ON THE LAND

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 35, 13 February 1929, Page 2

ON THE LAND

FARM AM) GARDEN. IN STRATFORD AND DISTRICT. (By ARARE.) This season nas undoubtedly jbgen a very good season for gr - and judging by the numerous baystacks and ensilage stacks about, the dairy cows of Central Taranaki are in for a very good winter. The uncertainty of the weather has made the making of hay a little difficult and in many cases by being exposed to several rains, good glasses have become poor hay. The quality of this hay could be very much improved by the adding of coarse salt to it when being stacked; in fact, it can be safely said that there is no hay which is not improved by the addition of salt. Hay containing much cow-grass is difficult to make, as the cowgrass, if well grown is very thick and sappy in the stem compared to the other grasses and requires more drying: it is not uncommon to find such hay comei out fairly mujsty and mouldy, and in consequence n'ot keenly relished by the stock. Much of this trouble would have been removed by the addition of salt to the stack.

•Salt also increases the payability of all bay, and the mineral content being increased makes for better feeding value for the cows. If tb e hay is on the green side when being taken in, a long narrow stack is preferable to a wide one —this will considerably reduce the danger of over-heating—this heating produces a decomposition of certain parts of the grasses.

The product of this decomposition contains a highly inflammable gas; in fact, so inflammable that it is capable of bursting into flames spontaneously if there is any quantity of consequence at all. This is the cause of the spontaneous combustion of so many stacks of hay made during a wet season. If the stack be narrow, this is uof (tm stack be narrow, there is more chance of escape of these inflammable gases, and so less danger of losing the stack. *

The stack, when finished, should b e covered as soon ds possible; in a loose state the rain can enter the slacks more easily than when it has had time to consolidate.

Many and varied are the coverings used for stacks—the old-time thatchings with rushes is now out 'of the question, because of cost and labour. A cheap and very effective covering is long green grass held down in position with a piece of wire-netting. The only point I would like to emphasis© i s that if k as been worth making well, then surely it is worth a good covering when it is stacked.

GARDEN.

VEGETABLES

The beans are now bearing well and should he kept going by being picked regularly and with regular waterings. Lettuces, if transplanted at this season of He year, must be regularly watered, and be given the regular waterings with nitrate of soda, in order to keep them movirg the whole time—any check in their growth in the dry season will cause them to bolt to seed immedi-

ately. Keep the leeks and celery well watered, and plant out broccoli and winter cabbages whenever possible -water these until they are rooted, and then they will go well ahead. All this watering is doubly effective if the ground is kept loose—this tends to keep the moisture m the ground. BY watering, is meant a liberal soaking, not a mere apts - fatter does more harm than g'ood, for it simply consolidates the surface of the soil and so shuts out the air and has not increased the morselling of the surface soil -tins ture content. Thus keep the hoe going, every time the surface closes it should lie broken up. Hants wi never thrive unless the air is a) e to penetrate the soil-many people waste their efforts. It is no use loosening the surface soil between the plants, if it is let indented everywhere with footmarks, top tne first good shower will convert these into a solid cake. When a number of vows of ca base require earthing up, the average man will begin by moulding up ,'tho outer aide o£ «..'«« ">*• This in wrong tor be must wait on it to boo the inner aide. The way toi start is. to <■ o inner side of the first row. then the outer side. Continue this throughout, and then there is not a footmark when the workjsjmish^.