NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2915, 26 January 1910, Page 7

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

On© has not to travel very far before seeing’ evidence of fcho successful spread of this troubleborne noxious plant, and there is no denying the fact that among the posts against which the farmer lias to contend, the Canadian thistle occupies a very prominent place. Like most weeds, it grows most luxuriantly without the application of fertilisers, and is most difficult to eradicate. Frequently inquiries are made as to the best method of combating the evil other than the effective way of continuous cutting in the summer months, and various remedies have been put forward, as being mors or less effective, xtcicentiy at the Harper Adam Agricultural College a systematic attempt by way of experiments has been msd'.> to solve the difficulty. The report Lorn -tins college contains a geed deal of inicvmr.!ion of a useful character, bus whioli dots net directly apply to the subject of thisdo destruction; but the oxlieiimenis d.lreetiy bearing on tbo subject of this note, over a iioriod of two years, aro cf interest. A number of plots were used foe purposes of the trial, and numbered ji3 fo.Uo’iVs: —iuot 1: Thistles cut three times in a season ard circesed witff 4cwt of common salt after each, cutting - (midsummer months.) Plot 1b : Thistles cut throe times in on© season; not salted. Plot 2: Thistles cut once in season, and dressed with 4cwt of salt at time o' cutting. Plot 2b : Thistles cat once in season; not salted. Plot 3: Not out, but beaded with stick to prevent seeding, and dressed with 4owfc of salt at same time. Piot 6fl: Not cut, but headed. Plot 4; Cut one© and sprayed with sulphate of copper. Plot 4b: Uncut, but headed’ with stick, and with (sulphate of copper. Tne result® of the treatment extending over the two seasons ware very marked, and aro given as follows:—1: That the early cutting had a very beneficial effect, and not only reduced the number of plant®, but also eo weakened the remaining onc-s as almost to have cleared the plots. 2: That even a single cutting is beneficial. 3: That- spraying with sulphate of copper appears to have little effect. 4: Thai: the application of has a good effect in checking the growth, if applied at time of cutting.

Destruction of Californian Hustles.

Everyone who cultivates an orchard knows ■that there are certain natural conditions both as to soil and position which ■favourably ■or otherwise affect the successful production o* ail fruits, and the most successful cultivator is ho who understands these conditions and who docs his best to supply them. A horticultural authority in N.Z. Town and Country Life says that in ord®r_ to bring the raspberry to the highest state, of perfection 'it should be planted iri well-drained, deep, friable, rather heavy loam, and 1 in a cool position. A north border, under a, wail for instance, suits it .to perfection. Where such a position is not available, it must be situated as far removed from the full glare of the su» as poseible. After saying this he ad's that splendid crops of this fruit may be obtained with good cultivation from any ordinary good garden soil, but: it is useless to plant the raspberry on poor, thin, sandy, or gravelly soil. Once a plantation of this ‘ : t- -4 t.-.’ • I n i n f*as H ov» n K r. r> ri

TSio Raspberry.

goncrous cultivation it will arftcrwards reiuain in good pre at for any number of years—from IS to 20 or longer; and as the Burfaoe of the soil between the roots'cannet be dug, once the roots are well established in the soil, on account of the raspberry being- a surface-rooter, it follows that the soil muefc be well prepared to receive the plants in the first pWo. Therefore those who may be contemplating the plantin? °f raspberries, either for sale or horm consumption, should lose no time in selecting a position in which to plant them. The position being- selected, the next important step to at&end to will be the pre-'* paration of the iand. This should bo ; trenched from 2£ft to 3ft deep, and a supply j of stable-yard or cowshed manure applied ■' at the rate of from 30 to 40 tons to the •acre, laying the manure in the middle and top spits as the trenching proceeds, and ; Boi at the bottom. As the raspberry is J

such a favourite fruit in this part of the Dominion, the hints given above may bo found useful to anyone who contemplates raspberry cultivation.

Experienced horso-owners realise the value ■of handling, leading, and controlling their foals from an early age, though a number of. farmers still leave the handling of their young horsed to the- day when breaking is coxamefloed. A little consideration will show which is the fcott-er -course, in the one case confidence has long boon established between the young horse- and mail. The horse, while recognising that it- must submit to control, knows that tho new experiences which coma its way we not likely to do it any harm. In the other case tho horse knows nothing. Its natural tendency is to regard any measures taken for its control as so many elements of danger to bo avoided as far as possible, and to bo str-enuou sb’ resisted. Satisfactory horses are no doubt prodiucecl by either of these systems; but they are very easily spoiled! cither by not having their wilful ways curbed or by being soured by excessively severe treatment. The average man doss not make allowance for want of mtclli.gcr.ee in tho horse, and ho sometimes does not appreciate the fact that the noise does not know the meaning of the human language'. Horses may be spoiled by either system, but fewer horses are spoiled by kindness than by over-severity. It is generally recognised on the farm that life ago at which horses, other than racehorses, may commence real work, is not .much before they are thre© years old. . The principal objection to working .horses too young are the probability of strains to the sinews and mur.eles, injuries to tho joints, particularly hocks and fetlocks, and the growth of splints and s-idebones. Prevention is better than cure., -even when a cure oan be assured, which is not always to bo guaranteed. Breaking-in is a severe ordeal to a young ho iso that has not been -accustomed to control, and the horse will certainly not tabs kindly to work if his spirit is broken by starvation, for instance, which, is sometimes practised. The average young horse is quite easily induced to submit to the wishes of man it those wishes arc expressedin a firm but patient and quiet way. It. is after it has be-on knocked about and bullied that a young horse becomes obalina-to. Eor all those reasons it- is therefore advisable to handle foals from an early age, and later on -their breaking-in will bo found a comparatively easy matter.

Foa'.s.

Nearly ever;.' farmer has occasion at some time or other to treat hir> farm with an application of lime, a-a he knows its value as a soil corrective. The use, however, of tills invaluable material has been very much restricted owing to the difficulty and; unpleasant conditions which are usual!/ inseparable from its spreading. It is only of recent years that any satisfactory machinery has been introduced for lime spreading, and even tko machines now used in many parts of this province are by no means perfect in their construction and adaptability. Aoco v ding to the Victorian Journal of Agriculture, a very up-to-date- lime-spreading machine, simple in construction and light enough in draught for a single horse, is now in use on. some of the agricultural farms in Victoria, made by a firm, Jaok -and Sons. Maybole, England. The. width of this machine, which, of .course, can be altered to suit the required conditions, is 13ft between the wheels, -the axle being geared- on to a shaft carrying 22 cog-wheels, operating small square linked iron pwSto?y chains, bin apart, which pass through the box containing the powdered lime. As the machine moves forward the lime is drawn out by, the links, and is uniformly distributed on the land. The machine may be adjusted to sow from 2cw(; to 2 tons per acre, a higher speed wheel being used for amounts over a ton per acre. The wide spread permits of 15 to 20 acres per day being sown with no inconvenience to the driver. It is as well not to attempt to sow powdered lime on any flat a cplm day. It might bo further mentioned that the machine will nob sow stones, and consequently, if lime is improperly burned or insufficiently slfiked, the larger pieces will remain in the box. Ground, lima (crushed burnt limestone) or slaked lime, as well as sand and other kindred substances, are -readily handled by tli e machine. For travelling, where gates are not wide enough to allow' a clear passage, the wheels are removed from the ends and fitted in slots in the sides of the machine. The shafts may similarly be removed and fixed into one end of the limebox. A pair of small trestles allows the changing of the wheeis to he made without difficulty to the driver. With a satisfactory lime-spreading machine there is n-o reason to doubt that much more of this valuable soil corrective would be used in Otago than is now the case. AGRICOLA.

T&« Sysrsatfirsef Wine.