NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2921, 9 March 1910, Page 7

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

{The effective agricultural value of super-

The Use of Soperplmsphat*.

phosphate is dependent on its percentage of phosphate of lime soluble in water, although when the super-

phosphate is applied to the soil, the fertilising constituent does not remain in such A soluble condition. Being readily soluble it is quickly dissolved by the moisture in the soil, the phosphoric acid being held by the soil, and not liable to be washed away as is the case with soluble nitrogenous manures. The phosphoric acid is, as it is termed, “fixed” by the soil, combining with the lime, and is converted into phosphate of lime, no longer soluble in water; but before this takes place it has been carried right throughout the soil, and is placed at the disposal of the roots of the plants. As to the most effective method of application, so that crops can derive the greatest advantage from it, as a matter of general practice it would appear that the •best results are obtained when the super is buried to a depth of about 4in, or drilled in just under the seed. The depth should depend upon the root system of the different crops, and when the roots penetrate deeply, the super should) -be buried correspondingly in the 'lower layers. When superphosphate is applied to the wheat crop it should be ploughed in before seed- ■ ing or drilled with the seed, and not applied to the surface in the spring. This fertiliser mixed with the soil has been proved to yield the best results, and acts more effectively when buried in the soil than when applied on the surface. Its ap-' iplication in the" spring to wheat, or as a top-dressing to spring grain or roots, is not to he recommended, as it acts too slowly orr the plants, and if the season should happen to bo a dry one, its action is-still more restricted. One of the great 'advantages of superphosphate is to push on- the growth in the first stage of the young plant, and with this object it should ihep laced as far as-possible in the soil just where the young root formation can find it, not on the surface of the soil, and also not too deep.

Oareful experiments have for several years

Baste Slag for Permanent Pastures.

been carried - out at the Wanenga experimental farm, Auckland- Province, which, from latest accounts, abundantly justify the use of

©asic slag for top-dressing purposes. Six years back an experiment began, when lOcwt of basic slag and Bcwt of kainit per acre were applied to the land set apart for treatment. Six acres of- land were set apart for the purpose, three acres being manured, while the balance was grazed .without manure, three sheep to the acre (nine in all) being depastured on the manured land. On the unmanured land it Was only possible to carry five sheep to the three acres. The plots were only grazed for 20 weeks each year, and the manures were applied in one application. The results for the three seasons, 1904-5-6, were as follows: —lncrease in live weight per acre on manured land, 4951 b; increase ini - live weight per acre on unmanured ■lend, 1681 b; and the profit by manuring, less cost of manures, £2 3s 3d per acre. In the Taranaki district excellent results have been obtained from the application of only 2cwt to the acre. At another estate in Auckland a further trial of slag against bone and super for manuring young grass ■was recently made:—Following an oat crop, grass was sowed, half the paddock being dressed with 2cwt of bopedust and lowt taper per acre. The other half was treated SSth 3cwf of slag and Islb sulphate of JKrtash, with the result that the slag and potash gave much the best results, and in wkHtion to this the difference in cost was 9d per acre in favour of the slag aud Potash. The best' authorities state that presence of free lime in the slag in a *sery finely-ground state is of considerable v Who, as it tends to stimulate the bacteria, ■ w ®ch’aot upon_ the organic nitrogen in the foil into activity. It also liberates the potash, converting it into the Mwe form so necessary for plant growth, good grade of basic slag contains a SO peroen-to-w of phosphoric acid, and

much more than .is found' in ordinary super. Accord ; Ag to English agricultural chemists the following tests of the quickness of the action of slag are of interest, and speak for themselves: —Taking 100 as representing the activity of super, which is soluble in water, finely ground slag comes next at 61, guano 33, and bone flour 10. This goes to show that slag, so far from being slow in operation, ranks next to super in quickness of effect on the crop. Farmers in the North Island who have been using slag state that the results of this fertiliser were seen on the pasture a fortnight after application.

The -advantage of equipping milking

The Milking Machine.

machines in large establishments is now fully recognised, but the advisability -of going to the necessary

expense of installing machines for small herds has been a matter -for discussion amongst farmers. A well known authority in ■Riyerina, Australia, gives the following experiences in connection with milking machines, which should be of interest:—To save the expense of employing labour in milking, he put in one milking machine on his .’arm to milk two cows at a time, and started working the plant six months ago with sixteen cows. He states that he had no trouble in getting them used to the machine, as they seemed more comfortable when being milked by the new method than by the old way. The return for the month of August from the butter factory for sixteen cows was £29 14s 6*d; for September the return for twenty cows was a few shillings short of £3O. Since then the returns have fallen off, as the price paid for butter has been much reduced. As far ar the working of the machine goes, no trouble was experienced with it. The 1-h.p. boiler worked it well at a pressure of 4ulb and a vacuum of ISin. Only one young man was required to attend to the whole of the, dairy work, which is, owing to the adoption of the 'machine, rendered easy and cleanly. Sixteen cows per- hour have been got through as a regular thing, and when they were in full milk there were several pairs of cows that filled the 6-ga.llon pail. We use, he says, two pails, but only one machine. When the milking is through, the steam is turned on to the separator, and after the separator is finished the spare steam is used for cleansing. Up to the present time there has been no outlay for repairs. He considered the high returns for the months mentioned were partly owing to the machine, as the cows were not so long hanging about waiting to be milked.

At the Cardiff University, Wales, a, lecture

j Judging Butter.

was recently given with regard to judging butter, and the points which were allotted at the Irish Depart-

merit of Agriculture s surprise competition wore given—namely, flavour and aroma 60, texture 25, colour 5, appearance and makeup 10—100. This allotment of points had been adopted in other countries also, said the speaker. The flavour should be nutty, and neither acid nor oily, salt being evenly distributed. Texture should be close and granular. When pressed, butter should be free from large drops of water. The water _ should be very finely divided, and not milky-looking. The lecturer then considered the kind of land that gave keeping quality. Rich, heavy land generally gave quantity, and not quality. But it was a puzzling question, owing to the contradictions to be seen on all classes of land. The consumption of butter was increasing all the world over. Last year the •importations into the United Kingdom from the colonies were about half a million cwts;' from foreign countries about 3i million cwts. . Ireland exported about three-quar-ters of a million cwts, nearly all of whicij came to England. Britain received most of her supply from Denmark, then Russia, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and New Zealand. The lecturer said he held no brief for the butter-makers of any country , but the Danes were the best and most scientific butter-makers in the world. The secret of Danish butter was its uniformity, but let them on no account make the mistake that other butters at certain times of the year did not equal and even excel it. And this tendency would grow. He had been told by an unprejudiced English dairy instructor that the best butter in the world should, and can, come from Ireland, and the full grass flavour in Irish summer butter represented perfection in butter flavour. Many grocers did well by selling Irish butter for one half of the year and colonial for the other half. The lecturer advised them to buy not on name or brand, but for quality alone, else what was the use of technical 'lectures? The ultimate and invincible objections to grading or dating were that, if they taught men to rely on the grades, they weakened their judgment of quality, and admitted into the trade men who did not understand their business. Whatever might be said to the contrary, it opened the door to fraud. AGRICOLA.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. By Agbicola. "J. H. S" "M. D.** writes:—l have a peculiar trouble amongst my sheep. .The

symptoms are as follows: —When the dog is sent round them they start to run, then all their limbs seem to get stiff, going generally with their heads down; they seem to lose all control of their limbs, and strike their head on the ground, go right over, and lie there, generally for about two minutes, then up and repeat as before. If left alone for half an hour, they will get xip and feed. They are two-tooth ewes. There is no water in the paddock. Thinking that the want of water may have been the trouble. I have put them where they can get it. They have not been sufri ; ciently long enough o see wbather that was the trouble or not. I have had no casualties yet. There is no poisonous plant in the paddock. The sheep have probably been suffering from apoplexy, usually known as staggers, through rush of blood to the head when suddenly rounded up by a dog. This trouble is generally noticed when sheep have been running on good feed, and when thoy an? in good condition. A change of pasture under the circumstances is advisable, and they should also in a dry season have access to water. "Inquirer" wants to know:—(1) The kind of lime to use. (2) If quick-lime, is it necessary to slake it? (3) The quantity to use per acre. (4) The best* time of the year io apply it. (5) Is lime carried free on the railways? The land is wheat and oat stubble, and it is intended to sow it down in rape, and grass next November. The nearest limekiln is eight miles away, and the nearest railwaj station five miles. The cheapest lime for you to use under the circumstances mentioned would be quick-lime, which requires slaking before application if applied at once. Two tons to the acre is about the amount required. The best time to apply as top dressing is in the wiaiiar or early spring. • Lime is carried frea on the railways for agricultural purposes. •, Plough your land well in the autumn, and apply the lime on the surface in the spring after the ground has, been well worked up, and then sow your grass and rape. Lime always has a tendency to work down.