RURAL NOTES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 14074, 4 December 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

RURAL NOTES.

By Koradi. DECEMBER WORK. Time was when there appeared to lie time for a short .spell at the end of December. One was often able to turn the horses out for a rest before harvest. There was nearly always a slack time between turnip sowing and harvest. Nowadays December is a vei— full month on farms where all branches of agriculture are undertaken. For one thing harvest seems to come iu earlier, because the practice of growing oats for spring feed for ewes, to be followed - by a crop, has come into vogue. Th::t means that the early oat harvest may commence as early as Christmas week, and when that is dealt with the main harvest is ready. The area of turnips and rape is greater than it used to bo, and this entails more cultivating work in December. Weeds are in greater evidence, especially twitch, and the more the ground is worked during December the more chance there is of killing this weed. Grass seeding is more commonly undertaken than was the case formerly, there being now very few farms where rye grass is not saved. All these operations entail a lot of work all through the month. Haymaking must not be forgotten, as it, too, is more generally entered upon than in former years. .• The work seems to grow particularly pressing towards Christmas and New Year, and there is not much time for holidaying on a modern agricultural farm at that time of the year.

Shearing is still in full swing on low country farms, the damp weather of last month having delayed it very considerably. On tho higher country shearing is just commencing, and almost anyone who can weild the blades can get a stand in a shed at tho present time. The wool is now coming off in heavier condition, and for thai reason tho high, prices at tho first Timaru sale may not he repeated av the second sale on Wednesday, tho 22nd inst. Tho outstanding feature of tho sides already held in tho Dominion is tho splendid prices paid by tho Americans for clean, light, heavily skirted wool. It ■ behoves those, therefore, who want a share of the good things the American, buyers are dispensing to carefully attend to the get-up of their clip. Keep out all dirt, and skirt well. There should be enough shed hands to deal with tho work without the necessity of-slumming. If a shed is short handed, the temptation to put the wool out of sight in the bales in an indifferenly got-up stylo is ono that is seldom resisted. Haymaking should bo si general operation this season because of tho abundance of grass there- is about tho country It will bo fairly early, too, because of the early season. When tho grass is 1.1 full bloom is the best time for cuttting. It is better to err in the direction ot cutting on the green side than to let the grass get over ripe. Some Haymakers believe in cutting when tJie rveorass is in flower, and that is not a bad rule, to go by. To allow the grass to get too ripe is had management, because tho grass ltselh loses much of its nutritions value, and the ground suffers by being made to give ud (seed-building constituents. The time of seeding is tho biggest drain on tho ground. If both sun and wind are in evidence after the grass is cut, and while the hay is being put into rows and cocked up, the stuff should be fit for stacking in three days after cutting. Rvcgrass seed should he harvested with tho hinder if it is sufficiently long and thick. There should bo no trouble on that score this season. A few years back, cutting with the sidedelivery and stripping were the only means *by winch ryegrass could be saved, the grass being too short and thin to he dealt with by a harvester. If there is a lot of clover and other bottom growth among the ryegrass, care must be taken not to strain the* reaper and binder. A dewy morning will cause tho stuff to bo very heavy, and a machine might be easily damaged by trying to force damp, sticky undergrowth through it. A good machine might easily be rendered quite useless by carelessness or irnorance in this matter. Ryegrass is usually threshed out of the stook, and that is certainly the easiest and best way of dealing with it. It is to be hoped that the stook threshing difficulty will be settled before the ryegrass is ready for the mill.

Preparations for turnips and the sowing of them is now claiming chief attention. The favourite time for sowing is about -Christmas time, between Christmas and New Year. It is not advisable to run the sowing into the new year to any great extent. If a damp "time comes the turnips will do all right, and will be of good quality if not of a great size, but it is too late for average seasons. The ground should be well prepared, and reduced to a fine tilth in order to hold the moisture. There is no better time for killing weeds than in preparing turnip ground, and the crop benefits by the. cultivation the land receives. Swedes may be put in during the first week of the month, but they are better sown during the latter part of November. If they are put on ridges, where they will have to be horse-hoed and thinned, the sowings may be made to extend over a few weeks, so that too much weeding and thinning may not Jiavo to be done at one time. Some swedes should be always grown, as they do not come amiss for any kind of stock. They are good for lambs in the autumn, and last well into the spring. For dairy cows .they are also useful, if properly fed to them. Potatoes should be moulded as soon as they are ready. They grow and thrive very much quicker after ridging. The horse hoe should have been run between the rows to movo weeds, and the hand hoe should have been used between t the sets in the rows. All this weeding, besides giving the potatoes every possible chauce, is good for the laud, and the benefit of it will bo very apparent when the succeeding crop is put in. Blight is so much an established thing, that spraying is undoubtedly the only safeguard against it. The majority of farmers rathe r than undertake the trouble and expense of spraying, leavo their crops to pull through the best way they can. The truth is that most farmers view potatoes as such a risky crop in every way that they only put in enough Unfiled- own use, and'reckon that things will turn out very badly if they do not get enough for their own eating. Those who have potatoes for sale on a larger scale are almost forced to adopt spraying methods, and there are numerous instances in South Canterbury- of growers doing very well by taking this precautionary method. Mangels, carrots and turnips on ridges need a. lot of attention, if the ground is at all dirty, and every spare moment should be spent among thorn. Thinning alone takes a considerable time, and when roots are put on ridges it is usually thought advisable to put in a pretty heavy seeding so as to ensure a cron. It is wonderful how much feed can be got.off a patch of ground growing a good crop of mangels and swedes.' As the. harvest, is • looming up ahead, no time should ...be 'lost in seeing that all machinery is cleaned and in proper repair. It 'S :i had policy to leave this till the last, moment, oi' to attempt to start the

season without this overhauling. And when the tillage season is over all drills, cultivators, ploughs, nm [ „thcr implements should be got together and put under cover if rjossiblc. Nothing looks worse than to see these implements standing where they were last ifeod. Implements certainly do no good being left out to the elements, and to the mender increases all kinds of stocks, but the look of the thing is in itself a, sufficient reason for taking implements into the yard and shed.

The draught horses, even if they have to be kept constantly at work till harvest begins, shoufu not bo allowed to get down in condition. They must be fed liberally if they aro to do their work well and comfortably during the rush of harvest. Oats and chaff should not bo stinted. Grass is not good enough for them to work on. It is, to them something in the naturo of dessert. If they get grass alone, they quickly tire of it, and are glad to get back to hard feed.

JOTTINGS. A close scrutiny of the various catalogues after the last Timaru wool sale, reveals the fact that the big rise of 21d to 3d per lb was participated; an lonly by the finer wools of light condition and clean. The heaver, coarser wools did not benefit by the rise in prices to anything like the same extent. There was some disappointment on this score, and there are some who assert that judging by the way their wool sold, prices have not risen so very much after all. American buyers are out after all they can get in their particular line, and they will pay a. big price for what suits them. Some of the Corriedale which sold so well, was narticularly light and clean. It can bo easily seen that heavier wool may pay just about as well. For instance, a. six-pound fleece at tenpence will bring in as. much as a- five nound fleece at a. shilling. Tho difference per lb is, of course, quite considerable. Star lots are to bo avoided, and it is a mistake to mix fleeces in the same hale, even if the halo is marked and branded with a full description of what it contains. It is better to mako half bales, or to send a few fleeces in a bag than to do any mixing. A star bale, cut out from a lot because it contains a few fleeces l of a different kind, will bo found to bring only the value of the worst wool it contains. Moreover .that value may be low because local buyers alone may bo compel" ng for it. On enquiry I find that brokay would r*vthcr have the bales branded with the descriptions of tho wool thev contain than have tho numbers only put on the bales, and the descriptions sent bv advice not° only. Of course if the bales are fully branded, +he advW riote should be sent as well, but the branding helns verv materially to prevent mistakes in the rush' of receiving "id shewing wool for sale purposes. Manv clips are branded only with the brand of the farm or station, and the number of bales, but I am assured that brokers would rather, havo the full description put on tho bales. Even for shipping purposes tho full descriptions is best. ■ Tho Homo wheat market shows a firming tono Local holders aro wondering if tho local price will riso.-be-fore harvest. No ono can tell with any degree of certainty, and no ono seems to havo much of an idea as to tho effect of tho coal strike on tho market. Tho Australian markets have not eased on account of the arrival ot now wheat, but have rather firmed. A littlo whilo ago forward sales m Adelaido were being made at ds. im per bushel. Now buyers aro ottering 4s in Adelaide, Ss lid to 4s. Id in Melbourne, and 3s lid to 4s »i Sydney. Ono explanation of the firming tendency is said to. bo. the great demand for chick wheat. But the ievsed estimates of the world's wheat Jupply and demand havo also somethmg to do with the hardemng tendency? and coming as it does just as the new harvests aro being gathered in wheat growers feel that their wheat Willi be good property again this season. , „ i The weather continues dull and muggy It is favourable to the growth of .rust and smut, and somesomewhat unfavourable to tk ing Early turnips and rape and new grlss are 111 benefiting, and the coungHs looking very green for close on December.

ALDERNEYS AND JERSEYS. A fortnight ago I quoted " Stragclpt" of the "Weekly Press" m some of'his criticisms of the Timaru Show. Among one remark of Ins was the in - lowing: "Why Jerseys should be nailed Alderneys is a question the Innaru Association could answer, though I: clo not know who else could do so. The Jersev, Alderney, and Guernsey cattle all come from the Channel Islands, and are sometimes spoken or collectively as Channel Island cattle. It is very probable that they sprang from the common stock. Some of the French breeds on the coast opposite the Channel Islands are probably from the same stock. They resemble the Channel Island cattle in appearance if not in milking qualities. There is a good deal of excuse for calling all these Channel Island cattle Alderneys because these cattle were for many years imported into England under that name. -Professor Wallace in his work, "Farm Live Stock of Great Britain"—a recognised standard hook —says: —"These (Channel Island cattle) have for many years been imported into England under the generic name of Alderney, although the animals from that island have been throughout the least. important. The misnomer is supposed to' have origin ted either from, Alderney cattle having, been first sent' to England', or through English officers being stationed in Alderney, and'thus identifying all of the kindred breeds by the name most familiar to themselves."''.

The Jersey is, the .most important of the islands cattle, and the most numerous. Guernsey cattle are larger and coarser 'than' the Jersey. It is just as good a milker .and the beef is good. The cliinale of Guernsey is colder than that of Jersey, consequently the cattle are hardier. The Guernsey is preferred to the Jersey by many fanners, because, she is more of a general purpose cow. Her admirers claim that she is a better milker and a •bigger buffer fat producer than the Jersey, and that she gives' a far greater weight of carcase when she is fattened for beef. Jt is thought that this increase in size is due. to the fact that oxen .wore used for labour in Guernsey for a long lime, thus making the animals larger and stronger than the Jersey catlle. Professor Wallace says, however, that live. Jerseys can be kept, on about the same amount of feed as four Guernseys or three Shorthorns. Of the Alderiiey, Professor Wallace writes: —This animal in its genuine form, which corresponds much to that of the. Jersey, does not now exist. It was darker than either of the other varieties, the. hair being dark brown or black. It was then smaller than the Jersey ,but now, since the use of Guernsey' bulls, the breed or colour, size, and relationship is more nearly allied to the Guernsey, hut of smaller size." . .

Tf the Timaru Association errs in calling all Channel Island cattle Alderneys it does so apparently in very good compaiiv, for, as I have shown, authorities states that the name Alderney was indiscriminately applied to cattle of nil kinds from the little group of the Channel Islands, and not only to them, but also to some of the small

dairy cattle taken to England from sonic of the adjacent provinces on the French Mainland.

THE PIN US JNSIGNIS. ■ A good deal of diversity of opinion exists" as to the utility of this tree, perhaps the most common of the introduced trees on the Canterbury plains. One of its very good points is its great rapidity of growth, thus quickly iormiug a shelter. On the plains of midCanterbury, largo belts of these trees may be seen, presumably planted principally for shelter purposes. In the storm at the end of last mouth thousands of newly-shorn sheep perished from cold and exposure, but it is certain that still greater numbers would have died if it had not been for the pinus insignis plantations. But the tree has its enemies, as well as its friends. Home people say it is no good for anything except for shelter purposes. The timber, it is stated, is of little value, because, it is not durable. This is no doubt true, as regards fencing purposes, hut of late years a lot of insignis has been sown in South Canterbury for timber purposes, and it has been found that if it is well minted directly it is put up, it will last a long time. This .view is fully borne out bv Mr T. W. Adams, of Greendale, a well known Canterbury grower of forest trees, and a recognised authority on the matter. He says:—"l have a stable that has been built several years, of the wood of Pinus Insignis, and is now, to look at., more like rimu than white pine, and is perfectly sound. The heart of some trees planted in 1872 is verv much like totara to look at, and 'I believe will prove very durable, but if it should not prove as good as I think, it will still be a most profitable wood to grow. To grow the trees for profit they should be planted at first three yards apart each way; they will then draw each other up, and the side brandies will be smothered before they grow so lar as to injure tho timber. Probably in about fifteen years the half of the trees will require removal; those left will then, in another fifteen years make valuable timber trees. No other trees should ever be nlanted with Pinus Insignis, as there is no other tree on earth can hold its own with them, at least at Greendale." AH over South Canterbury numerous out-buildiups and a. few dwellings may be seen built of pinus insisinis except for the floor-plates, and joists. And as far as one can tell at present the timber looks likely to keen; in fact, it is indistinguishable from first-class timber.; except on a close insnectiou. For narkiiuj cases it should do verv well. It holds nails well; does not split, and is easily worked. It not only ' grows rapidly .but is useful for nurposes other than shelter, and in planting it certainly should not be left out. Some people think so highly of it that they will plant nothing else. A tree very similar i'i appearance is the pinus niuricata. It is a hardier tre->,"and is therefore more suited to cold climates than pinus insi; T iiis. It is easily trrown, but is of slower growth. It is. estimated that it only grows at two-thirds the rate of insignis. It also is a pood shelter tree. It? grows densely and compactly. It docs not grow nearly as high as insignis, and makes good fencing material, and excellent firewood. Tt is useful to grow among more valuable trees as a forcing tree. Then '■when the time comes for thinning the niurieata mav he removed, and it will then be found useful for fencing material and firewood. Insignis makes fair firewood, not so srood of course as bluegum. It should be cut into short lengths with the steam saw, .and sp it up while it is green. It should also be used before the sar> is uroperly out of it, otherwise it will burn nwav too ram'dlv, and without a great deal ot heat. ' ■ ,■