NEWS FOR FARMERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15444, 5 September 1914, Page 13

NEWS FOR FARMERS.

SPRINGTIME. The spring has come early this season, and iE we had a little more rain tho grass and crops would put on a Sresifc growth. The ground during the winter never got thorough! yeoltl anil wet. and it is now La such a wanii condition that a little moisture would make a. pruritic- growth. South Canterbury visitors to the Addington Camp tell us on their return that there has been a great deal more rain in North Canterbury than has been vouchsafe*! to us down here. In fact they report the camp as. being in a muddy condition. Stiti tho fine weather has enabled ns to get ahead with the spring erc>2» and there has been a certain amount of growth in tho pndd«elcs. If showery weather comes during tho next week or two wo shall have ru-th-ing to complain about. The fine weather is most- enjoyable. and the gardens and orchards aro looking very pretty. Of course spring Es always an uncertain nuanbrty, with summerirke conditions one day. and a touch of winter tho next. In fact on a single ttay wo may. quit© LLke!y, see all the seasons samp tea. >

SEPTEMBER. Wttlx the month of September comes a big rash oc work. The war etoud at present resting over lis makes the work all tho more pressing and argent. The- war is paralysing production in the Old World, and we who are living in the back water, as it were, most tic alt we can to> make ottr land as fruitful as possible during the coming season. This » a national duty, which wiH help ourselves while it help* the Empire. The navy <sf that Empire, ■»"© confidently anticipate, will b> able to keep the sea ways clear, and whiLtbat is done, we need have no fear icgatcltng the future results of our present work. Grain, fodder and roots a [l be sown in considerable areas this spring, Ibecattso it will be needed, and we should welcome the advent of a fine early spring a> affording us the opportunity of patting forth «sttra efforts in the endeavour to pro'vide food for those nations which are at grips with each other, and par. tkukrly for the Mother Country whow Eno navy is dom; us such a splendid service at the present WHEATRussia and. France ave great wheat producing countries, and German* and: Vustria also produce considerable quantities of tEiat cereal. In these coun-f tries hundreds of thousands of men., perhaps millions, have been called trom the'farms., and tens of thousands, per-j haps hundreds of thousands of * 1 arc- being killed or disabled. _ means that agricultural production in these countries, must be practically at a (standstill. The necessity tor sowing wheat for the next or two is, therefore a strong one. No one ex-, pects- farmers in the ordinary course ot affairs to go in for a system of agrtcuK ture that does not salt or pay them.t but xrnder the present circumstances' wheat should fee sown. A» a matterof fact this Dominion should always! grt«w sufficient whtat for its present' population. There is still plenty of tiro# to BOW wheat with a fair prospect of success, provided the land is in good order, and a fairly liberal manuring is' givenstterphosphate for wheat. One- of the chief factors in the success, of wheat that is now being put in fei the way in which it gets a start. To enable the wheat crop to get a goodj start at the outset a good supply off phosphoric acid b needed. The soil seems to contain sufficient nitrogen and potash in an available form for the requirements ot' plant life, but phosphoric acid has- to> be added by the far-j riser. The stiperphosphate we drill; with the seed not only gives the plant' a. good start, enabling it to get away rapidly from the birds, and become well established. hut it also helps the crop at harvest time. a< nhnßphortis enters largely into the composition of the grain, and of most other seeds as well.! We are indebted Co svverat agricultural, chemists for bringing before us the importance of superphosphate in growing wheat and other crops, and soaio sixty years ago. tho following statement regarding it was mmte hv the la to Sir John laws:—Whether or not super- ' phosphate of Time owes mm h j: of its effect ti> its chemical actions in the soi!, ; it et certainly true that it cattse* »! much-enhanced development uf th- un- | derground collective apparatus of the plant, especially of lateral and fibrous n:«ts." I Superph«?sphate not only helcs to form mope grain and better grain, but it helrws the plant at th- cat set to" out j en a root growth. lr al-o induces t'lhnng an important factor in j the productiveness <;f a crop. Superphosphate is snnposed to make the ground sour am! arid, bitt wheat growers in Canterbury have found that thev rrus* put from a hundred weight to a hundred weight and a, half vei- aero to ensure the host re«nlu with wheat crops, particularly with spring-sow-ing. One fast reason u-hv siiPrYpbotsrihate should be sown with spring crop i;- the fact thstt tt eartv rijiening, a most important point with 'late ac.vn crops. " I OATS A good deal of turnip ground is r.ow heme ploughed up. The. best patches should })f- put in wh*:it if possible, hut if not, it mus k not Is- forgotten' that oats are not to ii,* desp'.sed bv any means._ There is little doubt that the Bominon cr-ntd. without disorganising its agricultural arrangements to artv preat extent, put in from 4t> to .">> thousand additional acr'i of wheat which should yield sav a million bushels* The area, of oats could also, fie considerably increased, and it must be remembered that the nations ut war wilt be hinder*it from putting in horee \vell as wheat. Therefore oats wilt be iu 00 * [ demand for horses, and perhaps for human consumption also. There will be an ijntmmse number of horses at the front whii-ft ,-iui only be- fed i>rt a concentrated fowl such "as oats. This cereal may be sown for another five or *:x reeeks with evury chance <>f suc-ce«s«. it the weath»rr fs at ail favourable. In' fact iome avfisons atro oats sown at Timaru Show thru.- gavo splendid rwwits. Oats like wheat have gon?. out of f-ut-tivation. Farun.'rs are lintkint; to <iairvand grazing to them g'.irig, and are eschewing the more imifrtam and perhaps laboriciw of grain growing STOCK. While, w* are- busy preparing for and sowing addit'oual areiu-; «>f cereaU we n,nst riot forget that we shall hare to put in, a big area of roots and fodder crops for

USEFUL HINTS AND INFORMATION.

{stuff will ho acceptable in the time of | tho present crisis, and while cereals are | the first call, meat comes a second. ' Those who cannot prow wheat and oats I recti not suppose that they are doing ■no «rootl to the Kmpiro in producing fwof, rantton and dairy produce. Tho teams must be kept very busy this spring in order that we may produce something. North Island people are ; beinjr told that if they grow any of i tho following; crops they will be doing good sen-ice: oats, wheat, barley, rye corn, maize, pumpkins, carrots, peas and potatoes. Thu Farmers' ITuion up there is taking a big hand in the matter. and it is even suggested that the Government should put in wheat, using its experts for that purpose, and giving j tho result to the poor of Great Britain, i Two objects would ho attained. The I starving poor might get'Telief free of (cost, and we wonhl see if tho experts [can beat us at grain growing.

A. writer of stock notes in tho '"Otago Witness"' advises farmers in tho following torms to pnt in green stufF for sheep:—

Farmers, it Is believed, would do well advised to make overv effort to cet in a plentiful supply of early feed for sheep. Owing to the largo number of sbeep about to lie exported presently our market is likely to be bare. If plenty of feed is grown farmers will then bo able to fatten their surplus sheep and get them on rl\e market much earlier than usual. If fanners and graziers have hoggets which can bo kept "going' they should be rcadv by February. WOOL. There is a good deal of anxiety in the Dominion regarding tho coming wool Shearing is only a few months distant now. and It will shortly bo necessary to decide what is l>est to be doce. A cheering item of intelligence iiltered through tho cables tho other day when it was stated that sales had fw.-ri effected in" London of mmc thousands of baks at a. substantial increase on tho July prices. In Australia tlio sales would in the usual courso of events bo now in progress, but war has dislocated all business. and sales have been suspended for an iiuloftntie porio<i. Buying orders haro boon withdrawn, and "there is no use. trying to hold sales. Giowtrs are a.«ibed to help out storage space, by keeping their wool on tlio stations as much as possible Tlio situation has been well expressed in tho words: "The wool trado doesn't know whether it is standing on its head or its "heels." Tho "I'astoral Review" which is tho most reliable authority to be had in these matters this side of tho lino, says:— "As is usual at times of cr'ss like tho present, there is mcch hysteria, and ono hears that there will" be no wool sales for months, and that even if there are. values will be s-> low :is to make shearing hardly worth while. On the very face of it this is absurd. Ailm ttediy this tvar will make tho conduct of tho wool business fraught with many difficulties and dancers, but war or no war, the fact remains that the world must bo clothed; and there w.ll always bo some consumptive demand for wool—exactly how great deT*rads largely on the sncces» of tho fleets of tho Triple Entente- If they can keep tho seas, then tho only ports which will lie-dosed to wool are those of Cfermanv and Austria, who will bv that fact disappear for the time being from the ranks of tho buyers. Last season in Australasia. Germany bought over 2-3 per cent, of tho 1,968,578 bales sold in theso markets, so that tho loss of her competition is serious enough." There is no reason whv, wrtli tho seas open, tho mills in Kng.'ani ?nd Amer.ca shouM not b6 going day and nigJjt. Tho Continent cannot ao aj.v manufacturing witih battle raging, in many n!aces. iloreover French r.nd Belgian buyers havo been ordered homo from Australia to jo:n their regiments, and s»nne of the nulls have had to elose down because all tho male hands have gone to tho front.

THE SITUATION OFTLIXEB. The following taken from the Pastoral Ilevievv gives an excellent summing up of the position, and also makes 3 suggestion as to how growers should act when their clips aro put in bales: '"The situation, however, :s not without its compensating features. In a war ttiie- wear and tear ou uniforms and blankets is Terv great, and iu the event cf a protracted war a strong consumptive demand must spring up for the clothing of the millions of troops in the fie id. Then, aga'u, were it not for the financial stringently, we v.outd be assured of almost unprecedented buying on behalf of the I nited States, and also England, and the latter, even hi the ordinary course of events. r:>u?t surely tako"mor.> wool than the meagre supply she bought last year, and in the event of Continental centres being d : sturbcii' by invading annu s, England wdl "probably (jenefit by tirdcis for the clothmg of our allies, as well as our own troops. In consideration of the whole of tho rbove. we must expect to see some casing in values current a fortnight ago, though we certainly seo no reason why t!ie Ijottein should fall out of the marketirnleed, this is extremely impnih:t()!e. However, wh?n the bulk of tho cl:p bceomo available, if the [Kisition is carefully handled by AusttrJasan woolbrokers in a "federal spirit, and the sales postponed unt.l. say, .\ ( .veiul>-T, when' tho future wiJl Ixfonif l irore e'ear, and tho market then judiciously supplied— not ovcrhutded—with wool, tiitere is 110 reason v. hy any calamttotu loss should take place as the result of a decline ut values. But an effort of this d.-s- rip. tfc.-n on bfhah" of the brokers will fail flat if it dots not have tli«> hearty to-operation of the growers tltcmselve.i, who it ts hoped Will approaf'i the matter in a bread-minded, clol and sensible spirit. Supposing that ihe sales were postponed uivtil November, and then cataligues submitted in ai-cord-cnce with h maximum weekly C|uauii'.y for Austral-a, which should not be i.tore than bales, tho financing of purch.i-es should not Ik> difficult, and supply should not exci-ed dematul. Kacit grower should be ct>utent to seo 25 per cent, of his cl.p offi-red at a time, «t> as to give all a fair chance; and this no >;reat privation, for it simply means that instead of getting his returns tn one lump sum, he wdl have his receipts spread over a period of, say. six months, and in tho eud of swung h:s total realisjjtion much grtat'-r tban if the wtiol'e lot had been heaped ou tlw market at once."' BIUTISH. FOODSTUFFS. "DM..'' Cave, has forwardetl to me. just it: tin- ink o(' time to get into this week's, tot", an iuU-ri<stinii article otjtf nirg what tho Unitetl could d<i if the farmers would cult vate the land r.s som,» other countrVs do, :>rid ttieir <-v. ti toix.l supply locatiy. 1 he article is founded ou some notes by Prince Kroputkiti:— If t'tL- -oil of the I'luted R.ngdom tvere cultivated <»nly tn it was thirty. , five vears ag»». ,0«.j)-opl", in-.-stead" of ir.fMMXIO, ctutld livo ,>n iiori: -- gruvvn food: and that culture white •■C virig rt i'iipation to ait ai.lflittonai iii 'it, would g've nearly :UjO>.IX».» wetilthy home custruu»rs" to the ftr'tish inat uiiicttrrers. If the eultivat. ahte area ot the United Kingdom were

cultsvated as tho soil is cultivated oil the average in tlio I'lrnd Kingdom would have tood lor at least •i. JXjO.OA 4 _in'hab.tants; and it might export jigrn-ultural produce without ceasing to manufacture, m> as freolv to supply all tin- needs of a wealthy piipuiat.ou. And finally. it the populat.on f 'l the I mied Kingdom came to lw '.oub.ed. all that would l.n» required for j>n>< hieing tho food for SO.IAO.IHK) inhabitants would bo to cultivate the sou as it is cultivated in the best farms m I.ombardy. ancl in Flanders. Iho call to the Nation :it the present- time is to put new life into agriculture aikl tho pastoral industries."

AND FIGURES. U..\l. ' continues: - Now tor some t'guro,-. regarding the present position <>t tho I nited Kingdom. For 50 vears from ISOiiu, J!MO about the wheat holds iri jbWI, there was -1.092,0<X> i» Britain. In 1910 only I .NjO.OOO acres of wheat fields m Britain. Area of 2.200.000 acres completely gone out of cultivation, alter fifty years ' Progress'' in agriculture. in IS GO home grown wheat was [>or cent, or what liriuiin needed for inonio consumption, and she only required 25 per cent, of imported wheat. In 1010 home grown wheat was °S per cent, of what Uritain needed. And Britain needed 72 per cent, of imported ";hoat. lion- tho relative proportions ot (aome-inown and imported wheat havo |«omc transposed during tho last fitly years: (note that only relative-, not actual, quantities aro indicated).

The total area of Great Britain is 50,000,000 acres: 2 1.0U0.000 acres represents tho proportion which tho agricultural authorities pronounce arbitrarily to bo unsuitcd or incapable of cultivation. Of the remaining 32.0(10.000 acres, the area of 17.500.000 acres aro abandoned to permanent- grass for pasture or to sheer neglect, aud tho residue, 1-1 500.000 acres is arable cultivation land.

PRICES, PAST AND PRESENT. "D.M." then gives some interesting figures regarding pr.ces of wheat,* past and present, but principally past:— As there is some talk about the price of wheat at tho present time, 1 send a noto on what rue prico of wheat in tho past has been. In tlio year 1043, tlio average price of wheat was 5s per quarter. And earning down the record 1270, tho -average price of wheat in that year was £>os to 128s. In 12-31) tho average price of wheat was per quarter 2s 8a: but from a- storm on July 20th it rose to 16s per quarter. In tho year 12Sd t'ho average pr.ee of wheat ]>o;- quarter was Is 6d. In the year l-100 tlio ■average price of wheat "i>er quarter was Is 2d. In 1507 the average price of tt'ht-it per quarter Has from 80s to 104s. From this date till the year 180.) the wheat never reached tho* price of 100s till the year named it averaged 113s. In tlio year ISOI. tho average prtee of wheat per quarter was 11 Us Ikl. Then in tho year ISI2 tho average price of wheat per quarter was 12Us txl. This was at the tune of tho French wars. Tho prico of tho 41b loaf in tlio year ISIS was Is 4d. Never, since tiny time has bread been over 8d per 41b loaf and tea in tho year ISIS was 6s per lb and sugar w as" 91d per lb. I have made my notes as tiiort as 1 could and just mentioned some of the lowest and soino of tho lv.ghest prices of wheat and some other goods s.nee the year 1043 to tho year ISIS. So tho readers of your column will see that the highest price of wheat was in 1270, when it reached the prico por q .'.iter of 12Ss. and the lowest- that who-tt iTer reached per quarter was in the 3ear 1455 when the ;>rice iva.-; Is 2'l.

jornxGs. •■D.M.'' semis a jott-'ng stating that the present is undoubtedly ;i sad time. Never since the siege of Jerusalem, lias there been such a time, wiien 1.100.000 were killed. With such large armies in tho field at the present time in Europe, what can any one think of the slaughter that is going to be. It is to bo hoped that it will put an end to the spirit of murder in which rulers fix «p their quarrels. Although wo are hearing the beginning of the dairying season, and the fino open winter experienced in most districts has rendered the prospects ot a good milk supply excellent, everything js ns yet "dark" as regards the getting of the produce to outside markers. That our cheese will realise a fair pavable price when it arrives in England is a foregone conclusion. With so many British steamers engaged as transports, and so many German vessels heid up or sheltering in some neutral port, tile oversea carryvng trade is at in a most chaotic condit : on. It is to he hoped, however, that this state of affairs will soon right itself. Jl'iio Prime Minister (tilio l{:ght Hon. W. F. Mas.-cyl, informed a reporter last week that certa.n restnetons which were placed on tenants of Crown land taken up under the Lands for Settlement Act. with regard to cropping and the growing of cereals, had been removed by him this year, in ordo- to allow the tenants to grow more cereals if they felt inclined.

11-. advantages oi" straining nil k inuj.coiately alter inilk'njj through a veiy Blip "aiize strainer cannot l>e underestimated. If a butter c!och lip used, it. must bo thoroughly washed, botled, and dried in a pure atmosphere. At a special meeting e;~ tli© Victorian Manriacturers of superphosphate it was resoived that the following announcement should be made: "Manufacturers do not intend vaUingc the price of superphosphates to the farmers. Unless the supplies of raw material and credit are curtailed by the war, they will continue and will have sufficient supplies for next season's requirements. At the present time the nianuf:i.vtiirers are not apprehensive of any shortage m their future supplies of ra.v material.'' The application of the term ''insoluble'' to many phosphates which are not soluble in water is not so accurate; us it should Ik\ because it classes in one category pttesphatic materials of d:sttnctlv different- degrees of avai'ab.litv a> plant food. l*'or instance, it is not accurate to call the phosphate in hone moaJ. lione flour, guaro, insoluble in thisame sense as tin- phosphate in ;j.runml mineral phosphate. It s!i<.u'd ht> oallr-d lir =i inr> term di>::a:!ntc this d fferenec. X milarlv, in such manures as dissolved bones there is a considerable pcrcentatie of phosphate not soinblo in water, but quite available as plant food, yet it is called insoluble.