THE MANGOLD CROP.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144857, 8 December 1915, Page 8

THE MANGOLD CROP.

DEPREDATIONS OP TURDS.

(From Our "Waitara Correspondent.)

From every part of the district there is weeping and wailing and grumbling' over the mangels. Nearly every farmer has had to resow his paddocks, and not infrequently the drill has gone over the same ground three times. The reasons given are manifold—the seeds no good, the weather been too. cold, rain has caused the seed to rot, grubs in the ground, and lastly, and undoubtedly in nearly every case rightly, the birds are accused of being responsible for the mischief. I have been interesting myself and have made pretty extensive inquiries into the matter, and a concrete result of them will, I am sure, be of interest to farmers, especially as they are all more or less affected.

What I am writing is gleaned from the opinions of a very considerable dumber of well-known farmers in North Taranaki, and goes to prove that the principal culprits are the larks. One man said to mo the oilier day: “This makes the third time I have sown this season. 1 know the seeds are all right, for I tested them in the garden smd practically every seed came up well; but the same seeds sown in a paddock a short distance from the house have lesultcd in scarcely a plant being visible. I marked with a stick, however, a small clump of three or four plants that bad come up, and on looking for them the next morning they, too, had vanished.” This is an instance of many similar experiences. The thing is to End a remedy that will “bent” the birds for • other seasons. Poison appears to he of little use at this tints of the year, but in the winter it is another matter. If systematic poisoning was adopted—if not by the County Council, tlien by the farmers themselves—no doubt tho remedy would be found. Tho birds should bo fed for a few mornings with good wheat, when it will be found that they will come in hundreds to a feed for which they do not have to work. After, say, a week of this liberality, give the poisoned wheat, and they will be in eternity before they know whore they are. This should be done in the winter or early spring, It’ is of little use now, as the birds prefer to oat mangels. It may bo said by sentimentalists that this’is a cruel procedure, and perhaps it is; but it is lire only thing to bo done—got rid of tho larks. It is undoubtedly tho fact that tho larks havo learned tho farmer's ways and can follow the drills along which the young mangels aro springing up with tho utmost accuracy, and they do not leave very many plants in their wake., Should there be any doubt that tho birds are tho culprits, let one or two of them be shot and hold a post-mortem examination on the bodies. I think anyone will then ho satisfied with what is found in tho birds’ crops that they have been clearing away the embryo mangels which the farmer has been to no small trouble and expense to drill. It would appear to bo of little use I for isolated farmers to poison, for thov would only bo dividing the results with his neighbours, which might not in the circumstances amount to very much; but if tho County Council would undertake tho work with tho co-oporation of the fanner much good might follow. It may ho said that the destruction of the larks and other, birds would result in the destruction, of other crops by caterpillars later in tho season; but Taranaki is essentially a cow country, and it would ho bettor to risk tho loss of a few oats than that an important cow crop should be ruined. I havo boon told by ouo farmer that ho “beats” tho larks to a limited extent by using tho boo thoroughly in tho drill, destroying, ns far as possible, tho appearance of a lino and making tho ground ns rough as possible. In this connection .Mr. J. Colo told me yesterday that the idea of hooping tho ground as rough as possible was a good one, and oven turnip paddocks did bettor and wore less liable to attack by the fly when they wore not too smooth. He, however, was not altogether in favom of poisoning, as no discrimination was shown and many of tho birds wore of great benefit.