NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3860, 6 March 1928, Page 12

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Farm Work for March.

Good progress has been made in the harvest fields. The

stubbles -will provide some useful feeding once the stooks are removed.

The sooner all weedy growth is cleaned up the better, as the earlier these lands are ploughed the easier the area will be handled subsequently. Discing the stubbles in some seasons is often effective in springing the weed seeds, which can be fed off or ploughed under. The sowing of crops of rye corn. Cape barley, or oats, now should ensure useful stock feed before winter comes, and, in addition, will provide an early “ bite ” in the spring before the grass has come away. Land intended for lucerne, if ploughed now and limed and allowed to lie fallow during the winter, will permit of readycleaning next spring for seeding in Otago some time in November. The covering of grain stacks left over the winter is making for safety, while the hard raking down of straw stacks and weighting will ensure some sort of fodder later on. Once the grass commences to go off, it is well to provide young stock with some extra feeding, as weathered grass is no fattener and but a moderate apology- as food to a self-respecting dairy cow. The provision of a “lick” of salt will aid digestion and tone up stock. All dairy cows in milk should be fed some succulent foodstuff, as woody herbage is not conducive to milk production. The pigs should be warmly housed and fed regularly. All lambs on good feed are better crutched and dipped. Why indirectly feed vermin? Wean all lambs in time in order *to permit the ewes securing eight weeks rest from nursing, and retain some of the best of the ewe lambs to replace the culls. Select your rams with care—clad with the style of wool fancied and built as like a Down sheep as possible. These are the mothers which produce the shapely lambs for London. See that the ram s feet are sound. A lame ram is ot no use. 1' eed the rams some concentrated food. Give them legumes, and thus brisk them up for their work to come. If they are to do a good season, it is but common sense to feed occasionally some crushed oats, peas, beans, with chaff and a little linseed—in fact, anything of a protein nature, in order to make them extend themselves. Also “ flush ” the ewes two or three weeks ere tupping time. Why not secure 100 per cent, lambs? It is easy, but there must be good shepherding.' Dip all sheep and tidy up generally for the winter period.

Better . Grass Land.

Good management of grass lands is a

topic of the hour in the Old Country by professors of agriculture in

order to cut down expenses on the farms. There is something in it, as will be admitted by anyone who has had practical experience of utilising sheep on numerous small paddocks in contrast to grazing big areas. However, let the scientists put their side of the question:—“That not more than 5 per eent. of the grassland in this country is doing its duty was the statement made by Professor Armstrong (vice-president, Lawes Trust, Rothamsted), ; presiding at a grassland conference held at the Midland Agricultural and Dairy College, Sutton Bonington, near Loughborough. The conference was largely attended. Professor R. G. Stapleton, M.A. (director Plantbreeding Station, Aberystwyth) spoke on grasses and grazing, and deplored the unscientific way our fields were laid out and grazed. Every field, he stated, should be grazed close once a year from the point of view of nutritive value. Control of grazing was essential, for greater effects’ were produced by general management’—• good or bad—than by manures. June grass in January is the ideal, and here strain was as important as species. He had _ proved that the indigenous leafy.i strains of all our grasses are far more capable of winter growth than the ordinary commercial one. He advised the use of mowing machines even before hay harvest on the pastures.”—(“ Hear, hear.”) ’

More WaterMore Milk.

It has been shown by teste (says Hoard’s Dairyman) that when

cows have water kept before them so that they

can drink at any time they desire they produce more milk than when watered once or twice per day. The results of an investigation, carried on by the Bureau of Dairy Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture, show that cows gave 3 per cent, more milk when water was kept before them than when watered but twice per day. When given water but once per day they produced 4 pel' cent, less milk than when permitted to drink at will. These comparisons were made under favourable conditions. It is plain to anyone who has observed how cows are watered, and especially in cold -weather, that keeping water before them will increase the production of milk more than 4 per cent. Anything as cheap as water and as essential should be furnished to cows in abundance at all times. The quantity of water which a cow will consume depends upon the feed she is receiving, the amount of milk she is producing, the temperature of the water, and the weather. When a cow is given dty feed she will drink more water than when given succulents. The cow needs little water if she is fed large quantities of roots. The best way to water cows is to keep the water before them so that they may drink whenever they are thirsty. The cow, in reference to her water requirements, is a better judge than her owner. It is one instance when a man should not question feminine judgment!

Irrigation in Central Otago.

All of us are interested in Central Otago

lands—indeed, we look to our inland country to right most of the troubles

which oppress townfolk; but it is realised that it will take time.

Central Otago lands, with ample water and rabbits well in hand, means a lot to the province. It is interesting, therefore, to learn from Mr J. R. Marks’s address at Alexandra that the policy of irrigation is sound despite recent happenings. The summer which we have been enjoying has been a critical period for the irrigated areas. “It must be conceded that it has brought with it difficulties which might have been foreseen and will have to be overcome. The areas under irrigation have not, however, all fared alike. A fact which has to be remembered is that Central Otago is a large territory, including tracts of country of a variety of classes, each presenting its own problems, and that irrigation in Central Otago is not a matter of one scheme only, but of several different schemes. It is not merely a question of supplying water to arid lands, but a question also of studying the effect which the introduction of water in certain q -antities has upon different soils—in other words, there are agricultural problems as well as problems in irrigation to be solved. A realisation of this should .make it clear that the policy of irrigation is as yet only in its experimental stage. It is as necessary for the Government as it is for the settlers to recognise this. Some of the settlers may have had discouraging experiences, but, even if they have, the policy of irrigation is not necessarily discredited by them. And if the scale of charges has been disconcertingly heavy, or if. from one cause and another, the supply of water has been aggravatingly small or uncertain, the Government must be expected to take these circumstances into account, and to make such adjustments as will be satisfactory. But it would be foolish to suppose that the policy of irrigation has failed in any part of Central Otago. There are some districts in which it has already proved enormously successful. The effect of it is exhibited in a remarkable increase in production and in returns that bear a high ratio to the cost of the irrigation which has made them possible. In face of the results that have been there achieved, the disappointments that have been suffered elsewhere may readily be ascribed to remediable causes.” AGRICOLA.