FARM NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13790, 23 October 1908, Page 8

FARM NOTES.

A Cm istch inch ifleg'.iin state-, ih^t shearm." ha-> commenced on some ol the smaller holdings in Canterbury Food is exceedingly plentiful now. and with the recent rain to help it tho; country is looking at its best. All the cows competing in the Wairarapapa A. and P. Association's butterfat competition are crossbreds. A Christchurch telegram states: Canterbury in her best spring attire htly describe.-, the agricultural districts at the present moment. Now is the time when excursions into the country give the correct view of the surprising iertility of the land in the province. On all hands there is a wealth ot grass for the (locks and herds, and the crops wheat, oats and barley, cover the broad acres with a niantle oi greenness ami lreshness inspiring sanguine hones tor the future harvest. Sheep and lamb .no in a most forward condition, and some of the farmers have begun shearJ '"fe'- . . A farmer iv the Opaki district (\\airarapa) says that one of tho beneficial effects of last summer's drought v. as that native grasses died out. This season he has looked in vain for their reappearance in his paddocks. The English grasses are having the field all to themselves, whereas in former seasons they were crowded out by the native growth.

Now that their stations have boon cleared of snow, runholders in the Mackenzie country havo set about restocking their land, and already some thousands of sheep aud cattle ha\e been sent into the hill country.

A party of farmers from Purangl. Tarata, Kaimata, and Tikorangi visited the State farm at Momohaki Jast week.

The value of green manuring should not be overlooked. Artificial fertilisers alone cannot make up for farm yard manure, or in its absence, green manuring, because, the artificial fertilisers alone supply no humus forming organic matter, the presence of which in the soil is of importance, to loosen heavy soils. Besides which, the humus supplies nourishment to tho soil bacteria, which carry out the important functions in the development of plant nourishment. The benefits from green manuring arc. — I. A supply of organic substance is furnished to the .soil. 2. When a leguminous crop is ploughed under the soil is enriched with the nitrogen extracted from the atmosphere by the crop. .'5. The physical condition of the soil is improved, as the deop roots of the leguminous crops open up the lower strata of the soil, thus enabling the roots of tho following crop to penetrate deep and to utilise the moisture in the lower layer of the soil. Green manuring is especially beneficial on light sandy soils, and to enabl « the green crop to grow quickly and luxuriously, it should receive a good dressing of phosphate of lime and potash, which will not be lost, but will be decomposed again as the green crop rots for the benefit of the next crop. On the blackberry scrub eradication question, Mr F. Tatlow, Wingecaribee, New r South Wales, describes his experience as being that blackberries should bo cut when the fruit is well formed, and not in the spring. In two years he completely destroyed some of the worst patches of fern on his property by this method. Firing the ferns only encourages the growth. By cutting when the fruit has almost reached maturity the whole season's growth is destroyed, and it does not readily shoot again after having expended its growth to such an extent. The growth for the next few month.-, is allowed to remain to July, when the hook is again introduced. Mr Tatlow now has a paddock without a sign of blackberry, which three years ago was a mass of it. The treatment recommended was the only one used.

Instruction of dairy farmers in providing food for their milking herds is being systematically taken in hand by the Victorian Agricultural Department. Fifty dairy farmers in various parts of the State havo been supplied with the seed of selected varieties of maize suitable for the production of grcon fodder, the quanlitv sont to each! grower being enough to sow one acre. The growers havo undertaken to make observations of the various experimental crops while growing. As much as £4 10s per annum per aero, is paid in Victoria for land suitable, for maize growing. The Kaupokonui Dairy Company anticipates a substantial increase in' output this season, the Waimate Witness rpports. In the words of the chairman of directors (Mr W. Borrie) the advance will be tremendous, providing normal weather conditions are experienced. There has not only been an increase in the number of suppliers, but there has been an improvement in the herds and with the high prices rulin« for produce dairymen have had good reason for increasing the number of cows. Tho milk yield is high et tho present time, cows in the bush districts giving an average return of from 21 to :>2 pounds, and on the Plains from '*0 to 4.5 pounds. In individual cases ilie return goes 3s high as 70 pounds pot- cow.

Tho following note from a London correspondent is appearing in Australian papers: — "Siberian butter of the bost quality is pouring into Great Britain. It is generally expected that butter from that country will in a few years swamp the market. Refrigeration lias removed all the disadvantages of seasons. Now countries in the Northern Hemisphere can store their produco and sell it in then off seasons in competition with that from Australia and New Zealand. Seasons don't count now." There is undoubtedly a considerable element of truth in this. It oily proves the .soundness of the contention that if New Zealand producers arc to make a continued success of the butter industry they must all the time aim at quality. Thorn is always a demand for choice butter. Srcoi.d-grade qu.'litios are too often in iihundancr.