Agricultural.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13355, 3 August 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

Agricultural.

OAM.U'.I" SHOW. The schedule of pri*.» f"r the North Otago A. and I'. Association's foithconiiug annual show, which i> now being printed, contains the. following notictab:e attentions:—ln class -thoroughbreds, ihi pnzeli'.oney tor th..- entire horse io yeais) has b.e:i"iuL-;va>vd to "> guinea?-, as has a!i»> the t'»r th.- hackney stallion (3 years), and the thoroughbred nry mare, which is raisert to 3 guineas. Th> prizes in all the jumping contests have been substantially inereas.d. being now 5. 5 and 2 guineas. and Alt' height limit, of between and 15i hands in the Mounted Hitle horss cktss has been removed. 'I ho "wrestling en horseback.'" contin.-d .:> tr.s first day and to numbers of volunteer corps, has had " go-as-you-pleas:; " conditions added, and a similar competition har. been added to the second day':; progreumie, which is open to all com-.rs. A n;\v competition will be " Twctj over hurdles, of any voluntesr corpe. in uniform, prizes 2 guineas and 1 guinea.*' To the ponies class have been added two competitions: a pony, between 12 ancl> ISA hands, shown in harness, and a trotting contest for ponies under 13 hands-, substantial prizee; in each case being given. In cattle, the growing importance of tha Shorthorn clai;s has been recognised by th; Committee, who have so altered it as to maker it similar to what the Ayrshire class has been in past years. The sheep and dog sections have not betn alte-re-rf. Black Devon boar and sow sections have- been added to the pig class-sis, and al=o a section for crossbred sows. Some slight additions have been made in the pig class and the dairy produce class. The special prizes this year are more numerous and more valuable than has previously been the case in the. history of the Society, these including a number of cups, valued at from 5 guineas to 20 guineas, which have been denoted by Oamaru mercantile firms and' private gentlemen. ENSILAGE. It is imperative that ensilage must become the general form of providing winter fodder for dairy sto~_ in Taranaki. The district is not an ideal one for root crops, but with an ;:bundar.t rainfall there is a great waste of grass at certain periods of the year which could be economically converted into silage. The greatest difficulty which presents itself in regard to the making of ensilage is that of labour, which is costly' and unsatisfactory. The only eolution is for farmers to fce»!p each other, and there is no reason.'at all why this should not be done, and why, in connection with such a cfesirable scheme of co-operation, a mowing and stacking plant should not be ■shared in by farmers within «■ certain radf ins. .It is satisfactory to know that ensil- , age-making is increasing among the farmers of the district, and that those who have once tried it are firm in their belief as to its value. One feature of ensilage-making which should spscially appeal to farmers is that it can be .made in practically any weather. 'lhj Australian farmer is rapidlv coming to appreciate ensilage. A New South Wales sheepfanner, who has proved.its value, fecantly gave his experience at a meeting of farmers of' that State. After referring to the importance of ensilage in a climate such as that of the Commonwealth, he .remarked that he had no hesitation in Saying that ensilage was the best form in every way—best for the fanner because it was .the cheapest, easiest, and most profit- ' able means of conserving food; be'st for the stock to thrive upon, particularly ewes rearing their lambs and mares their foals. It was a great milk-producer. Thistles made splendid ensilage, and'in a district ■where this growth was partieularlv prolific in a good season no farmer or dairyman should ba without a supplv of this "class f . f i? d « FoUo '~ ,rin S a" few simple directions faithfully, was impossible to fail in the matter of making ensilage. In Canada there were half a million silos in use He then went on to give detailed instructions respecting /.he method? to be adopted. He referred to a pit such as he used, 100 ft long, 20fc and 9ft deep, tapered off at each end, thus rendering it of an average depth of 4ift. This would represent AJo cubic yards of excavation, which could be done in thk r-,J onj at a Cfihi of Sd yard, the p,t thus costing £ll 2s. As one ton of ensflago was equal to two cubic yards .vsOo of the above dimensions would iio>d 166 tons of ensilage when the latter was level with ths surrounding surface One acre of green wheat from a fairly goodcrop would make seven or eight tons of ensilage. He had - calculated that a silo of 500 cubic yards capacity, costing £l613s Bd, would hold 309 tons of. ensilage ■which would feed 2COO sheep for three months; 130 tons would feed 750 sheep for three months. THE GRAIN YIELD. (By C. C. in "Otago Daily Times.") The corrected figures of the colonv's grain yiJd jusi issued by ths Department of Agriculture, showing the retnrns per acre of our cereal crops for tha harvest just closed, furnish very gratifying reading. They set forth in cold arithmetic the marvellous persistence of our prosperity that- places us in the forefront amongst the British dominions as a producing countrv. If we ask ourselves, cr if visitors inquire, Whence comes this steady growth amongst all classes in New Zealand? tho only answer that can honestly be given must be : "Look into (he agricultural statistics periodically furatsVJ by Mr Von Dadekzen. and there you can trace the fons jt origo of our ever-growing wealth, and the sure basis of our prosperity. The grain yields just published are not phenomenal, although eminently satisfactory. The returns given show that the average yield of wheat per acre during tha current "vear wan 27.18 buelrels. but .'.-ring the- "four preceding reasons the viel.l has varied from 30.60 bushels in 12Q6"t0 38.57 br.:hels per aero in 1903. Ths hai-ve: of ISC2 gave to our farmers; an average of 24.76 bushels, but the tlnee preceding years returned averages touching 52 bushels per acre, whila in 1893 the yield was the smallest known for 16 yeais. reaching no higher than 17.95 br-'hefs per acre. K comparison of thes.; wheat yields witlt those that reward the Ao.-traiian farmer will show thr> measure of thankfulness tn a benign Providence that '.; due from cultivators of the» soil in this- highlr-favoured colony. During the past nine yeais. when our average wheat yi.lds have for the most part exceeded 30 btifhek per acre, in Victoria for the an • period th? avcr.ige< have ranged from 1.29 bnsh.!-: (the "bought year) to 14.49 hi 1904—tho record year in Australian wknt yields. In ~;lier words. th.> lower', average vi-'hl of v.h:at *ver in N«w Ze.-d'and w,k about one-fourth gr.atr Jian th- pi, -tmmenal ,h-,.-r C , , ; u the Commonwealth garnered in 1904. To put the figures- even in a more striking way. if r;:;:v !>•_■ '.•rei t'": v.lr'.iin the Acsfr;:!i-;:i St.-::--. .•icef.r<H:ier (" Mr Coghlan. th-- :tvcra:r? vi 1.1 of wheat hetvreen t!i? vc-t- - ; 7.3 |>- !,..•., per acre, in N.-.r A'aland for ih- con-:;-pondina p.-ri,„t th,. avcrase w ;: 23.6 bushels. In ether c r-ak ths ..air-e- for tongratnlatinn are equally iit>f>:::a::t. T!ii» or.t crop ft.-r th r.'.-'i-f ■ li.,. >jii- [ ». 1 ;t , -.■- that average-- 31.33 hi'-Lck" ce/ »■■•...'»"■ a?:iin-' ".S.f jr > 1,--'. '-■ i r . lOIj .-i..) 4?..~-3 bushe's f- IT)"". M >•? :i.L-.dn th:. f -iti.'ify of our :)::;!■! o-:f pr e-jmim-atly by | Comi):M;.,>:i v.i I. ~-:■ ' - !';. ,-.,i;t:.l»)v-- ii II i ate! 11 i.-hb-Mi:- an- .. t'i ■ T-.< w.<~ <?-. I Dnrin;'- the V" ;.vr 0.-i: ■ .•[ ■,-". \-;..;;»'v i : :-i>.l {e& tit- 1..: '!■;• in :'.:■; ('. m;m.:;w. ak't j

averaced 20 bushels per acre, while our own stood sit 36.3 bushels. Barhy crops haw shown during the past season a slightshrinkage in hulk, the return given being 51.03 bushfis per aire, as compared with 5-1.5-1 in 1906 aii.l 58.26 in 1905. These figures show to the outside world that we are suffering from embarrassment of agricultural riches. We can raise these prolific cereal crops with unfailing regularity, but with our mixed system ol agricultuie. and ever-expanding British markets, we can put our broad and fertile acres to better u,ee. In 1592 we had over 400.000 acres under wheat, and last year the area reaped was verv little more than half that.'- Yet in South" Australia a yield of seven bushels is regarded as a financially satisfactory crop. This season we have in our garners a surplus wheat crop of 608.264 bushefc, after meeting all local wants, which for export purposes can only ba looked upon as- a negligible, quantity, while Victoria last rear, with lass than half our yield per acre." had 16.500.0C0 bushels available for export-, and this year will be shipping an increased quantity, for they put rather more than 2,0C0|000 acres under wheat, and a 1", the crop averaged a trifle over 11 bcchals per acre the surplus for export will b? close on 22.000,000 bushels. These are big figures compared with our own insignificant cereal production, but are as a drop in the bucket compared with the world's wheat production, which, according to " Beerbohm's" estimate for 1906, was 437.500,000 quarters, rather more than half of which was grown in Europe. On this basis Australasia contributed 2.28 per cent, of the world's total in.their- fat season, while in their lean year (1903) the wheat saved was not enough to provide seed for the. yc.-.s's <rcp. Such are the vicissitudes that b.rt: Anelralian farmers and make New Zeui.u:cl\> unvarying succession of bountilul iieaso::.; stand out- in bold relief. 'Even the Canadian wheat average of 20 bushels per acre, . and' the United States mean return of 14 bushels, suffer by comparison. FROZEN MUTTON. The lambing percentage in South Australia has been- exceptionally good, owing to, the rapid growth of green feed just b=fore the . lambing started. Indications now point to that State establishing a record in ito. escort lamb - trade for: this venr. Last- year the number exported was 248,291. OTT - r - "■ "The use of seed potatoes sprouted in boxes is b-ecomming more and more common in this country (writes an English agricultural correspondent). Numerous ex r periments have proved .that the yield • of' sprouted seed is from a ton to two tonsmore than that of tmeprouted tubers. Ons reason is that the crop comes up much mere quickly.from sprouted than from upsprouted seed, and thus, has more time to' mature: but more important, is the fact that, by sowing the seed in boxes in the autumn, the first and most vigorous shoots are preserved, whereas when potatoes are kept through the winter in clumps, or ' pits' as they are inaptly called in many places, these sprouts get formed, become long and weak, and are broken off in thesubsequent moving of the potatoas for. xae as seed. At the present time I have a crop just earthed up, all but a portion of. one row now being from sprouted seed, and the; tops from,'the unsprouted seed are not mors than half the ■. size of those in .the rest of the field. Lost' season I had : :■. u tore per acre-more'■from, sprouted than from unsprouted tubers." In one respect there is.a complete con-, trust (says an English writer) between the opening years of .the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.. A .hundred years ago--cat?, tie were of comparatively small account,'. grain was paramount, 'and hundreds of fine old pastures were ploughed out to grow." the wheat that was .so scarce and -ds-af during the progress of the French wars;-To-day in almost every part of the country, corn-growing has fallen off, and live-stock are the sheet-anchor of farming. Th-3 Sydney Morning Herald considers it but natural that the farmer should have more faith in his luck than the town man.. The latter usually gets what he earns, but the man on the land through untoward circumstances may lcee his season's labours almost in the twinkling of an eye. Excessive rains o~r.no rain at all prove equally disastrous, a late frost may spoil a splendid potato crop, or his best horse.may die unexpectedly. The successful man, in own opinion, is seldom lucky; in the other fellow's he is ths spoilt child of fortune. It is true that one year's results sometimes affects a man's farming progress for life. He maker? a hit or- miss in his first- season or two, and very often 'his whole future is influenced. If he scores while his neighbour fails, he may at once get a lead in tha area cultivated, and the gap becomes wider and wider. But'the luck is fairly uniform as a rule, though the pull is certainly with the man who has some capi!al. and who can afford a judicious - expenditure, and holds on when prices are low and markets promising. But good mananemmt is worth any amount of luck. He worko on averages, makes money fastin good seasons, and very often more th.m i tids his own in bad ones.

FARM EXPERIMENTS Of late years a ;ood deal of time money has been spoilt in expenn-.ou'.s to prove, amongGt other things, the value of ciffer'nt artificial manures"on growing crops. Doubtless these experiments have been of consickrable value as general guides, but- they aro not a means by which ruks can be fixed, owing to the difference in local conditions, soils, and seasons. For instance (Gays the Mark Lane Express) a farmer may see the result of :i eei t,:;n ex periment—say, in manuring- cmim t adopt the method with confide'.-, e ihat ti.e effect will be the same with him, hi fa-.*-' 1 the- conditions under which he works may make all the difference. The deduction is that every farnu-r should experiment for himself. He need not do it in a lavish or extravagant way, but on such a scab that he can prove for himself what answers on his farm, and he will then know what to go in for and what to avoid. He has the general principles before him, or he may get them, ho can quickly learn the simplest and most economical way of conducting experiments, and knowledge that we acquire ours elver, is much more valuable than thai wo get from other p3ople. Many a useful tip in farming has been found "out as tha result of a little careful experimenting, and, apart from the utility value, the work is interesting. It can be done without any great expense or without risk or loss, and the knowledge that- it is- tr< be acquired in this way more than pays for th;i trouble. Apart from this, the farmer who expeiiments carefully generally has tho s:it.*i ; fact;on of learning something that is valuable to him.