SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 19

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Tho weather during the week which ended Saturday was by no means idcaL It was at times blustery, which ■ retarded growth .to some extent. A lowering of the temperature, too was at times pronounced, and prejudicially affected vegetable growth. Sunday of the present week was a particularly stormy day, especially as far as wind was concerned.' In spite of the unfavourable conditions prevailing, grass lias grown well, and feed is now everywhere plentiful lie oat crop is coming away well, and the same may be said of tho potato crop. Ut course, this only applies to tho early crops of the latter, as the general run ot the main crop has only been planted during the past two weeks. The area planted in tubers is much reduced as compared with last year. There is, however, a noticeable increase in the quantity of early potatoes which have been planted this year, c-o that, given a tolerably favourable season, there should bo no scarcity of eating potatoes from Christmas onwards. As a whole the country is looking splendidly; in fact, 1 don’t suppose Southland has ever looked better than it docs at tho present moment. The prospects ahead of the established agriculturists leave nothing to be desired. Stock are almost at famine prices, dairymen are being paid up to 14d per lb for butter-fat, wool is likely to bring from a penny to twopence per lb more than was paid'last year, lambs are making excellent progress, and prices are likely to bo quite up to, if not better than, those which have ruled during any previous year. The section of the agricultural community who arc finding a difficulty to make ends meet is the man who has recently bought into a farm. The principal item of expenditure to a now farmer is the stocking of his faim, and at current prices it costs almost 40 per cent more to do so than it did 12 months ago. Fat stock arc bringing almost famine prices, beef selling at an average price of 40s per 1001 b, and wethers arc bringing up to 35s ner head. The latter price is phenomenal, and has never previously been recorded in Southland. Present indications arc that there will bo no reduction in values between now and the Ist of January, Stoic cattle are a trifle easier; but tho class of stuff on the market is by no means tempting. The past few weeks, whilst favouring tho growth of plants, has also materially assisted tho growth of weeds. Agriculturists should remember that on arable soil weeds are trespassers that should bo prosecuted with the utmost rigour of tho law. They are thieving vagrants to bo expelled from the fields. The amount of water which is taken up by weeds and evaporated from tho surface of the leaves is very great. For instance, it is said that an average sunflower plant pumps from the soil about 330 z of water per day. Tho transpiration is generally in proportion to tho surface of the leaf, but thin leaves transpire, or throw off water more freely than fleshy ones. Consequently weeds having large leaf surface draw from tho soil and give off through tho leaves a largo amount of water, and thereby rob tho surrounding plants. Many botanists consider this waste of moisture the most serious injury done by the weeds. Weeds naturally make use of tho same food as the cultivated plants among which they grow. Consequently they deprive a crop of a large amount of the available nourishment; and they rob the succeeding crop as well. For example, an analysis of a patch of ordinary thistles a yard square showed that they took more potash and lime from the soil than two good crop, of wheat from tho same area. Weeds often grow more vigorously than useful plants, and, as 9, consequence, they shade or crowd or partially choke the seedlings of the desired crop. In the treatment of weeds, it is emphatically a case of “a stitch in time saves nine.” They should ho prevented from seeding whenever possible, and when buying seeds for sowing got thorn pure, so as to bo certain that you arc not sowing weed seeds. This should be especially the case in connection with grass seed. Farmers from tho northern provinces are not slow to notice how sparcely field carrots arc grown in Southland. There is no denying the fact that this prolific and useful crop is not grown so extensively as it might bo with advantage. It resembles in composition tho turnip and mangold, but is much more concentrated than the former, as it contains from 14 to 20 per cent, of dry nutritive matter against about 10 per cent, in the

The Weather and the farm.

Injur. D.lie by Weeds.

CaitiT r ion of Carrots.

turnip. It flourishes best in deep, loamy soils, not too wet, or the carrots are liable to rot, and not very dry, or the growth of the root is cramped. The soil must be deeply cultivated to permit the long, penetrating root full power of development. The ground should bo well manured. Half-rotted stable manure, applied in the autumn at the rate of 20 loads to the acre, is a good preparation. The application should not he deferred until the spring, as, if to. it cannot exorcise its full effect, and its fertilising power is apt to run into the tops instead of the roots indeed it is considered by many expcrynccd growers that Jho best plan is to apply the gang to the previous crop. The requirements of the carrot for a liberal supply of r'-’nt food are so great that, in addition to the dung, it can utilise with advantage a supplementary dressing of readily soluble chemical fertilisers. The application of scwt superphosphate (26 per cent, soluble) and half a hundredweight of sulphate of potash, applied about a. week before the seeds are sown, followed by lewt of nitrogenous fertiliser when the plants appear above the ground, can be recommended. The seed should be sown as early as circumstances are favourable for the operation if the ground is clean of weeds, directly tho condition of tho soil permits; if subject to weeds, it may be preferable to fust let the weeds show and be exterminated before sowing the carrot seed. Line-breeding is the mating of animals rather closely related and having common desirable characteristics. It is the breeding of a few closelyrelated lines of descent. Davenport, in his book on “Tho Principles of Breeding,” says: “Line-breeding purifies the pedigree rapidly, and gives the ancestry the largest possible opportunity. The system is eminently conservative. It discourages variability, and rapidly reduces it to a minimum. Moreover, what variations do occur will bo in line with tho prominent characters of the chosen branch of the breed.” Inbreeding is nothing more or less than carrying line-breeding to its limits. Tho breeding together of sire and offspring, dam and offspring, brothers and sisters, is called inbreeding. Inbreeding in the hands of a man who understands animals is one of the surest and quickest ways of establishing desirable characteristics. For instance, if a desirable sire is owned, tho breeder may wish to intensify his blood. Breeding to his own daughters makes his offspring contain three-fourths of his blood. While it is true that inbreeding will establish rapidly the desirable characteristics, on tho other hand it will establish undesirable traits. If two animals have a common weakness, mating them will intensify that weakness in the same manner as the good traits will be intensified by breeding other animals together. As Davenport cays: “It affects all characters of the individuals involved, bad as well as good, and so it is that this method, which is applicable to both plant and animal breeding, an 1 which aims at making tho greatest use possible of our most valuable possessions, bus been followed alike by most strikingly successful results, and by tho most stupendous disasters that ever overtook the breeding business.”

The Meaning of lilne-br.edlng.