NEWS FOR FARMERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14523, 19 August 1911, Page 3 (Supplement)

NEWS FOR FARMERS.

(By Kora(li.>

MIXED KAltillXG. Don't have all your ejg-s ill one koskot is an axcttduigiy s,«u maxim, both literally iu carrying the produce of your poultiy to market, and hgurately when eng.iji-.-d in any business whatever. In minting one i.euoiiis in two ways by having, to change the' metaphor, two strings to his bow. It is not very uiUMi that the markets are all depressed at the same time. Wheat may be down, but perhaps wool, meat, oats, or something else may be up, and thus a fair average may be struck over everything. Some farmers make a point of changing their method of fanning to suit tho markets, if grain is a good price, . they will sucniit e EOiiK-tliiug to enable thorn to produce more grain than they usually do. only to find that- by the time the grain ;s ready to sell, the price of it has gone down, and something else ha.-: risen in v.-due. That has happened tune and again Gambling is the re-.!.! name for for it, and although some may mako money at it, the majority h.se over it. There- seems to be more' .-icnso i:: going in for a thiug because it is cheap. If it is grain or potatoes, or somo coiu- - modify of that sort, the feed would be cheap to buy, and if it is stock of any iort, it would not take so much "capital to stock up. But the best plan in the end, is to keep pretty well to one system, and praduce ©vhatevcr you can, and the more varied the list of products the better, both for the pocket and for the farm. Mixed farming is most certainly the best for the land. In localities where £raiu growing has been depended upon almost solely for a. livelihood, it has been found that the land becomes more er less exhausted as. time goes on. In tho United States cropping farmers have had to give up their farms in the east, and to move out to the west where they could, for a time, practice tli£ same system. Olio of the methods of bringing - farms back to fertility is to go in for mixed farming. Some of the production of these farms should be fed to auimals, and returned, to the land. Undoubtedly the raising and feeding of stock on a farm increase-; the fertility. of the laud. A use c-in be made of almost everything that is produced, as sheep, pigs and cattle, act as scavengers to a certain extent. The liaising aud soiling of stock, the growing of fodder and root crops, in'-conjunction with a little dairying :uid other lines, go very well with srain growing, aud there isahynys something that can he turned into money. • ' SOIL SIC'CVESS. It is a string:' that what is known cs s?i! s:elii:e>v-; Is usually connected with the growth ,of leguminous ;rops. It has been proved at"l!;:tl'.am-t-ead," and at other "experimental stations, -that cercaU can be grown on the same soil year by year, for a very long period, without the "soil becoming sick. As long as fertilisers are put into the soil, and the crop fed artificially, cereals may be grown almost continuously/ , But with clovers and other leguminous crops the case is different, and the soil if continuously cropped with them is liable to become •ick. It is stated-by some scientists, in explanation of tlrs. that-leguminous plants excrete a certain amount of toxic matter which accumulates in the .soil, and poisons it- for the growth of that- plant. Not only is this the case with clovers, lucerne and other leguminous plants, but it is also the same with some other plants such as swede turnips, flax, and hemp. It has been found that in impoverished lands -tliese crops will start into growth with a much great-sr vigour than they will ou land which is in a high state of fertility, • but which has been growing these crops continuously for some years. Thus some plants. make some .change in xhe soil which mnkes it unfit for the continuous ' growth of the crop. Some crops, as has been pointed out, such' as wheat and mangolds, exercice this iniluenca hut slightly, if at all. while others such as clover .turnips, fix; sicken the soil much more effectually. - The above examples of soil sickness appear to be simple and explainable enough, but there is another phenomenon which is not. so easily -accounted, for,. and' that is that the' growth of some plants has an injurious effect ona succeeding crop of a different kind. Tin's may be due to poisons excreted by plants, a theory held by some agricultural chemists, or as A. D. Hall puts it, the explanation may "be some secondary effects due to ithe. competition or injurious products of the bacteria, and other micro-flora accumulated in the particular soil layer in wh'ch the roots of the crot> chiefly reside. Experimental evidence" is as vet wanting as to these highly complex inter-nctioiis between the higher plants and the micro-flora of the soil." .It has been proved that partial sterilisation will benefit the so ; l premimably by kiling unde--'rable bacteria Thus by heating the soil to 98 for ten-'hours the yield of the succeeding crop has been doubled, and the beneficial effect has been felt im to the fourth crop. Exposure of the soil to antiseptics has inc-re L ised the-yield but to a lesser degree, wh'le merely dryinothe soil has a beneficial influence on its fertility, and the diouchts that we are subiect to are thns blessing ; n disguise. In fact the Tecr-nt rains and snow following on the dry seasons we have had of late, have led many farmera to predict a very prolific" season next summer and autumn.

ACTTOX OF FERTILISERS. There appears to be a good deal of difference .of opinion regarding fertiliser action. At one time the generally accepted theory was thai the function of the fertiliser was to give hack to the soil, the materials which had l>cen removed by the crop. All that was needed', in that case, was an analysis of the crop., so that the exact quantities of the various x>laut ingredients could be ascertained.* and the suupiies returned to the soil when the same crop was being sown again. But it lias teen found that the soil contains a vast amount of plant food, more than crops could remove in a vers- len<n l 'y period of time., if it was all "available", .then there are certain substances found in pjants, such as sodium and silica, wn:ch are not essential to the nutrition of those phmts. Other -elements snch as magnesium, calcium. chlori'.ieT sulphur, iron, are ' esv-nrinl to the.' growth of the plant, but thoy are always present in the averne:-.- ilround in sufficient quantities for all requirements. Thus the ingredients" to be cnppliod by the farmer are reduced to three, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. But-the amounts required of enci are not indicated b- the com-p-s-'iii.n of the crop, as was at one time supposed. A forty-eight bushel Prop of barley will take as much of iiese three ingrod : ents out of tit? mil us will :i thirtv-sis hushe! ctot> of wh«at yet .it is stated that the yield nf a crop of wheat is det-srnvned bv thsmount- of nitrogen available, "while phosphoric acid appr-ars to ovorcise a. *Tnewhat. similar function w'th +•" orrloy. Vet an analysis of i,h"«rt=y plant would -indvate ihnt it new?™ 3 , nitrogen in the largest amount. tfc«n and lastly phosphoric field. take fivo times more «r3 .k».-j Mrcoa nnr» pota'J-.

USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION

analysis of the plant, from the soil, yet phosphor.c acid is the -ordinary lert.hsor for swedes, while nitrogen and poi.i.sh are rarely added. The i-u.tivation of the soil, the time of sowing, the crop, and the hub:t of growth 01 the plant, have a great deal to do with the matter of fertilising. .'Wheat is tienorally sown in the autumn, "and it has a long period; of growth and a dc-ep root system. It develops objoUy iu the spring, before the soil has warmed up. Barley, on the other hand is usually sown in the spring, after the ground has warmed up sufficiently for nitrification to proceed 'fairly fast. It is shallow rooted, and finds a difficulty in getting its requireliier.ts of phosphoric acid from the soil. Swedes are sown later in the season after -thorough cultivation, and nitrification alone will supply nil the nitrogen they require. So theory of manuring can bo based upon the plant alone. The soil must lie taken into account, and fertilisers are required to rectify the deficiencies of the s6il as far as requirements of th? different crops are concerned. These special requirements can only be found out by experiment. A paddock may easily contain enough available phosphoric acid for a crop of wheat, and yet fail to supply a crop of swedes with what they require. It is generally assumed that the supply of artificial fertilisers helps the plants very considerably because these manures are generally in a very soluble form. It is supposed by most of us that the application of phosphoric acid,' for, instance, allows the young plants to get at this food quickly and easily, and so grow, away quickly from weeds and other enemies till they have inado sufficient root to enable them to draw their supplies from the stores of plant food already in the ground. But even this supposition is combated by many scientists. They contend that tlio sod water already contains in solution all the phosphoric acid it can hold, and the addition of small quantities of the soluble fertiliser would disturb matters eery little indeed. This theory is. only one of many, and serves to-show that there is yet'a great deal to be learned ••■ about fertilisers and. fertilising. There is another tlieorv which was mentioned by "D.M." some time ago in those columns. It has been proved that phnts excrete injurious substances. It is held bv somo authorities that soil tails off in fertility and 'ceases to giro good crops, not because of any want of plant food, but because continuous cropping has caused an accumulation of tlies-o injurious toxins in the soil. Jiach plant leaves its own toxins, and if a change in cropping is made a gradual process of decav will cause the previous toxins to disnnnear. If the same crop, does not recur too often the excretions it. leaves will be destroyed, and fertility will be restored. According to those who hold this theory, the junction of fertilisers is not to feed the plant, but to remove injurious toxins from the soil. This theory has been vigorously opposed ,-on the grounds that evidence is lacking regarding specific excretions from particular plants, and that it lias not been proved that small applications of artificial fertilisers can exert a destructive action on toxic substances iu the soil J lien why should different manures exert the same sort of action on the same toxin ? Nitrate of soda and sulphate or ammonia are dissimilar substances, vet they have the same influence as manures. Another object.on to .the theory is that a rotation °i "''P* will.net take the place wholly of fertilisers. Many crops 'are incapable or growth in a soil already exA. !■>. Hall says: "The value of a rotation of crops is undoubted, and '.n the main is explicable by the opportunity it affords i>i cleaning the ground, the freedom rrom any accumulation of weeds insect or fungoid pests associated with a particular crop, and to the successive tillage or layers of the oil. But for many crops there remains a certain benelicial effect from a rotation beyond the factors enumerated." s !v i'V" 11 no doubt fall back on the bo ief that by supplying manures and fertilisers to the soil we actually enrich it, and that the nlant food which we apply is actually needed and is used * y Ji- erops V' e smr - Bllt whether tertuisers are chiefly beneficial because they purify the soil rather than enrich re, the fact remains that the application „of artificial . manures -helns the crops, and that a nroper rotation of crops helps to .maintain the fertility of tuesoil. Farmers will continue to'act as tliey have done in these resoects, the most of them hnmrilv oblivious of the controversy, whicli is still waging as to the exact way in -which manures and crop rotations benefit the soil, COLLEGE GK.ADTJATES AND FASHING. "

; "There ia a fc-ar m tlie minds of some that young men who hare passed through an agricultural college will not care to take to actual farm work Til's supposition is not borne out bv actual experience in the United States where agricultural colleges abound, and where many young men go in for a collce foHowhT- Amc ' riean I Ja P« r llas t£e ■!!?' j s a significant fact that within the past few years the proportion or agricultural college graduates to return to the farm has been crowing greater and greater. No less than are or ten years ago the fear was commonly expressed that with their tw* for , m J estigation and teaching thtse graduates would nil be forsakin" ork • now- the tear seems to be growing the other way, and tire question 3S ±°i w to , kee P a sufficient number or them away from the farm to carry on the work of the extension department, c-tc. It begins to lock as tiiough college trained men are de-~ c -dmg that tlie farm offers the best life after all The following statement published m relation to the lowa Agricultural College graduates of 1910 siows what we mean: "There were Lir.rty-e-.ght graduates in animal husbandry at the lowa State college tire year and thirty-throe of them chose to go back to the farm. Sixteen were offered positions in high schools at salaries of from 1.000 dollars to 1,200 dollars and all refused.' Twelve were offered positions in colleges at salaries of rrom 1,000 dollars to 2,000 dollars, and only four accepted." A GOOD TIME AHEAD. . A year or two :id:o when money was inclined to be tight, and people were talking or depression, the Hon. T. -Wac\venzie took a. very optimistic vi-ew oi th 0 future as rogards New Zealand. Because the gr.ods produced in the Dmnui.cn, namely agricultural products, are. needed in almosst all corners of tue globs. The position since thc-n in tijis respect has not changed in the slightest. It looks as if agricultural countries are. in for a good time, because the demand for agricultural produces is an increasing one, and fin's increase in demand i<= iifrerv to still soon. Dalgoty's Annual "Wool Review informs us that in 1805 there were IOJi sheep to e-rerv 1000 of the wool ■u-ug papulation in the world . i\'« tue proportion ha/4 fallen to 917 sheep pcr_ 1000 wool-users. ■ New markets for frozen mutton are op*:n.ng in the Continent of "Europe, nuA in foodstuffs generally the United t*w*rs of Anm-ica is jp-adually dropping

out of the conipetiiiou among the eouuints cxporUng agricultural commodities. Population iu trte TJqjted States is increasing so fast, that, Amer.ca. wilt Bso'n be importing foodstuff's instead of exporting tfjem.. Any camir try that can export wzci, muttou, beef, and da.ry produce is likely to ha to a good innjigs in'the future. Ju New Zealand about 85 per cent of the exports are. agrieiutural products, about 40 per cent of the exports being composed of wool alozie. A\ e are situated at ui-e other eud of the world from the chief markets, but that is a, •-oiitparativoly small matter see.ng that wo are so well served with steamer*, fitted with every modern appliance tor j>ic-f-erving perishable products. Those steamers carry these goods at a very reasonable freight thus reducing tlio handicap of distance very considerably.

THE STATE LIKE TO A FARM. The tendency of tlio imports, of the Dominion to exceed the exports, ard the continual additions to the National Debt, are causing many people a good deal of alarm.' Speakmij before the Duuediu Chamber of Commerce, JYIr J. A. Johnstone made light of these fears regarduig our iinaueial position, and illustrated his view of the present trend of affairs by drawing an analogy between tho State and the farm. He said: "Lot us suppose that a man purchases an almost uiiinunoved farnf at a timo when money is fight, and he spends, every penjiy he can command iu buying the land and stocking it. Ho can ■deal with his property in only one way —namely, by devoting all his energies to getting money out of his farm. Ho Will buy nothing but what is absolutely indispensable to him, but will keep to such operations as can bo carried ou by the work of his own hands and at the least possible expense. In short, he will curtail bis imports and increase his exports to the fullest capacity of the farm. A few years pass in th-S way, during which time the former has kept up hie output so that tho farm is possibly in -worse condition than -when lie took it up. Then comes a change; money becomes easy, and he finds himself ablo to raise a loan on bis farm at a reasonable rate of interest. At once his whole policy is altered. Ho now begins to spend money on his farm. He puts up subdivision fences, buys implements, bre,iks up tussock land and buys grass seed to sow it down, he adds to his buildings and generally effects all the improvements tie can with the funds that are now at bis disposal. His whole energies are -taken up in this way, and he cannot take the' same revenue out of the farm. Tlie area sown in grain is decreased, and there, are less surplus sheep for sale, because he has improved the capacity of his land and needs the natural produce of his flock to stock it up. His imports, in a word, increase enormously,' while his exports go down. The productive capacity of the farm' is being increased, and probably the operations of this period have done more for the farmer's prosperity than all the years put together when ho was taking out of his farm ©very penny it would yield. "This illustration applies to New Zealand both directly and figuratively, for tho exports . and imports of ilvo country are largely a summary of the transactions of each individual farm, and i again, the development of the country by public works is precisely like the development of a farm, but on a larger scale.'

JOTTINGS. As illustrating some of the benefits of closer settleuieut Air \V. A. Johiisione, at a meeting of the Dunedin Ciiambei of Coimupne instanced the. Increase- in product.on on an estate ol 05,000 acres, arter lit had be.ai cut up. "1 don't kno-.\ what was tlie gross revenue iroin lint, property worked as a whole. I do know chat it could not bo made to pay interest upon its cost, and I think . 1 am greatly over-estimatmg the gross return from the property to the former j proprietor when I set it down at £.'25,000 per annum. The estate is norf ,cut up into dairy farms, and as the bulk of what it is producing :s focussed into dairy factories in the vicinity it is passible to make a farly reliable estimate of what is being taken out ot it. According to my computation, the gross return for the past Tear amounts to something like £120,b00. Those farms are, however,' by no means fully developed.. Probably not much more than a third'of t'ho land lias bsen brought into first-class order, and a much better return may be looked for year by year for several years." "You ask mo why youths in sheds have no chance to learn, shearing," said. Mr H. A. Nevins in explaining his scheme for establishing a sheep shearing class in Masterton to the nwmbers of the General Committee of Masterton A. and P. Association. "Well, one of the reasons is that in many cases managers of stations have instructions to ran the sheds as cheaply as poss.ble and get the work dune quickly; consequently the lad employed at picking up, etc., has no opportunity of learning how to shear." A North Island paper states: — "Several big Taranaki factories which are generally regarded as cheese factories are at present making butter and will continue to do so for a little while after the season opens." Never bo deceived by the man who in trying to sell you a dairy cow. recommends her as "an easy keeper." A really good dairy cow must do a v«ry heavy eater,, w.th a powerful digestion. It is very important, therefore, that she have a big middle piece. Every spring should see some definite work undertaken and accomplished looking toward the improvement of the home grounds. Trees and shrubs, properly reared, have a most charming trait of character that of growing more beautiful as they become older. But they can nevoi begin, the process if the farm owne.fails to set them out and give the;; a start. Every way one looks at it. -t pays handsomely to improve the li3>>« grounds. Add new'charm every spring. Time in the seeding season may be valuable, but a little pf it used in this way is well spent. The.cable advices at the end of last week brought rather unsatisfactory news regarding tlie prospects of the world's wheat. Brought and heat w;ro affecting the wheat growing areas in the United States, and a shortvge in yield was feared. There was an abseuo. of ra,im jn India, also bad crop report; from Russia; and black rust in America and Canada. The big strike at home was having an upward effect, and ISO vessels, some laden with wheat were lying in the 'Thames and could o:it be worked. Wheat had firmed both in Australia and New Zealand.

Although the big strike in London came after the season for the shipment of frozen meat from the Dominion was praot.cally over, it was estimated that the shipments still on the water would at the beginning of the month total 750,000 carcases. It was also expected that the boats on their arrival would have suif .cicnt coal to. keep the freezers going for some time. The shipments" may he insured against "all risks" including strikes and lock-onts but if the worst came to the worst the people of England would surely never see tiio stuff rot in the ships holds. There is no mutton from Now Zealand aboard any of the vessels, nor is there anv cheese..