SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3033, 1 May 1912, Page 19

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Oub. Owr Correspondent 1 Duriri" the latter part of the weqk which closed on Saturday a wintry snap was experienced, which told its tale on live stock. On Friday the temjxsraturo was very low, and the hail showers which fell at intervals were unusually severe. All branches of farm work were at a standstill. Even the carting’ of grain to the railwav stations was suspended, so severe was the storm. It goes without saying, therefore, that harvesting operations are again at a standstill. There is still a considerable area to be stacked—in fact, to be cut, —and in a great many cases it is as green as it is possible to be. It thus is only reasonable to assume that this year will witness many paddocks of oats uncut —a condition of affairs that is unparalleled in the history of the province. Turnip crons, which were coming away fairly well as the result of the mild weather experienced during the major portion of this month, have got a setback, and present appearances point to scarcely a moderate supoly of winter feed. The root crops in nearly every instance are poor, and the luxuriant growth of tops on the turnips makes the crop very deceptive, and when these arc eaten off farmers will doubtless be disappointed at the short space of time that will bo required to eat off a break of turnips. I venture to say that the grazier who purchases turnips by the week this season will make a more profitable bargain iaan the man who buys by the acre. Sheep are coming forward to the works in large numbers now, hut the big proportion of second-grade lambs being put through is but another indication of the backward season we have experienced. Butchers arc evidently anticipating a scarcity of beef cattle. They have been scourimr the country in search of fat bullocks, and in the majority of cases have met with fair success. A good many linos have boon bought for forward delivery, and in these cases equal to 30s nor 1001 b has been lin'd For immediate delivery the ruling f or prime ox is up to 275, but equal to 2Ss has been paid. During the past summer a good many farmers have had their cull cows spayed, and between now and the beginning of the year those will find their way on to the market. This will have a tendency to keep the beef market easier.

The IV nther ami the Farm.

Artificial, or chemical, fertilisers have often been accused of over-stimu-lating the soil —that is, acting the part of the whip to the wild horse. As a matter of fact, there can be no such comparison between the soil and an animal. \V 7 hat is

Do Artificial Fertilisers Orer Stlmolate the Soil i

by soil stimulation is iliat it receives such treatment that the plant food contained therein quickly becomes available, and is as quickly used, so that it can no longer support the growth of plants. Ploughing is a true form of soil stimulation, as is, in fact, all forms of cultivation, but plant food also may have the same action. Suppose a soil contains ample s-up-Elics of two of the elements of plant fcod, ut very little, or none, of the other elements; then, if the missing clement is supplied freely, a free growth is promoted, so that all the plant food is utilised in making vegetable growth. This may bo continued until the soil is greatly exhausted ol available plant food, when it becomes practically barren, or at least unprofitable. Tho results are that what plant food the soil did contain is used to make crops, stimulated by the application of the missing plant food ingredient. If no such application had been made, no growth would have resulted, and what plant food the soil contained would have been useless so far as profitable farming is concerned. Stimulation is not the correct word to describe the action we are referring to, as simply a missing element of plant food was supplied. All soils contain more or less plant food, often in large quantities, but it exists in the soil, embedded in and forming part of soil particles, which must be broken up before the plant food becomes available. This action is going on continually, but not sufficient is liberated each year to grow a profitable crop, except in the case of new soils. The use of lime results in a more rapid liberation of soil plant food—that is, the natural supplies in the soil are more quickly exhausted. If fertilisers were always used’ to the full requirements of crops, this could work little or no injury; in fact, when time no longer gives good results, we know simply that plant food is needed, and we must use as manure all we expect to get back in crops. If farmers would pay less attention to fault-finding in general, and use more common sense, we would have less farm failures. It is common sense that tells, when crors fall off in yield, something is the matter. If manure restores the vield, then use manure; if you have no manure, then use fertilisers.

When a horse is standing;, his front legs should be in a perpendicular position. If he places his front foot too far back under him. he is known as a “reassemblor,” This leads to excessive strain of the horse’s tendons and ligaments, slowness of gait, insecure footing, and tendency to fall. When the feet are too far out in front the homo is said to be “cam-ping.'’ This condition has a tendency to bruised heels, pain in the foot when standing, and slow gait. If the knee projects in front of the j>erpondicular. the horse is knee-sprung. This is an of weakness, and predisposes to falling. Knees that are bent backwards are called “sheep’s knees”; they lack in firmness, and frequently become strained in the posterior ligaments. Similar conditions are true of the hind legs. The front part of the hind leg between the fetlock and heck should be. perpendicular, and tangented to a vertical line let drop from the mo«t posterior part of the buttock. If the hind feet are in front of this position, the horse is “under himself.” When behind it, he is known as a “camper.” Front or hind logs that are situated too far apart produce an ungraceful rocking gait, and throw too much weight on the internal a u arte- of the hoof; while those that arc too close together predispose to calk'ng, defective development of the breast, narrowness of the chest, and feeble volume of the muscles.

•-tniiding Atlitie’© o! tho Horse.

Many farmers hold erroneous ideas as to the value of soil analyses. We frequently hear farmers shaking as though they onlv required to have the soil analysed to know what manures to apnlv to certain crops to obtain the best results. Tills, however, is far from being the case. In the first place, as every farmer knows, it would be nearly impossible to obtain a sample that would fairly represent even a 10-acre paddock. Besides this, an analysis will only show what the soil contains—it will not tell the farmer whether the plant food is in such a condition that the plants can make use of it, neither will it tell him what treatment the soil requires to make that plant food available. So many other thiners have to be taken into consideration, such ns the physical condition of the soil, its abilitv to retain moisture or perhaps the reverse, that (exoent to the scientists) a soil analysis is just as likelv as not to prove misleading in dea-lir with the manures such a soli requires. The only guide, to the farmer is exneriencc. Fhd out what others have done under similar conditions, and prove by experiments whether the treatment beneficial in their case is equally so in youm.

So 1 knnlyscu.