Rural Notes.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13974, 7 August 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

Rural Notes.

(By Koradi.)

AUG (IST AY OR K. August 11: is come in so' genially Hint I Feci tempted to outline farm wink I'or September instead of August. Certainly tlio weather during the opening days of this month was as warm and as growths' as September usually is. Wo shall hq lucky it we. do not got, our August weather next month. There will, of course, he 110 opportunity lost oF getting in Spring cereal Crops. While, the ground is dry no effort should hi; spared to keep the drill going as Fast as possible. IF the ground has boon prepared beforehand, it is a good plan to work the drill in shifts, much as the. reaper and binder is worked in the harvest. lam speaking of cases where there is a good deal of horse strength available, and a considerable area of grain to be sown. By .starting the drill before breakfast and keeping it going trll dark, and; by changing teams (luring the day, a large breadth cap be quicldy sown. The ground is in .good order,* and everything seems favourable to the evident wisli of agriculturists to put in a big lot ol' wheat. Jt is estimated that the area sown in wheat will be, in Smith Canterbury, about 75 per cent, greater than it was last season. It is with great reluctance that farmers are curtailing their sowings of Solid Straw Tuscan. Many have done excellently well with it during the past few years. Jt has yielded well; it stands "wind well, and withstands the attack of tin;' Hessian Ally. lint •'millers have niaikv such a,.determined set against it that growers are. afraid it will be almost unsaleable. iF there is a large quantity of wheat available.- Two bushels an acre should now be sown, because spring wheats often run up with a straight blade, there being little or no tilleriiig or " stooling. " , The birds will do • at little, tbinnihg 'and this should also be provided fori

Oats, of course, may -be."sown - as soon ns possible, but the'•■wheatsshould'■'ho : the .first .consideration! Oats will do any' time., up to the beginning oi : October, and later if necessity requires, but the earlier the better." Oats ris \\ell as wheat should be dressed with bluestono-.or formalin. Last year , I saw several crops of oats badly smutted. lam sure that a dressing would have obviated that to a very large extent. Two bushels an acre should be sown; some advocate a heavier seeding for Gartons, hut I have always found two bushels sufficient. Jt is scarcely necessary nowadays to remind farmers that. hundredweight an acre of manure pays handsomely to put in with the crops even when the land is good. * Sowings of early potatoes, should be made this month, and. a 'few may he put in at anytime. -Owing.to the'ravages of disease potatoes are now put •in earlier than they used to be. Late, frosts are to be fear<?d, but it is better to run the risk of theuv than disease which - seem -.-to take late sown potatoes badly. • Turnip Jand that is required for wheat should be, cleared as quickly as possible. Now that a little spring growth is coming in the grass sheep do not stick, so closely :to ; the turnips as they did, if they can get a run off. It is a. pity to waste turnips, and it is better to give them away to someone who needs them than to plough thin •under.- Jn-former years many an acre of turnips has been ploughed down because they could not be eaten down in time for the crop to go in. A few lambs aro alreadymaking their appearance, and they are getting a start in life, under good auspices. Ewes, heavy in lamb, should' not he kept too closely (;n - turnips-. . They should he closed on a - break for a few hours each day, and then turned o/f again. The. watery condition of turnips makes tliein an undesirable, food to ■ give -to in-la-rnb ewesv in large • quantities just previous to lambing. ]t is,however, i .11 much, worse thing to run short of feed altogether. Earlier in the winter breeding ewes will- stand a pinch iairly well, but now-that the gestation period is grotty far advanced theyquickly su'ller il they are semi-starved. If the erutching hap not already been (tone, it should he performed at. once. It is not the dangerous operation that many suppose, it to if the sheepare handled carefully. Old shepherds assert that it .is--'really no more dangerous tocrutch now than it is earlier 111 the season. .'Abortion is a- thing • that a. sheep breeder dreads, and preg". nant ewes should always be handled and driven carefully. There is danger in forcing or allowing them" to go through a gateway too quickly. - Some Australian sheep stations fix wooden rollers on their.' most frequented gatf* ways. The rollers resemble the larger ones in a reaper and binder,'and are mounted vertically : on bearings. Tt can bo easily understood that they would very much reduce the chances of injury through overcrowding in - the gateway. Old binder elevator rollers would come hi very useful for that purpose,' and might be tried in sheep yards. It is not till next month that 'lambing becomes general) and that is quite early enough for the most of South Canterbury. The farm working horses must be well- fed. They have a long spell of work in front of them, and it is ■ a mistake from all points of view to Vv niggardly; with their rations. Oats are fairly cheap this season, and just at present there does not appear to lie much likelihood of their rising much in value. But whether feed is chean or dear, working horses should be well fed. It v is all they ask of. their taskmasters, that and a little ordinary care and consideration.

.Gorsc fences will still ronin in for a share of attention. It is a good time to do grubbing when the bloom appears, because the yellow .(lowers show up every plant. The kitchen iind flower gardens will need some attention this month. It is a poor farn Itbat will not stand the expenditure i i' ,i little ftime. and money round the house. A good kitchen garden and orchard pay for themselves many times over in more lyay than one. If it is, intended .to put in some fresh trees this year, they should he planted at once. FREYKVnON OF SMUT. There have heen sufficient cases "of damage through, smut during the past couple of years to convince 1 armors that they must dress their seed before sowing. The usual treatment is welting or soaking the seed with, bhiestonc (sulphate of copper) solution. This !>!•« lieen used in Canterbury ever sim-e cropping commenced, and will no dount •he used for many a year tocome. A new dressing is, however, receiving strong recommendations, and the results from its use are said to he so satisfactory that it should be worth while making a trial, of it. I refer to formalin. in America a. great mauv pxperiments have been made with it,and the conclusion arrived at is that it is superior to liluestone. Experiments were, in fact, nuule with each to find out which was the mnsf effective and reliable. It was found that formalin noL only proved the more effective iu preventing smut, hut it also increased (lie vieh' at harvest time. , Some samples of wheat were sown under similar' conditions, One was untreated; one was

dressed with bhiestone and with formalin. The untreated plot; gave. 20 bushels per acre, the, blucstoned sample gave 18, while the plot of formalin dressed wheat gave a yield of -2bushels. Oats gave more marked results than, the wheat. A leading American agricultural authority states positively that formalin not only kills the smut effectively, but it also increases the yield ' of grain. Bluestone has a tendency to lessen the yield; although it will kill the smut if made sufficiently strong. The formalin must he guaranteed fo conta' -K) per cent', formal dohydo. and according to American authority it should be .used at, the rate of Hi*ounces to 14 gallons of water. Wheat would require about three quarters -of a gallon of water to a bushel, while oats would require more. I daresay that in actual practice 'a less quantity would be found sufficient. If the solution is .sprinkled over the seed, and the seed is then turned several times so that every grain gets thoroughly wetted, three quarters, of a gallon'of water to a bushel would be found to be ample. Tt is said that hrllf a pound of formalin to 50 gallons of water may be, used with good results, hut Ifi ounces to 1-1 gallons is the formula recommended. THIC SHEEP R RTT'RNS. The interim sheep returns are to hand giving, the approximate number of sheep in the Dominion at April 30th, 1909. It used to be asserted that while the ,sheep tax was in force the' sheep returns were anything but reliable. Mr Anstey, for. instance, was able to point out in the Legislative! Council that sheep in transit between buyer and seller were often not included in the returns. It now turns out that the abolition of the sheep as has .not. materially affected the returns. -No .abnormal, jump in the figures has taken place. If. is pleasing to think that no serious evasion of , the tax took place. For the past four or five years the annual increase has been about a million head. Last, year it- was slightly under, the increase being 924,1(37,- giving a grand total of 23,373,220 sheep. The increase would, of course, have been larger but- for last winter's snow storms.: Comparing thp two islands we find that , the increase is nearly, the same ■in: both .islands—4s3,B3o in the. North Isla nd, and 475,000 i n the South' Istand, giving , a total increase as stated above, ■ 924,167. These were on . ;the hoof on April 30. , Add ,to these the, increase ii\ the lamb exported 83,921,: and the increase, in the carcases of mutton' sent- away, .78,040,, pr 161,961,.altogether, we ; find .that the countryis better hy ;:1,086,12(3 sheep. , This. a . very- satisfactory state of affairs. As .Jong as estates are being cut: up, and closer settlement, .is taking , place the sheep returns will show, an annual increase. Tt is truethat the dairying industry is .making very . great progress, bur. in spite of that New Zealand is capable of carrying more sheep, than at present. Summing up the position one commentator on the interim sheep returns says : —" There is no other : country in tho> world that can show a record of being able- to export 2,810,358' fat lambs and (counting legs, etc. returned by ewt.) 1,982,500 carcases ot mutton, and if we add, 2,224,000 for local consumption (which . number is arrived at by the estimate, that the annual consumption in New Zealand is 2.25 sheep -per inhabitant) we fitid that' the flocks of the ' Dominion ; have been able to return us cash over seven million head, and at the same time show an increase of .nearly another million on a total 22 million, which was the number we started last year, or at the rate of over 28 per cent.". ' | !, T VS.M \NIAN POTATOES. There was a time when we wereenvious of our Tasmanian neighbours in their good fortune, in being able to grow blight free potatoes.' We arc jiow in the position of being able to . extend our sympathy to them in their bad fortune, their -crops having: been afflicted seriously with- a kind of browii rust. Large quantities of tubers have beent condemned m Sydney and.Brisbane, ami. have "boon sent back i to Tasmania. In some places, fully 75 per cent, of the crops were lost from the disease, which"-. appeared to .be worst in heavy land. It proved to be just as bad- in new land; as in land that .had been cropped with potatoes' continuously. The losses - have been -;so --extensive'- that' many pritato -growers are going in for other props; and others have turned their attention to dairy farming. . That, industry lias received, quite an impetus in Tasmania. Modern plants are being erected, and .milking machines installed. ' New Zealand potato growers are not- likely to have to compete against Tasmanian tubers in the near fntur<>. What is to be the'future, of the. potato in the Southern Hemisphere is a doubt,ful' prob lem. It seems to be impossible to escape, disease anywhere. Farmers are. adverse to the spraying remedy, and will only take to it as a last resource, '. The Tasmanian Government, has asked the Victorian Government to allow Mr McAloine, the Victorian pathologist, to visit Tasmania to investigate and report upon the disease. Tt is .stated that'-the'-brown, rot which is .destroying the Tasmanian potatoes causes the tubers to perish very quickly, and they are not even fit. for pig feed. 1 If it is something that we have not got in this Dominion care should be taken that our potaio troubles-are not added to by the introduction of the Tasmanian disease.

WHEAT GROWING TALK. Now tlmt wliont sowing is 00011 pvi life tlu' attention of farmers, anything regarding that, cereal should Up of interest to grain -growers. Mr Lowrie, the Into director of the Lincoln College lias been .giviiig 'Western Australians some sound advice since lie took up his now position over there. lie said he was in favour of early deeding- every time, and four times out .of live, if not ofteiien, Jihey would find early seeding a siu-coss. South Australian experience showed hint that" June-sown wheat averaged lour to five bushels less than April-sown. The main .tiling was to get a vigorous start. As regarded manure, he advised the use of about lewt. of superphosphate, which he understood was considerably in excess of the practice in that district. JI" they put in 1001b they were putting on a little bit more than would he taken off by a 1 o-btishel crop. A great advantage derived irom the use of phosphates was the lact that they ensured deep-rooting ol the crop, and .more than that, they enabled, the to do with less moisture; in lact, SB(i ;parts of water with superphosphate w ill go as far ns 1300 parts ol' water with out the superphosphate. Mariners had a, notion that wheat- would be blighted if too much phosphate was used with the crop, but he had never experienced blight from excessive use of phosphate. \Yh,v not always have their land equivalent to new P 'I odo that they must manure from the start, and his contention was that it would pay. The advantages of sufficient manuring were that the wheat would ripen earlier withstand drought better, ami give a better sample, heavier yield, and better feed. If thev manured their land properly they would derive immense benefits from the. improved ■ feed. They should not beggar their land, hut do their best for

1 AVlieat requires only a moderate rainfall, unci wot winters do not agree with it. The rainfall along the coast oi' Canterbury is 'just aliout the ■ amount required namely, nn average of aliout 20 inches lor annum. A big rainfall menus n lowered temperature; and a reduced amount of sunsliiiu', and wheat requires a good deal of sunshine and a. fairly high temperature to he at its host. The red wheats are more ,suitable for the poorer soils than white wheats. The latter yield the host. Hour. The host wheats yield SI) per cent, of tlour, and inferior wheats from 51 fo (18 per cent. I''A I'M ' (W'lOX NOT ICS. The annual Fanners' Union Conference hold in Wellington last, week afforded a good deal of interesting reading for farmers. The mooting ot the Canterbury -Provincial lOxoeutive held just a lew days before also afforded a good deal of material foj- discussion. It was there that the Cheviot remit advocating the control of the wheat supply was brought, forward. A commit tee composed of Messrs It. KvanS, *>. P. Clothier, G. W. Loadlev, and li. Jones were appointed to no into the question of devising-sonie way of carrying out a scheme of wheat output control/ The Cheviot idea is for holders of over 1000 bushels to ship away one-third of their crop; Some such plan is often discussed on the farm, hut it is recognised that there are many and great difficulties in the wav. ... . ~

■Mr I). Jones hardly likes the idea of putting .such a scheme into operation in a year like the present, when : wheat is a good price. Hut there were years when some scheme of the kind suggested would ho advisable to keep prices up to a lair level. Mr Lendlev sjaid that in America the farmers had been brought into line, and signed a' bond not t.o, sell lower than the price fixed from time to time. Then they fed the-, market on these lines, and' lu?.ld back the.surplus.' There is one tiling pretty certain and that is: If the Union succeeded in carrying ■ nut v its scheme, and prices were raised , in-con-sequence, the grain and flour duties would have to go. However there is not much chance of the scheme coming to anything. Mr R. F.vans predicted that ns far as wheat growing is concerned : ■ " i t is going to, lie a inunper year."

At tho Dominion Conference Air Leadley introduced. tho subject of Ilia unreliability of the agricultural .statistics collected b.y tho Government.,'i J',t'en or twelve years they would find .'that four million bushels pf grain liqd ir.y- ---: steriously fiono"/nstrny. • : Jlr ■ WiKiu .'(Colonial President) asked :,Is that not/ the-; fault of the farmers in givjnj? their estimates." -Air Leadleyurged that -the rtctunl , figures should' he obtained' from the. threshing-mill' owners; A who fyiew the quantity of wheat in the couritty at the'present time.'. Me vev- • 'tured to; predict'that they woilld !it. out of wheat before the next crop wnsi ■availahle. ' Yon 'mark itiv words,'.' : '.i» said; " The , Conference passed the ' following ■ • resolution:-''VTlirit- the Government he aghiu • t'equested' to collect 1 -«o" . agricultural returns ;hy - post; m#. 11irtt. a penalty ,be . imposed iif returns are in sent-to dnte.-'' 'A good deal of discussion took place d on the necessity (if : • providing ; for thtv .purity tif seeds../'Tlii' follow-in}* resolution' was .passed : ' " Thai;' tho Conference recommends to the linvernmeht that step? he itnken to ren>et.iy the . many - criinplants' made\ Tegardmj; the defective gradtVg of numerous f«'rhi seed; by passing a Seed Warranty lliJK"' The Hon- Ali- Mackenzie, who was pre-.-sent said thatif- the 1 Union was going to promote !> Seed .Warranty Bill- ■it. should also- include Mvi;tlii.n the scope of the' we'll sure a requirement that v;th'e se«»d. was. taken , I't'oWv. a. good strain .and cultivated under suitable circumstance*, lie knew certain 'merchants/ '\vlto advertised prominently knowing that J'tirnicrs were. prepared, to pay- good price.* tor seed-f'were charging;.fiumei's (limbU' ; . the intrinsic value :of-the tn'tiele.sUjWi plied. It was* his' dKsife -to promoted i\ : Hill which, while"not unduly hamperingthe. seed merchant would secnkr to the farmer a good .article w'hen 'he .'W I ! 1 -:; • prepared to j)ay - reasonable jiriV'es, The Hon. T. ;iVjelveiizie ; told 'Jie delegates* at the-Conference that } lie was obtaining an estimate -fnini (In l Government . pointer to see whether it would not he possible to issue > monthly publication instead . of Ihe Annual Report of the Depart men I of Agriculture. 1 ' The annual report is an, excellent publication, but much nl> tlio informalionit contains, is > stnle ; before it reaches farmers' hands, The> matter of the change will depend en-' tirely upon the cost. If 'the monthly were adopted the annual report would not. be -'published..' The Conference discussed a multitude of questions, some of tlieni new, .many of theni old. South Canter-, burv bad no delegate, the -Farmers' Union in this part of Canterbury being about as dead as the proverbial door nail. JOTTINGS. Of course New Zealand farmers.' recognise that they are not the ,imly people in tho world that have £ty.u- in heavily for wleat growing. 111, West - 1 erir Australia a big harvest view, and the question 'of horses to do the work is becoming pressing.. The local supply is growing, , but is si ill behind tho 1 demand. • Tho growing crops, are looking very line. The Larks - tiro enjoying llieiii--selves in the paddocks' where I lie shoots are nice and/lender and easily pulled up. The small birds' are undoubtedly pests, -and they cause a good deal of damage, but 1 am inclined, with -Air Irving, to think that I hey also have their uses. ' They" undoubtedly help to keep down insect pes Is. The question is: Do i'hey'earn I Ingrain they eat in summer, and ' llx» young shoots and turnips (hey pull up in the first, stages of growth. ' There, is a good demand for springing cows and heifers, and some big prices are being paid for theiu. This, is usually the case at this time of'theyear. It would pay to have -a few on hand to <lispo.se of just now. Those who shipped Home their lainTt are not feeling very cheerful about it. They will experience) an anxious time till their returns come to hand. The market, has dropped throughout the winter with- dreary regularity.. There seemed to be no finality to il_ The drop in lamb from what it three years-ago is a very big one, anything between four and five 1 shillings a head. No wonder that those who bought land at a good figure are rushing into grain growing to help tlicm out. In the sheep Hue, work is the only thing that will- save the* situation to a certain extent.

There is still :i good deal of dillcyonce of opinion as. to what ■ ijuant ii'v* of wheat is left in the Dominion-.. Fa rniers are holding on (irmly under the impression that over-shipment hrksi actually taken place. Prices have hardened, and a few keen buyers have been operating in some centres. The. mills are said to he heavily stoekeij. and there are yet seven months le. go before next harvest, coiueS in.' ' It' it is (rue that too much has lieen sent away, prices will go up si good deal yet, lu Sydney big prices have ruled for a good while simply because 100 - much was sent away from N r e\v South Wales.