NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3085, 30 April 1913, Page 14

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

One of the principal requirements of any forestry scheme would be the establishment of local nurseries in convenient centres, so as to command expert and local knowledge. These need not be more than an acre or two in extent, but would have to be equipped with propagating plant, and arc necessary because trees grown in different soils and situations to those prevailing in the centre are not so likely to succeed. Another requirement would be the inspection of s.tos were it was proposed to plant, to see that they are suitable for and properly prepared for the reception of the trees. It would be necessary therefore for the Government to call in the services of the local body to whom the control of the nursery and the necessary inspection would be relegated. The members of the County Councils -would have a pretty good idea what trees prospered in their own locality, and the council could direct the nurseryman to grow the right kinds. Government assistance might fairly bo claimed to subsidise tree-planting, but it might end with the maintenance of the nursery and the free distribution of a limited number of trees to each farmer prepared to grow and treat them properly under certain well-defined regulations. Legislation might go further than that, and insist for the good of the country that every farmer should be required to plant 100 trees annually for every 100 acres owned by him. It need not bo in shelter belts, although they are very desirable but monopolise good land, hut in out-of-the-way corners and on waste sections of land, so that some useful timber would bo growing. The county inspector would determine whether the ground was properly prepared for the reception of the trees or not, and some such conditions as the following might be laid down: —(l! As to the d’stanco the trees are to bo planted from each other; (2) that they be properly protected from rabbits, sheep, and cattle; (3) that maintenance bo undertaken for a number of years; (4) the free grant of trees would also involve the assurance that the trees would not be interfered with in any way until they were marketable timber, except for the usn of the grower, who would undertake to replace any trees cut down. There would then be some chance of supplying each farmer, on the recommendation of the county inspector, with trees suited for the exposure and soil of the farm. There would have to be some limit to the number supplied free to one individual. This might be restricted annually to enough to plant half an acre BFt apart, or. say, 330 trees, after which the cost price of growing them would bo charged lion. The scheme would then be worked through a.npbcations to the County Council, widen might direct the extent of its nursery operations bv the number of orders received for forward delivery after providing for the compulsory clause of the scheme.

Forest'y Scheme.

There is nothing l : ke improving the homestead and planting a few shelter trees round it to make the farm homo attractive to the sons of farmers and to keep them on the farm. The more aesthetic the taste displayed in the selection of garden shrubs and the greater the variety the more will their hearts be twined round their homes, and the more attractive will their memory he. But some knowledge of the various plants is necessary to focus that interest, and make it absorbing. Xature-«tudv is hcVr taught in our primary schools and the rudiments of agr-'cultore in the secondsrv schools, so that the hoys of the farm can get some knowledge of the «c : ence of agriculture while they are still young and passing through those years which often have a deciding influence on their lives. This, no doubt, elminates much

The Veelect of Botany.

prejudice against farm life as it is, and fosters an inclination to take up farming for a living. But more remains to be done. At the laying of the foundation stone of the Technical- School Mr G. M. Thomson, M.P., informed the Prime Minister that there was not one farmer in a thousand who could identify a strange weed or an -unknown plant of any kind from the knowledge he possessed of botany. In the course of my correspondence with farmers and the investigations arising from their inquiries, I can not only endorse the above statement, but have discovered that there are very few reliable botanists in the Dominion—men who can identify any grass or weed with any degree of accuracy. They are few and far between, and a lamentable ignorance of all our indigenous and exotic flora exists. This is a reproach which should be removed. There is really no reason why botany should not bp'taught in secondary schools as a special subject allied to agriculture. It would certainly involve a knowledge possessed at pr&ent by very few teachers; bttt it is none the less desirable on that account. Our educational system seems to have missed this point altogether, and it is an important one. A knowledge of botany would make a more resourceful farmer of a good one, and enable anyone ignorant of ordinary f arm practice to acquire seme measure of competence at it.

With the increased value of beef more stall-feeding of cattle will The stor.;g- ol bo resorted to annually, snotles. and it wdl be worth doing at present prices. It is simply marvellous to watch tliq progress of cattle which have been faithfully fed and attended to through the winter as soon as the warmer weather sets in. They pile on beef very rapidly after tlxat, and finish to perfection. As a rule they do not do much till they get swede turnips. This system of working requires well-bred cattle—the quieter the better, —but any good stores, particularly if they were horn-tipped or dehorned, would soon settle down and do well. The regular feeding and the daily visit of the straw dray or hay cart soon makes them quiet. Barge quantities of straw are consumed and used up for litter, and a large quantity of farmyard manure of great value is therefore made, and the system is worth adopting for this manure alone. If the sheds are built so as to shelter the cattle from the prevailing wind and straw-racks divide each pen, they will be as snug as they need be so long as they are kept dry by sufficient bedding, and will fatten rapidly on whole turnips and sound straw, but would begin to fatten more quickly if they had also an allowance of hay. For convenience of feeding in wet weather it is desirable to have straw stacks in the farmyard and a good supply of turnips stored up before the weather breaks. They will consume more than one ton per head per month; but if that amount is stored up in May and covered loosely with 2in or Sin of mould, the turnips will keep fresh, and this advantage will be secured—viz., that they arc not supplied to the cattle in a frozen state. The leaves may be left, bn the ground. Half decomposed as they usually arc, they are not very suitable for cattle food, while, if left on the ground, they greatly benefit the following grain crop. Ahart from the convenience of having supplies close in to the stedding in wet wrathcr. and the opportunity which that gives cf adding to them when the conditions are suitable, the sou is not injured by the poaching that too often takes place in carting over the fields when they are soft. This has probably much to do with the peor grain crops eo frequently experienced after turnips.

Mnnuold Manuring.

t .1 - "ary of agricultural experiments published in -the Journal of the* Board of Agriculture a brief indication of the character of the various experiments with mangolds is given, and of the conclusions reached in some of the colleges A few extracts may be permittedAt Woburn there were four plots each of which received 15 tons of farmyard manure; in addition one received lewt of nitrate of soda and lewt of salt, another received lewt of nitrate alone, and tho fourth 2c wt of nitrate. The additional manures produced very little addition to the crop, and it was considered, therefore, that season rather than manuring was the dominating factor. In (he field experiments, Harper Adams College, 't was shown that both nitrate of soda and superphosphate could be used economically as ton .dressings, and a gain of four and a-half tons was obtained by a lOewt dressing of fi.Pt At Bangor, taking 20 tons of farmyard manure, 3cwt of superphosphate, 3cwt of kainit, and lewt of nitrate as a basis, the addition of 10 tons of farmyard manure gave an increase of only 30cwt of mangolds. An extra lewt of nitrate produced an increase of five _ tons The Essex experiments were chiefly intended to investigate the effect of manures upon quality, the maximum result was obtained with 3cwt each of nitrate, superphosphate, and salt. Taking tho sugar and dry matter produced per aero as indicative of feeding quality, the maximum result was obtained without the salt, the addition of the latter having a different effect at each centre, but showing a tendency on the whole to reduce the amount of sugar. A number of other results are detailed showing the result of different quantities of nitrate, super, and salt; in most of them the enormous amount of superphosphate—in some cases un to 715’h—is a conspicuous feature. At Midland, for instance best results were obtained bv 1001 b sulphate of ammonia (at seeding) 1301 b nitrate of soda (at singling). 71 51 h superphosphate, 12711 b sulphate of potash, and 2?01h of common salt, ah apat seeding time in addition to 15 to 20 tons of farmyard manure.

correspondent wsnfe know in what state rock phosphate is procurable. and at what price. It is not available as plant food in its raw state, hut when "round fine it is used largely for mixing with other materials to form manures for special purposes. All the Rockland mixtures are products which are based on and derive their phosphate from rock phosphate. When ground to a fine powder, until mixed with oilier ingredients, it. >s difficult to work through a machine and to spread evenly, hut after being mixed to form the various special manures, it if? then workable in the ordinary wav with distributing implements like the drill. The output at Wilburn last vear was restricted to 8000 tons on account of the difficulty of securing suitable labour and the manner in which the mine is opened out. hut the deposits are so enormous that this quantity can easily he improved upon. AGRICOLA.

Uock Pliosph to.