SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2949, 21 September 1910, Page 20

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Tolerably good spring weather has prevailed throughout this province during the past week. Grass is coming away rapidly, and the sowing of the oat crop is now well under way. It was thought that the advent of spring sowing would have brought about an increasing demand for seed oats, but little or no perceptible difference in values has taken place. There have been several small lines transported to Oamaru daring the week, but it does not appear as if there is going to be much demand from that quarter. The demand for fat cattle still continues, and although last sale at Wallacotown yards indicated a decrease in prices, this could _pot bo accepted. as a falling market. On the occasion referred to butchers were not operating to any extent, being content, apparently', to rely on their reserves. Fat wethers are coming forward more freely than they were some weeks ago, and it does not appear os if fat sheep will bring famine prices this year. It was generally thought that there would be a dearth < fat sheep this spring, ae the freezing of lambs has been very heavy during the past two years, but those who arrived at this conclusion lost sight of the. fact that the exports of fat wethers has also been lighter; hence this abundance at the present time. It is not considered likely however, that a decrease in values will take place, provided the' wool market maintains its present high tone.

The high price. of wool ha-s naturally resulted in the question of the fleece attracting more attention than has been the case in more recent years. In our efforts to produce an early maturing and suitable sheep for the huge export trad© that has been built up, the question of fleece has retired largely into the background. We cannot, of course, expect to get a fleece that will compare with the Merino or the Lincoln on the lines that are essential for the continuation of the frozen meat trade, but much might be done in the Dominion to improve the evenness of the fleece. A distinct demand at good prices has developed for our crossbred wool, and with anything like the continuance of present prices it. will pay handsomely to devote more attention to the wool. Perhaps not so much can be accomplished in increasing the length or improving the staple, but a great deal can be achieved in producing a more even fleece. In England the question of the fleece, even in purobreds, has been neglected in the show pen until recently, only the Lincoln Society making a special point of classes decided largely by the quality of the fleece. Several other societies, the Romney among the number, are now taking the matter up, and it is probable that in the shows in the United Kingdom in the near future the question of the floeoe will receive a greater share of attention than it has hitherto received. One has only to casually inspect the' sheep pens at even the principal shows in the Dominion to be convinced that wool has not been the paramount consideration in allotting the awards. Perhaps the forthcoming show season will bring about a muchneeded improvement in this respect.

Many fanners do not look upon their pasture as' a crop at all. but leave it to shift for itself while they attend to the other crops on the farm. This is a great mistake. If pastures arc to be made to pay they must bo liberally treated, preferably with a good dressing of farmyard manure. Feeding stock on them tends greatly to the good of pastures, for by far the greater proportion of nitrates and phosphates in the feeding are returned to the soil, the animals requiring only about 4 per cent, of the nitrogen. The wash contains some 73 per cent, of the nitrogen in food. This valuable manure, instead of being applied to the land, is. in a great many cases, allowed to run into the nearest stream. Quickacting manures are not to he encouraarcd on crops that are removed from the land except a liberal return bo made in the shape of good dung, but with pastures E-rared by stock quick-acting manures are the right thing to apply to carry the postures ovor the critical periods, as in this case the various ingredients taken out of the soil by the plant* are almost wholly returned in tho dung and urine. It is a difficult matter to got rid of moss in pasture, and with tho usual rotation it cannot well bo done.

The temperature of the soil, no lose than its moisture and chemical constituents, exercise an influence on its crop-carrying capacity. Amon a the advantages derived from farmvard manure is the warmth it. imparts; to too soil, as tv ell as the increased retention of moisture. ' A scries of useful experiments were carried out in fireat Britain some five, or sis years aeo. with the view of ascertaining the difference of the temperature in cultivated and uncultivated soils. The results indicated that ploughing and fallowing promoted a more rapid exchange of temperatlire. Ro*h the rise and fall of tempeiature was found to bo considerably greater in the. ploughed and mellowed soil than in the unploughed land, the difference between the mean temperatures of the two during the summer weather reaching two degrees, and between the extreme maximum temperature five or more degrees. On the other hand, the minimum temperatures wore lower on ploughed land than on unploughed by almost one degree.

Tins difficulty with farmers who make specialties of certain crops is that thev quickly exhaust the soil of a single substance. though on!? but partially depriving it of other element*. Such a method more quickly exhausts a soil than any other, but

the soil is also more recuperated. It may not be economical in the farmer to provide complete fertilisers, containing all the ingredients of plant life, unless the soil is deficient in all of them. He should, on the contrary, endeavour to provide for whatever loss may occur in the plant food taken by crops, and thereby save the expense of purchasing- that which is already in the soil. If the amount usually invested in phosphates could be divided in such manner a>s to supply not only phosphoric acid, but also any potash and nitrogen that may be needed, the application of the sum devoted to the purchase of the fertiliser would be more wisely invested, the yield greater, and the returns more satisfactory.

Cows are made to a greater extent

Treatment of Calfes.

during* the few months in which the calf is handled and fed. It should be a rule on every farm that a calf should never bo permitted

to suck a cow. It should bo taken from the dam before it has got on its_ feet, and removed to a distance where it is out of sight or hearing of her, and kept m a comfortable pen made specially. it, in which it may be trained for its futui-e business. This word is used advisedly, for the cow is a business animal, and it should be a mere machine, so far as it is possible to tnako it, for the production of milk in the best and most effective manner. This it cannot be without having been broken' by proper training into complete subservience to the will of its owner. Thus the calf must never bo kept in such a way that it can never be able to exercise any will of its own. but in everything findl it self curbed and controlled, and learns that its owner’s power over it is absolute.