THE CULTIVATION OF GREEN CROPS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3098, 30 July 1913, Page 14

THE CULTIVATION OF GREEN CROPS.

There are two classes of cultivation which materially affect the results obtained from the various experiments which are attempted in co-operation with the Field Division of the Department of Agriculture and from any attempt to grow root crops. The product of the first is a fine soil, which is floury and soft to the touch Avhen ready for drilling, and that of the second is also fine in appearance _at that time, but gritty when handled. The difference betAveen these two conditions is so great- that under certain circumstances the success of the crop is involved. Invariably the best results will be obtained by cultivating in such a way as to secure the floury condition of firmness in all land intended for green crop. This is obtained by grubbing up the stubble _ if the ground" is stiff, or ploughing it Avith a Avid-o broken furrow slice if it is lighter, as soon as possible after the crop is removed, discing and harrowing the grabbed ground until a fine tilth is obtained, and after the surface Aveeds have sprung setting a- deep furrow Avell and loosely up to the Avinter’s frost- Avith the digger plough. The moisture expands as it freezes, and exerts an enormous pressure, which hursts up the lumps and exposes new faces to be acted on in time. The depth to Avhich ugav soil can ho brought up is limited to very little

beyond the former limits of cultivation, and if it is desired to deepen that limit it should be. done very gradually, not more than to lin per annum. _ The frost penetrates an open furrow very much better than the solid deep furrow, which would be turned over with the double furrow. Air and moisture get through it, and the alternate fx-eezing and thawing, and the other mechanical :and chemical processes which may be grouped under the general term of weathering, reduce its condition to such an extent that an excellent seed-bed falls under the influence of the cultivator tiil the finest farm seed finds a desirable resting place. The gritty condition, on the other hand, is secured by late ploughing, the reduction of which to a ofinc tilth necessitates the use of heavy implements and killing horse-work. Even in the finest state obtainable in that way such soil does not cling closely to tlio seed sown in it. If dry weather supervenes germination is very uncertain. In the floury state the land is retentive of moisture. It not only holds more moisture, but the small amount of working necessary in the spring prevents frequent exposure, and conserves all there is. Growth begins right away, and if the crop liars been properly fed good results are assured. It is only fair to the department officers that any land tested should have the greatest possible, care, and it : s really worth doing, as the. trouble involved is not serious, and the value of the information gained may lie great. It might easily become a yearly source of increased income to those who carefully compare the results thev obtain. On the farm there is no reason why such work should be confined to plots of ground. The whole width of the field might bo taken, and the results ascertained by recording the number of loads from four full drills. The field might be divided into as many sections as there are combinations of manure. With several acres of eaclx the results would be very palpable, and the manure per acre could be more easily applied But whether experimenting or not, the importance of a good seedbed to the future well-being and ultimate yield of the crop cannot be exaggerated. Even an old piece of grass hind on the stiffest soil turned in during autumn will after the winter’s frost crumble down under the harrows to a mellow seed-bed. Another point which has a material elfect on the bulk of the crop grown is the effect of proper weeding and hoeing. In the summary of experiments reported in the Journal of the Board of Agriculture the importance of this department of the farmer’s work was brought out clearly. The following results were obtained at Reading with mangolds :

• • • • • • OOJ The ground had carried a crop of maize the previous year, and was fairly free from weeds. It was continued for another year, and on the average one hoeing added 11 tons per acre to the crop, compared with the rows on Avhich singling only and no weeding was done. A second hoeing added about four tons more per acre. Further hoeing and weeding by hand gave but a small increase. It was remarked “that the fact that the handweeded rows gave the heaviest crop, appears to show’ that the benefit of hoeing is due to the killing of the weeds rather than to improvement in the texture of the soil. - ’ It is more likely that the texture of the soil was excellent after the maize crop, and the amount of hoeing it would get.

1907. 1908. 1 Tons per Tons per acre. acre. Singled only 15J 1G2 Once heed 331; 30i Twice hoed 372 362 Kept clean by hoeing . 39 A 38 Kept clean by handweeding , 10 381