some members express the belief that since the- ad\ent of the milking machines the breed is fa%L ri-ing in favour, and inquiries are numerous for both bulls and heifers. Among severu l recommendations to the ximmittr-e that were di«>cu*sed the. following, which is rathi»r of a .iov«lty, is worth considerinu; by kindred 5-ocieties. First there "s the appointment of a Vigilance Committee. Then, "Any exhioitor, if dissatisfied with the- judge's decision, could appeal to that committee to judge the- cattle On points for the satisfaction of the exhibitor or breeders, hveh decision not to interfile with the decision given by the judge or judges for the prize given at that show that reason, but to at-fc against favouritism, or anything likely to ; ntcrfere with the utility of the breed." -It will bs interesting to hear what other as-ociationa or breeders have to feay to the proposal. It would Ime a more 'ar-reaehing effect than most people, -think

It will be remembered that last year Mr

E. Short presented to the Th« Sliort Manawatu A. and P. Challenge Cop. Association a cup valued a& lOOgs, to be given for the beet Romney ram on the ground, the ram to be bred by the exhibitor ; the cup to be won twice in succession. Last year it was »yon by Messrs Gray Bros., and great interest'was taken as to whether they would be able to keep pos.«ession of it. As was generally expected, Mr Bhort won it thi«*

year with" Record "Breaker, a son of the ■■well-known 1 champion' ram Record. The" result now is that the association retains 1 th« j cup for competition" for another two' 'years: Although Messrs' Gray' Bros, did hbfc -receive the reserve championship, if Mr : SK6rt had not won this- year they would probably nave won the cup : outright, as the reserve champion, Mr banner's entry, wa n-otWred by him. A challenge cup takee winning, when the conditions are that it has .to be woi twice in succession, or three times «t intervals. At tne same time, it ie one of the most valuable, means of arriving *t the intrinsic value, of ,- flock, or herd. , ; Now and again, an - outside flock or he^d»produces a champion, while at the same time nothing -above mediocrity is ever again produced from , the flock, even with the aid ■ of the champion. -When a flock can anriex » I challenge cup wnder 6uch conditions it proves undeniably that there must be a conj siderable number in the flook thatc are equally as gcod as the -champion. , , • j ANTIQUA OVIS."

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19091117.2.16.11

Bibliographic details

Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 6

Word Count
1,302

WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES. Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 6

WELLINGTON AGRICULTURAL NOTES. Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 6

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