AGRICULTURAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13679, 22 August 1908, Page 2 (Supplement)

AGRICULTURAL.

» GROUND* LIME. ,

/The Rev.' G. Wilks, East Tamaki, ttriMs. to the Auckland "Herald"- _"lr woilitt- be -a, most- suicidal policy to ignore or< disguise .the 'fact that owing to the land, nationalising' tendency of our present Government, combined with t-he-aggressive attitude of our labour union.', there is a. decided feeling of unrest among th»- setcfers of thU Dominion, and'a turning of eyes to other countries. Th* remedy must be patent to everyone,' and it will take place in due course. In th* meantime I would like to point out'that, we are not trying to make the best oi our lands here. Qneenslanders offer land at £5 per acre, said to he able to carry one sheep per acre all th<s year round. As a practical man, and" having duly" weighed ths matter, I would like to -point, out that the Otan district, broken as .it ttndoubteddly is, .<?an be made- to keep five cheep to the acre in the gullies and wet,places, and ranging from that downwards to ball' a sheep per acre on the tops of the ridges. To produce the feed' to ea.Try so many sheep it- will be necessary to hare plenty of jiaspalnm among ihf usual grasses -sowp» and as nor- only the Otan district, bnt nearly all the land lying within 20 or. 30 miles north and south of / Auckland, requires; lime, ib will also b«" necessarsr to :he _able to get lime cheaply and-in a handy form. vFor two or three years past I have bten. trying to. get someone to utilfee tha chips. and fine dust -of our limestone rruatrfes in. the King Country by grinding the eame> and placing it" on the market. - Basic slag, unless ground very fine, would be «£ no use as. a manure. 2»qwy- if limestone, containing SO per cint'. of pure liine, J»e ground as fine slflg it would then, be in a form that- the fronts of grasses can absorb. Qttickline-Basto go through' an expensive form of Tjurning, "and" then it -is caustic lime; and as such is difficult to handle, and could, not be "spread by band over broken couiitry where a drill could not go. Now, carbonate of lime in the form of ground limestone could be packed on horses over rough country,, and spread by Jjand.. Ground limestone ought to be placed on the market, at a much lower rate than quicklime-. Is all prijrkt*'enterprise dead? ox is the Arbitration- Court blasting- all <=mbrvo indnstri«s *, - "That I iave : -beea right, in my endeaTaur? to get this ground limestone for Bur farms ; is proved .by the. results of. tie experiments of tha Lancashire County Council, showing that, ground limestone is not only cheaper, but better tlian"j.any form of lime as applied topastures. THE TESTING OP SEEDS;

The germinating power of seeds is of •the greatest irjiportance to the agricultifise and? gardener. There are mahy caVtses which' may lead to' seed failing, either entirely, or. partially to grow,, (fviin when everything, is. in. its favour; Bhd-:nt .is poor "economy to accept the a? of good .quality. only to find, whert all thi labour of tillage* has been expended, that the 6eed or a. large portion of*:it---'-has failed to germinate. It is practically impossible to -cell by examination 'whether -seed* possesses the necessary vitality. Variations of temperature may*have destroyed this essential property, fori if imperfectly dried, it wonld, onr'tbe one hand, be ruined by frost gaining; access to it, or, on the other, by heating when stored jn bulk. Seed loses its-vitality in course of time, and, though, rendered useless from this cause, it will of tin"; show- little external sign 3 of age. Attacks, by insect or mould, ■ either during growth or after it has been gathered, often, render it.of little or no value. Assuming, therefore, that the seed has been grown, coßecteAi-anS sMte'd-'wltlT-every care, it - i& still good policy on the part of ; ;the farmer : to submit its germinating jowers to. a simple test, readily availRble>' before' enntmitting himself irrevocably, to a reliance upon'its. good qualities. « By subjecting every sample to thM trial, he can satisfy himself of its value, and save himself from the pp.-'-. aiblav disappointment of sowing, "seed which ia as likelv to grow as so mnch Sand/ To:make a satisfactory test it Ts not fiecissary "to> plant the seed in the soil. All;thie apparatns that fo required (says London Field) may- be found at home, <»r is'readily procurable;. '"■ This .consists of.a large, dinner-plate, .two eireniar pieces of .stout "cloth,, of somewhat-similar diameter, and a'sheet'.of glass large enough to cover the plate. The two sheets of cloth should be soaked in water, and squeezed out, so as to get rid of the air tbJey contain, as well as the surplns Vater. Placing one on ihe plate, the seeds-to he tested should be distributed Over 'the surface, and covered with 'the second piece of cloth, and the- sheet ofglass on the top, so that it fits, closely down on the edge of the plate. The glass! prevents tire evaporation of tlie moisture, while admitting the light. The plate should be • kept, in- the- house, the warmth of which will'- 'encourage .germination,, but a high temperature is not necessary. - Care should. be taken to get affair sample'of, the-seed for the- experiment, and- not to test merely a few grains, but as many as will cover theplater foe by this means not only will it ■■■■be possible to . ascertain whether the etid still possi'sses the pfiw-er of germihation, but a very accurate idea can tfe formed,'-by coimting and removing the l "grains as they' show signs of growth, oi the- exact proportion of the sped that. ii; fertile. As a few days will de'.ermine the matter one way or the'other, this simple and. satisfactory te?t. entails so liitl* "loss, of ..time, and the trouble is so slight, that..it sohld always-. : he replied whenever there is the least doubt, us to the-germinating pTopertievi of seed s-.bont to'i:be/ used. ''" " #HEAT. lh& following is from a paper by Prof, towrie, Canterbury Agricultnral College, Lincoln, in the Canterbury A. and P. •" Journal".: — Wheat, as the bread corn-of civilisation, will always hold a place of high importance among the world's farm crops, though, as : the result of the opening up of new countries .where, as far a* conditions'allow,'it has been /nam «T»i jioncer's inain" crop—often his only .crop—the position, of wheat in highly farmed oivntvics hixj become tes prnmiuia!..- There is th'«t about the cnltivaiion.rj" wheM- w!i <-h recommends if to. tktf juoae^r— : t-. RUajts itself better than wo;t- crop? to w-t"e and primitive •methods of , etiitnre; it. is . among the simplest and ie-e.-t evv>-jn>;ve of crops; and it requires le?s »kdl, experience and capital th-iK t» -«Vii i-.'ded by many other crops, >)i- in- the "j.-r,-ctice of ..mixed farming. Accordingly, the immense developments ?ir for transport have brought it- about tiiat a considerable, proportion Vc w.u'd's ■wheat is drawn from countries • in prricitsß of being exploited, and fi-r-m cr-r.n-tries- where crude traaditional and ant practice still i-otainc whsre in lr.phlyfarm<Ki countries most stteniir-n is s;-vt>: to;live stock, and the many and various crops necessary therewith as adjuncts. Bpt (hi* is not to say that wheat-growing ■will be likely to go on diminishing-as a part- of high farming: on the contrary, •wheat will continue to be grown as a tttfefnl change crop on suitable; land, but the area devoted to it fluctuate di- j Jrectlv as the price ruling in Mark Lane, [ i

except in-so-far as it .is arbitrarily governed by fiscal laws or special economic conditions. '.-•'■•.-.

During the last few years New J.ealand has : prqduced of wheat, just about sufficient for local consumption, as the prices ruling. for : mutton, wool, and dairy produce, have turned the farmers energy in favour of stock and forage crops, audi that, the more readily, as the hurry at' harvest time, the long hour's negotiated, tiie „difficulty and -»-„xiy' in seeming labour sufficient- and t>:-table, ' wont i..-

gether to maka a fanner pass viie;tt unless compensated by- eonSi-'erably better . rctnrns. • The firmer roh* in A'nrk Lane, and the exceptionally l.i'jh' r.'tiees in "our local market, brought the nif>re into re : tf by the recent drop in woo), will, nc v - ever, tend to turn attention iig.iin most to ■wheat, and an -extended area wider this crop may l>e anticipated i!us ; \f:.r, even though it ba 're? 3'•,-■ f.-> 1 loac" V.-1 a small surplus will si-iik'2 to lung j-»iv.:s down promptly to export- value " 'Further, on good land in .C+j'.eron-y, -even with land values high, wheat, at a. low price, and., labour -ivineroin, the c:.se for wheat was never weak oven while sßeep w?r.i proving so excep:ion i ly j..' ofitabj.V for the crop ever' r.-spoaV|s we': to rr!od cultivation, and .-generals' trea.mrii.t, -ni>d is among the mo?t certain, year in year out. Gress left down too.long becomes sheep foul on these good ia.-i'ls, and f'oc.ge crorw rotated too freiju-HHly siwcr. so that an occasional wheat crop as a change to the land, while. providing a useful supply of straw, aiid, a remunerative return in grain, is .'a useful- means ofutilising'residues of "manures, and distributing labour and horse power. Xew Zealand-wheat (in Mark Lane ranks much as English-grown wheat in quality. It works soft and weak as a, rule: does not- yield with the miller so mnch flour as jA-nstralianTrratid tti : pitrity .of colour comes lower." in' bread-making- capacity, or strength of flour, it is classed as lowto fair, while. Australian ranks' as fair, and famous qualities such as Manitoban Xo. 1. is described-'as good topfull, and Xo. 1 Hard Dnlluth, and No. 1 Xorshern Spring (United States) .as full. The quality in the mac-rev of strength of flour, is, -unfortunately for nsi, -not to be ronfrollarl to any great extent!, .by the skill of .the fanner in selecting .-varieties. or in breeding strains to yieldi strong flour; (lie chief determining "factor is undoubtedly .the climate in the question of strength, and it is found that (in- conntries where the ripening process is mrist rapid, throitgh high summer temperature, long daylight, and clear dry. vtyeafhr-r. .that wheats yielding the strongest flourare- grown. : If some -of thr» -wheats' yielding strongest, flour were initrndur.ed here, sneh. for example, as the Fife types, it v/onld be found that, in a. few seasons the character of the grain in Itos characteristic would degenerate," though, af> liiß same time, I believe the matter well deserves the attention of farmers, as in { telligent effort no doubt would, result in improvement. ■ There is also, of course, the practical and financial aspect of thequestion to lie considered. Wheats of ! the strong types- grown in th.-> States and Canada never, in my experience. at least, equal in yield the best soft white wheats that, ar.- now grown here. and-, it may pay to grow the heaivier yieldev for a. lower price> per hnshiel. For example, 50 bushels per acre t »t 3s Id (£8 fo 8d) will pay a farmer better than ■• 45 bushels at 7a~ Id (£8 Is od). A characteristic, indispensable tn> varieties 1o be .grown here, and always to have iirst consideration, is resistance to shelling oivt or threshing by wind. and.in" this particular many of the strong Amir wheals are weak. Altogether I have foiznd-'-sp far-, that; the best- soft white wlieaits of Europe- yield : most profitable xetuffns here, but, of. course, \il does not. follow that improvements in the matter >of strength cannot. be gained by care Pal eelection or by ■ closß-breeding. .- THE FARMINti INDUSTRY.' OUTPUT :X26,500,000. OTHER INDUSTRIES COMPARED. The following {interesting article we> take from the Auckland "Herald": Politicians when: addressing country constituencies, business men when speaking at Chamber of Commerce bonquFt* now and again indulge in a. few flattering remarks regarding the importance, of farming and farmers to the nation. Occasionally a Cabinet Minister will even supply a striking list- of figuret? relating to agricultural exports. Rut > does the community at large, truly . realise what the cultivation of :the soil means to Xew Zealand? • The actions of a few score, coalmitiers down in Westland. the wilfulness of 200 tramway employees' in Ancklarid, receive more attention from the public; in a weeks that the questions affecting farmers receive in a whole year. ;The performance of a racehorse, or the doings of- a football team, cause more- interestthat the--result."of'the wool clip-or the outlook for the bntter season. I

Tlie fact of public opinion beinpr represented almost altogether, by .the cities -puts the people in the country 'into an. eriidrely wrong position. Or, tq express the idea in another way. the people of the cifcks, seeing their doings-:, and their, in'teresta so largely dealt with. have.come, io imagine- that they'are by far the'most important section; of the community. It is always worth while knowing the relative position* of th?'" various ■ industries in a conntry, and the following figures may help.to show the importance

of agriculture taken in its commercial senseT ' Xew Zealand, according, to the most recemlv-nubiished statistics exported in all kinds of ' minerals,, manufactured goods,, and various, forms of.'merchandise, a total of- £19,783,000/ Out of this amount the ' produce raised by farmers was valued at £16,500,000, or seven times more than all the coal,, gold, silver, and other minerals, nearly' twenty times a? much as' all the timber exported, over eighteen times a*? much'as all the flax exported, and one hundred, and sixty times as much as the total'value of alf New Zealand manufactured goods exported, lint in another way, out of every £IOO worth of produce exported from -New Zealand our farmers were responsible for £B2 worth, while all of her industrialists combined onlv" (send away goods to the value- of £lß* ....■-■

When city people look around and see the smoke from factories and workshops, or when, they, casually examine the. c-ostly machinery under the wide-spreading iron roofs they are apt to imagine that much of. the wealth of the nation is represented there. The total value of, all factories arid workshops in Xew Zealand, including lantL buildings, machinery, and plant, is £52,509,286. Out of this total, meat preserving works, butter.and cheese factories." woollen mills,., bone, .mills, and grain mills, fruit-preserving establishments, and other works intimately nected with agriculture,.'.account--for over 55,C00.pC0, -without taking into consideration implement-making and other industries dependent- tipoh. the,same industry. Xo doubt. 12£ million pounds is a large sum for ; a thinly-populated country like Xew Zealand to .have; invested in manufacturing industries, and is a fine tribute to the enterprise and energy of our people: but compare it with the amount that farmers have invested in their land, and im.prbvemenis ' which. reaches the amazing "to'ial"; of \ £100,000,000. .This vast sum -makes ihe total invested in-.manufacturing industries seem small, but. to it may be added the farmers' plant in-the shape of various classes of stock, including sheep, cattle, horses swine, ifrhieh at. a low estimate, are worth £10;000,OCO. ' This-brings the total amount of-money represented by ihe farming ihditstrv lip to the enormous toial. of £120,000,000, ' or nearly double the value: of:a11- cittfo' and' '.'boroughs' ,j'n the Dominion.-

- It'is such facts as these which give the public some .idea 'of the- importance- of. farming and _farmere,.,,atid which should entitle the agricultural -industry to care-, ful consideration' when ;ne\r, laws- are. being made or public work's:;ins.titnted. ■■■ .-■'-.; If anything, injuriously f arminginieresis every cither industry in Xew Zealand would suffer. All. the gold mines in both' islands might- peter out, and- the community would not- be so much affectedas' it dairying ceased to bei payable. A drop of a, few pence per pound in the price "of: wool "means a greater loss than jf all our export of manufactured goods and all cmflax were shut, out of the-world's markets. The absence, of statistics dealing with the local consumption of agricultural produce makes it difficult to form any comparison as to its relative importance to other local industries, but it js evident that the raising of foodstuffs means.more to Xew Zealand than all other local -industries cpm'luned.

Mr T. A. Cnglan, the Australian slalistician, in 1907), estimated thp cost of food per head in-.the colonies at £l6 14s |Gd per year. .Of this amount meal represented 25 per cent., bread 9 per, cent, milk, butter, and cheese/ 15.18 per cent., vegetables and fruit 10.98 per cent... Considering that;since 1903-the.-price of food : stuffs has risen "considerably, it! .will not be far "wrong to estimate, .thot..value ~of these commodities raise'd by our farmew and consumed in Xew Zealand at £lO per head. On this calculation, and including produce other than that Zused for human consumption,, the selling of fond products r.ii.sed' on Xow Zealand and sold in this country should not be" far off £10,000,000 annually. In reckoning- the value, of foodstuffs consumed, of course a considerable reduction must be made for the cost of distribution; but as-the values of : timber, flax, and manufactured goods are based on the selling price, it must,-.in order to make the comparison uniform, apply, to farm produce. . Taken in this way, and adding the value of exported farm produce to that sold for local consumption; it makes the farms and farmers of Xew Zealand responsible for ransid .-rnaieria'i valued at £26,500,000.year1y, a sum which dwarfs the combined" total of all other industries.