MORE CROPPING NEEDED

Southland Times, Issue 24237, 21 September 1940, Page 13

MORE CROPPING NEEDED

TOO MUCH RELIANCE ON PASTURES PREPARATION OF LAND FOR CROPS A great weakness of New Zealand fanning lies in the excessive reliance, especially in the northern districts, placed on the relatively favourable climate, which certainly gives more, even distribution of grass growth than in less favoured countries. But every year there are many deaths of stock due directly to starvation or to disease caused by partial starvation. Few farmers appear to realize that twothirds of the grass growth occurs in four months (one third of the year), only one-third of. the growth occurring in the remaining eight" months (two thirds of the year). By saying surplus grass as hay or silage, this uneveness can be partially levelled out, but there is still plenty of scope for the use or supplementary feed crops. By beginning cultivation work now, there is ample time to prepare the ground thoroughly for root and feed crops for the coming year. The spring sown cereal crops should be all sown by the end of October, late barley crops being an exception. Heavy rams may make it worth while to delay sowing barley to prevent the crop from being drowned. ” As autumn-sown cereals are fed off, they should be harrowed to aerate the surface and scatter clods which have been broken by winter frosts. For root and forage crops the soil should be brought to a good tilth i.e. a seed-bed that is clean, moist, firm, and deep. In addition it is important that the seed-bed should be fined from top to bottom. A superficial cultivation that leaves a few inches of fine soil above a cloddy layer is most unfavourable to crop growth. The clods should be brought to the surface with a cultivator, if necessary, and broken down by roller and disks. CERTIFIED SEED Land for potatoes that has been skimmed in the autumn should be cross-ploughed for the working up and planting of the main crop in October. Every care should be taken to purchase seed potatoes free from disease, the only reliable method generally being to buy certified seed, since virus disease cannot be detected by visual examination.. All possible use should be made of the implements at this busy time though heavy soils should not be worked in unfavourable weather. Farmers who cannot themselves fully employ their tractors, and few tractors are fully employed, should endeavour to co-operate by hiring them to other farmers not possessing one. . In preparing land for sowing lucerne in December, it should be remembered that lucerne must be given a good start in its competition against weeds. Arable land which is prone to weed infestation, especially of twitch weeds, is not therefore very suitable. Accordingly it may be advisable- to. sow lucerne on land which has been in old pasture and which is to be ploughed over only for lucerne. This normally gives a seed bed with but a small degree of weed infestation.