AUTUMN-SOWN WHEAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3313, 12 September 1917, Page 8

AUTUMN-SOWN WHEAT.

There is every need of looking after the autumn-sown cereal, after having gone to considerable expense and brought it through the winter, at this present season of the year, particularly on the lighter lands. There is, too, the fact that a price per bushel is guaranteed for all milling wheat (although it has not yet been gazetted) by the Government; but in any event it is morally certain that only the best grade will make the maximum price per bushel, so endeavour to grow as many " firsts " as possible. It may pay well enough to topdress some of the weak-looking patches in the wheatfield with some quick-acting manure. The later-sown areas in particular might well respond to a dressing of some artificial manure. Harrowing and rolling, although not of the nature of a plant food, has a wonderful effect if judiciously practised. In the Homeland nitrogenous manures are used to some extent; but considerable experience is necessary, otherwise weakly plants are hastened along and get lanky, and fail to berry satisfactorily, or the treated patch lodges badly about harvest time, and would have been better if they had been left alone. Nitrogenous manures have not the same vogue with us as at Home, our lands failing rather in phosphatic constituents, and possibly the application of a top-dressing containing a certain amount of soluble phosphates, if the soil is lacking in this most essential plant food, would pay well enough. A small dressing of superphosphate, say, at the rate of to 2cwt, on the patches referred to might well be tried, if merely for observation purposes. On the better classes of soils, if the land is in good heart, there should be no need to experiment on the lines suggested; but much may be done by rolling and harrowing. Frosts certainly this winter have not been severe; but there is always a certain amount of lifting of the soil, and the young plants are carried with it; then we get a thaw, and many of the small plants are left with their roots exposed in mid-air. If the soil is in good order, once the land can carry the horses both the harrows and roller are capable of useful work. The young roots this month will root freely, and, once being firmed in the soil by rolling, growth is accelerated. The lighter lands particularly benefit greatly from rolling, while harrowing is second to none, although the writer has seen wheatgrowers bemoaning the fact that they ever listened to the advocate of harrowing cereal crops, when they saw, as they thought, jnst after the operation their young wheat plants ruined. Later, however, they admitted that there is something in the idea. Harrowing, in fact, is nearly always extremely beneficial to a crop that has stood throughout the winter under various atmospheric influences. By slightly wounding the stems of the plants, we find that quite a number of fresh young shoots are thrown out, with marked benefit to the crop. Try it. If the surface of the soil has caked or " set " harrowing will be found most useful. A " caked " surface prevents the air from getting into the soil to help in the preparation of plant food below, besides making the soil dry more quickly in summer. The harrow breaks up the soil and lets the air in, and the broken surface, though it rapidly dries for an inch or two in depth, assists' in retaining the moisture which is contained lower down in the soil. The land should be fairly dry when it is performed ; but on the heavier classes of land care must be taken that too long a time does not elapse before operating, otherwise the harrows will make no impression.