NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2924, 30 March 1910, Page 6

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

In til© course of top-dressing experiments

Exneri inputs with t’astaie Lands.

carried out at Ruakum Experimental Farm it has been found that the close crazing to which land (hat had received a top-dressing

of basic slag: was subjected, owing to the herbage growing thereon being more palatable to the stock, was carried l to excess and resulted in injury to the sward, from which it did not recover in time to compete with the coarser herbage on those plots which were dressed with only a small amount of available phosphates. Basic slag has now been proved to be most beneficial to pasture lands when it is applied in fairly liberal dressings in the winter or early spring. Recently further experiments have also heen carried out at the Frimley fruit gardens, Hawke’s Bay, in the way of using artificial fertilisers for orchard manuring, and excellent results have been had with applications of superphosphate, basic slag, and potash. Some trouble had been experienced at Frimley with the peaches in the way of colour, which is said to have quite disappeared, thanks to an annual dose of lib of potash per tree, and the fruit is now said to be as highly coloured as ever it was. The older trees in the same orenard have been given, in addition, 41b of superphosphate per tree, with splendid ' results as regards foliage and non-cracking 'of the stones. One block of 10 acres of

peach trees, which had been manured the previous year for the first time, had very little fruit,, though it was not considered necessary to manure it again. But the block next to it got the dressing of 41b of superphosphate and lib of potash as before, the trees in both blocks being identical in variety and the soil similar. The trees which had the manure were in full bloom, with foliage showing, while those on the unmanured block were only bursting into leaf, representing a difference of a fortnight in spring growth. Superphosphate was at once applied with potash and harrowed well in, rain following to complete the- job: but it was as late as November before the one plot caught up to the other. A farmer from Nelson states that last winter he applied towards the end of Juno, on land that had been sown down to grass and clover the previous springland with a clay subsoil—2owt of basic slag and jew I, potash per acre, and the result far exceeded his expectations, and an application of the same mixture to clover, cowgrass, and ryegrass on very stony soil had equally good results. The steady fine weather that we have been experiencing lately will Cbnrtnc and afford assistance to the farP!ouahlng mpr in the wav of scarifyStubbles. ;n<r and cleaning the stubbles, and also burning off the, rubbish. Most farmers usually adopt the practice of ploughing the Stubbles deeply, and a good manv use the digger plough where the soil is deep and suitable, the skim coulter first of all paring off the top surface, which .is 'buried deeply br the following plough', and a pulverised clean surface of soil is ready in soring for the next crop. The digger plough, where it is suitable to the soil, does away with the tedious business of scarifying, harrowing. gathering and burning of weeds and stubble, the surface growth being equal to so much green manure ploughed under, end is not lost to the soil as by burning. The soil is loosened the deep ploughing, so that the surface water gets' down more easily, and the ground is thus ready for seeding right nwav wheat or anv other autumn crop. Where the soil is deep and loamy this system of deep ploughing has .everything to recommend it. With light ploughing in the autumn weeds are often seen afterwards growing -between the furrows. and in wet winters the land is frenuently fouled, but deep weirk with the digger plouvh buries the weeds to the bottom of the furrow. The depth of a furrow depends, of course, noon circumstances, and where there is a clay'subsoil it does not pav to turn up Ijelow the soil, but under ordinary circumstances a srood deep furrow of 7in or Sin is general! v to be recommended when turning over stubble land.

The question of bacon-curing is an iraportant one on manv inland Paean* farms. anr! pome useful Purina:. hints and light were recently given on the subiect by a leading authority .in South Australia. He said ■what mogt, farmers rha-lim—namely, that nigs from eight to 12 months old make the best bacon. Then should" not be fed on sloppy food, or the bacon would not set firm. Heads from the winnowing machine or crushed corn were good,, and pigs did better on that fare than on whole grain. 'When killed the tub - should he allowed to bleed well, with tV> head lying lower than the hind mart. For scalding two parts of boiling water should, be mired with one of cold. He preferred rolled bacon, and described how to cut up the pig for rolling. Brine should be made for the hams strong enough to float an p gg. and at one stage in the process the hams were rubbed wel! with salt and a little saltpetre. For the «roU the same authority used salt-rushed in the rind part till .it sweated. The fleshy nart was sprinkled with salt, md meat left for two or three days. The fleshy surface was then sprinkled with a thi n coat of pepper and spice and a cunful of sugar, after which it was rolled as tight In as possible. A strap was rmt at each end of the roll to hold it while the binding was dene. Hemp, was used for this last purnase of a thickness equal to No. 8 wire, and a half hitch was made every round. The rounds were three inches apart. The -roll was then hung up at once, so that it would drain, and in three dans was readv for the smoke-house. A good smoke-house could be made from an old 400-gallon tank. A hole was made near the bottom of the tank, from which a. trench 1 0ft Jong was cut in the ground. Tin's trench was covered with a sheet of iron and a fire made at the end of it. The smoke was drawn- along the trench into the tank, and if the fire wks kept goino- for four o’ - five days it should smoke the bacor sufficiently. The Government, Analvst and Chemist for Agriculture, in reporting to - ..Values the Victorian Department of Manures. of Agriculture, states that >i' ■ i the samples of manure^-; forwarded to the Chemist for Agriculture for analysis and valuation for the 1910 i

season numbered 103, and the analysis of the-whole of the samples, their selling price and their calculated values are shown in the following tabulated list: Unit Values of Manures in the Melbourne Market for the 1910 Season.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. By Agbicola. “Inquirer.” Kaiwera. wants to know the best time to sow down gi’ass with oats for winter feed. Be says:—“lt does not arm ear to be the, custom in the district to sow autumn oats. It is intended to, sow Jtbp; (rronnd 1 just ploughed. Which is the he'-*- variety for the purpose?” The usual time to sow clown grass with j oats for wir+er feed' is at the beginning !of March. If sown later than this there ! would not he Hkelv to be much growth in tKe cron before winter. The Algerian or Tartarian oats are frequently used for sowin e down with crass, also sparrowbill oats. '■ If you sow down as soon as possible vou should have some good early spring- feed. “Coekatoo” write.s: —“I have some pota- : toes that the wire worms have bored i through, but they are out of the tubers at | present. (11 Would it do to use the pota- ! toes for planting purposes in the soring? Some of them are not. badlv infested with the disease. (2) What is the cause of the wire worms attacking a cron, and would lim-rj act as a preventive against them’” It would be better to use clean seed for your spring sowing of potatoes, and otherwise feed and dispose of what you have on j hand of the tubers that have been attacked | with wire worms. Mr Kirk. Government j Biologist, says the young worms are de- ' veloned from eggs, and in external appearI ance resemble the adult; only thev are j about one-seventh of the. size. When the | tissues of the plants affected l decay the 1 voung worms either fall into the soil or the eggs and vou.ng worms remain in the decaying and dead parts and become dried up -with them. These egg® and young worms, given suitable conditions, resume ! normal activities even after three or more : years. This makes the spread an easy-mat-ter. Lime is always a good soil corrective, and would act as a preventive, but should be applied before planting the potatoes.

S. d. One per cent, of nitrogen in the form of nitrate 17 6 One per cent, of nitrogen in the form of sulphate of ammonia 14 6 One per cent, of nitrogen in the form. of blood manure, bone-dust, or bone fertiliser 12 0 One per cent, of water soluble phosphorio acid 4 6 One per cent, of citrate soluble phosphone acid 4 0 One ner cent, insoluble phosphoric acid .. - 9 9 One per cent, phosphoric acid in fine hone (in bone-dust or bone-meal) .. 4 0 One per cent, phosphoric- acid in coarse bone (in bone-dust or bonemeal) ■ v .. 2 9 One per cent, potash as sulphate .. 5 4 One per cent, potash as chloride ., 4 5 The average commercial value per ton of a manure is obtained hv multiplying the percentages stated of the fertilising substances bv the corresponding unit values fixed therefor, and adding the separate values together. Examples : — (1). Sulphate of Ammonia-r-Invoice certificate, 20.5 per cent. nitrogen: 20.5 by 14s 6d .. ..£14 17 3 Calculated value per ton .. £14 17 3 (2>. Superphosphate— Invoice certificate, 17.46 per cent. phosphoric acid (water soluble) Invoice certificate, 1.16 per cent. phosphoric acid (citric soluble) Invoice certificate, 1.00 Per cent. phosphoric acid (insoluble) Calculation — Phosphoric acid (water soluble), ■'7.46 bv 4s fid £3 18 7 Phosphoric acid (citrate soluble), 1.16 bv 4s 0 4 8 Phosphoric acid (insoluble), 1.00 by 2s 9d 0 2 9 Calculated value per ton .. £4 6 0 (31. Bone-dust— Invoice certificate, 3 per cent. n‘troTen. 18,5 per cent, phosphorio acid Mechanical condition: 30 per cent fine. 70 per cent, coarse Calculation — " TCTHrceen. 3 bv 12s .. .. .. £1 16 0 Phosphoric acid, Fine ’S 5 x 30 _ 5.55 x 4/. .. 1 2 2 100 Coarse *S 5 X 70 = x S/3 _ 1 ]5 7 100 Calculated value per ton .. £* 13 9 AGRICOLA.