THE AGRICULTURIST

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12084, 13 August 1917, Page 3

THE AGRICULTURIST

RURAL TALKS. . (By RTJSTICUS.) At the time of writing the weather in my district, and I supposo over the whole of tho South Island as well, continues to be of tho best. Things different in the North Island, according to all reports. There, in some parts at any rate, rain is falling constantly, and tho season .is a wet ono. Down our wav I do not think that we have ever had such a run of mild, growing weather. Indeed, growth has been on in many parts all the winter Wo v.ould not have been surprised if v,e had experienced a tasto of real winter in July, seeing that May and June had been such mild months, but such was not tho case, and we aro now beginning to think that we aro practically out of the wood. Of course, wo are not really so yet, hut we have this consolation, that the days are getting noticeably longer, and a tall ol snow on the foot-hills would not last a great while. 1 havo hoard it stated that the holders of runs in the back country would welcome a fall of snow now. as the hind back there has not had a proper wetting for some years. I'ntil a. good fall of snow comes it is anticipated that thero will be no immunity from the droughts which have rendered feed so scarce during the past two or three years on some of tho runs at the back of the front ranges. On the lower levels we have had sufficient rain for thei-inie being. All through May there were rains, which gave a total of something over Gin, and last mouth there was also a good deal of rain, but it fell during both tAonths in such a way that tho land never got water-logged, as it does sometimes. It must be remembered that pince tho beginning of the year wo have had about IGin of rain, so that it will ho seen that the land must ho anything but under drought conditions. The dams aro all full and running'over, and if we get anything liko a decent rainfall from this timo onwards wo should get on very well. As I havo Indicated, tho winter has been a favourable one for growth, and the stock has como through very well indeed. Turnips were scarce down here, yet they would not have been required if thoy had been here, except for fattening purposes. It is- true that we havo aot as much fat stock on hand as wo ihould have at this time of tho year, but store stock, and particularly ewes, havo come through very well indeed. The lambing should bo good if tiho weather is anything like favourable, md the clip should bo cxccllont. There ehoulcl be nothing in the shape of a break in tho fleeces this season, fliero aro some turnips about still. Those who had a few acres have been hanging an to them, thinking that they might be needed if the weather took a bad turn. Now the sheep are not too anxious for them. They would rather go for the sweet, fresh pick of grass that the paddocks have upon them. Moreover, the roots do not seem to bo of good quality, a fault that has been noticed boforo when thero has been a drought on, as there was last summer. In some cases rot has set in, for no apparent reason. This is a matter that wants very thorough investigation, and I am glad to soo that a move is being made again in that direction. It would be a calamity if wo could not manage to produce roots, because of some disease which had got a hold. It may be that drought conditions havo something to do with the matter. The potatoes this season, or somo kinds of thorn, aro something similar In the matter of quality. I have seon a good many samples, grown under good conditions and apparently sound as far as one could see from outward appearance, which havo proved to bo diseased in somo form or other. The use of tho knife; shows that tho interior of tho tuber is streaked with somo disease which would rendor the potato unfit for human consumption. This applies most frequently to somo of the favourite varieties. It may mean that tlifso sorts aro running out, in something th e same way that the old favourite l>erwent did somo years ago. These are matters that should bo looked into, and somo indication given as to how tho trouble may bo avoided. There are new kinds or varieties of potatoes coming on the market almost every year, and some of theso turn out to bo immune from disease for a tiura; but they do not seem to last out very long before thoy ar 0 as bad as the rest. For instance, the Gamekeepers have had a great run in somo parts, and they were supposed to bo blight-proof. For a time they certainly did very well in some lands, but lately I have scon several samples which, on being cut into, have proved to be affected with disease. For my part, I do not grow them, having proved, after a thorough trial, that they wore no good for my land. They ran too much to roots and infested the ground something like twitch. There were hundreds of potatoes under them, but they wero too small to be of any use. Attempts to acclimatiso them, by persisting with them for several years, ended in failure. Yet a few mites away, on different land, they wero growing well and producing heavy crops of sound, eatable potatoes. Yet on tho samo land this season some of the Gamekeepers, though yielding well, were not fit to eat.

There aro snmo pessimists who say that we shall havo to pay later on for this hno weather. They say that the ■wheat is growing too last and that it will stand a gravp danger from frost in the latter end of winter and tho early spring. Wo certainly run that risk, because the growth that is now taking place means that the plants will be very lot ward early in the season. But a good deal can bo don o in the way of checking the growth of 'excessive straw by judicious stocking as soon as the land is ready to cany sheep. It is desirable to keep the straw from getting too rank if at all possible, because of the expense of harvesting heavy, strawy crops in the coining harvest. It docs not pay to have too much straw at any time, and least of all just now, when men aro scarce, and when the most expert of them are away in camp or aro at the front. Jb is a big business handling a crop that is so rank that the stuff gets twisted and down. Moreover, I altrays think that a heavy crop of straw takes more than is necessary out of the ground. A good deal of very good feed may be got out of the wheat orops in a growing season lik e the present. Hoggets do very well on tho wheat, and it comes in very handy just now when the teeth of th<; young sheep aro going. Kwea may be given a turn, but- there is som e risk with in-lamb sheep, and it jb not often that they aro given this Sfcrt of feed close up to lambing. It is Odvisable to put as big a. mob as can bo put on in reason, so that the paddock may be eaten down as quickly and as uniformly as possible. If only a small mob is turned in the shoep will eat out the sweetest patchos, which are not the rankest as a rule, while they will neglest the long rank stuff which is just the growth which, should be eaten

OUR PRIMARY INDUSTRIES. i THE MAN ON THE LAND.

down. The land must be dry when the sheep are on, or damage may be done. Tho tramping of the sheep seems to have a very good effect on the crop, no doubt becauso it solidifies the land round the roots of the plants. Moreover, \ho droppings from the animals form a good top-dressing. So important is this feeding down in some cases that wheat growers will frequently let the feed go for nothing to anyono who will put on a _ suitably sized mob of sheep when required. A walk over the paddocks of wheat show that already there are numbers of weeds making a show. That is sure to be tho case in a season like thin, when the climatic conditions are something tike a northern winter. In fact, on tho winter fallow paddocks there may he seen weeds getting a start, whereas in the ordinary course of affairs they would not be noticed for another month or more. One of the difficulties in the North Island is the fact that as soon as a paddock is turned over something commences to prow upon it, while in the south a paddock ploughed in the winter might lie for a few months without weeds showing up to any great extent In regard" to the cereal crops, it will bo as well to get the tine harrows to work as soon as the ground is fit, and the cron will stand harrowing. There are farmers who are afraid to harrow thencrops, just as there are some who are averse to clipping their horses. There can he no doubt, however, that the operation does good in both cases. The harrows should not be too heavy, especially if the land is of a light and loose' character; but at the same time it is wonderful what' a rough usage tho wheat will stand if other conditions are good. The harrowing will break down any lumps that may be left after tho working in the autumn, and it will check the weeds and let tho air into tho land. The roller may bo used if the land requires it, but I must say that I do not like to see the roller the last implement used on the crop. For one thing, the roller leaves the land in such a condition that tho moisture evaporates rapidly in dry weather, and if wet comes the soil runs together and becomes very hard. Besides, it is very likelv to crack when the nor'-westers come along, as they do almost every year. In my opinion tho land is much better left loose on top. The last implement, used may he cither a set of tine harrows or a set of chain harrows. The latter is rough on the crop if the plants are not pretty firmly established, but it puts tho ground in a very nice condition. Some farmers will urgo that the land need not bo thoroughly worked beforetho seed is sown, because you can give a good lot of spring work to a cereal crop. It is dangerous, in my opinion, to «o too far in that direction. It is true thatj tho land can receive a good deal of working when the plants aro established, but something may turn up—wet conditions or some other contingency—that may prevent the work being proceeded with. "While it is not advisable to work tho land too fine in the autumn before sowing, the ground should bo well cultivated. If weeds aro present it is absolutely ne-cr-Ksary to get as many of them as possible out, even at tho risk of getting the land too fine. Otherwise the ground should be in a nice curly condition, with the coulters of tho drill running, freely through the ground. A <lo nor. matter, becauso they can be dealt with later on, hut at tho samo time a fairly good seed bed must be provided or the seed will not como away, and the young plant will not got the "hold it should'do. There aro some who look upon the drill as giving what is equal to a stroke, of the cultivator when tho seed is being put in. Such is not- the case, although a good, heavy drill, such as wo use ailL over Canterbury, certainly does stir things up a bit. In the spring timo the land should be thoroughly cultivated before the sowing is done, and I contend that in winter as well, a fairly good seed-bed should be formed, so that the seed may be.given a chance to germinate quickly and tho young plant an opportunity" to get away from the birds and the frost. I must confess, however, that T like to see the land a bit lumpy. The young plants got (=ome shelter from tho clods, tho plants get a top-dressing of nice soil when the clods aro broken down after the winter, and last, but not least, the land does not get such a chanco to run together.

POTATO BLIGHT. SUCCESSFUL LIMB TREATMENT. Mr W. Harris, Fields Inspector, Ohakune, supplies to tho "Journal of Agriculture" some particulars regarding a moang of controlling potato blight by dustiug tho plants with lime. The treatment was adopted by him some years ago, when farm manager at the I'apatoetoe Orphanago, near Auckland. He states;—" This method was adopted when, in spit-o of steeping tho tubers and regular spraying, the blight appeared, and by its means .1 was able to savo cropH when not a potato plant was left standing within miles. I usually got a number of boys with buckets, and instructed them to throw tho lime with force along tho ground between tho rows. Tho plants being wot {for tho blight always appeared on a moist, muggy morning) the lime adhorod to every part of tho plant, including tho under-.sido of tho leaves. The affected leaves soon fall off, leaving tho stems stiff and croot with numerous young shoots still fresh and gram, and usually within a week tho rows are again filledup with luxuriant foliage. After leaving Papatoetoe I only grew small crops for my own use, and never sprayed at all, pinning my faith to tho lime-dusting; sometimes two or three applications were necessary during tho season. It may be luck, hut T have never had a single blight-diseased tuber for ten years. I uso shell-lime, but fresh hydraulic limo slacked as required would be just as suitable. The main idea is to havo tlio ime fresh and to throw it bctweon tho rows with such force as to creato quito a- ''loud over all tho patch."

SOn, ANALYSIS. NO TEST OF FERTILITY. The, Ohio Experiment Station warns that "while, contrary to tho common opinion, chemical analysis of a soil reveftls facts leading to its immediate treatment with fertilisers, such a test is not a sufficient guide. When a chemist tells how much nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium a soil contains, nothing definite is offered the landowner that will aid him in fertilising the soil, because no chemical compound has tho same capacity to extract plant-food from the soil as that of the living plant tissues. The soil is like a storago battery, in which plant-food is locked up in unavailable form and then is gradually made soluble as plants need it. \\ aste of plantl'ood is prevented this way; if all of

it were available it, would hare been leached out of the soil ages ago. Granite rooks by chemical lest show a high content of potassium, but the element is so firmly held in complex combination that plants cannot -utilise it. Beds of phosphatic rock occurring in the south and west contain immense stores of phosphorus, but before such rock is of immediate use in crop production it must bo treated with sulphuric acid or added to decaying organic matter, the acids of which make this otherwise worthless material a valuable fertiliser. Muck and peat are riok in nitrogen, but here again the fertility element is gripped so firmly that it. is beyond the roach of plants. Tho production of staple crops is unprofitable on many soils, although analysis shows that the chemical elements are present in sufficient abundance to make these sods productive. The addition of organic matter, as manure, crop residues and green manuring crops, is necessary before such land can be most productive. Tho total plant-food in a soil is shown b- chemical test, but the amount available : « not so determined. Sods differ in their degree of availability of fertility elements, and plants vary in their needss and in their ability to use plant-food in the soil. Soils are not analysed by tho Ohio station for farmers, except to tell whether thoy need lime.' A field test is advised to determine fertiliser needs of a soil and crop. Tho previous treatment of the land has more to do with its present condition than its chemical composition.

EMPIRE FARMS. AN INTERESTING PROPOSAL. The founding of an Empire Farm in Canada is put forward by the Empire Resources Development. Committee in illustration of their scheme for reducing the national debt. They point out that 200,000,000 acres purchased from the Dominion Government at £1 an ncre, and sold again twenty years later, after development, at £2O an acre, would redeem tho whole of the national debt of £4,000,000,000, and at tho same time attract to Canada a great army of taxpayers who would be tin enormoius asset. Jf only £lO, or oven £5, per acre were obtained, the scheme still holds great possibilities, which would simultaneously enhance tho credit of the Empire, and the strength and wealth of Canada. NOTES FOR FARMERS. There never was such a galaxy of prime fat stock at Addington as last Wednesday's. Southland breeders and graziers were well represented, but Canterbury farmers took the highest prices. The monster bullock sold at Addington on Wednesday was as tame as a domestic cat. Ho was haltered, and his broad back—someone suggested a gamo of snooker upon it—has formed tho seat for many youngsters to enjoy a rid 0 at times. He has been fat for two or three years past.

The chairman of the Omata Dairy Company, New Plymouth, issued a earning to shareholders at the annual meeting that prospects for tho coming season were none too good, and that even tho accumulated wisdom and oxperienco of tho directors might not bo ahlo to sccuro to suppliers tho same liberal advances as were mado by tho company last year.

Tli e River Plate Meat Company made a profit in 1914 of £67,000, and in 191R they mado a profit of £4II,OCX). Some advance thero, surely.

Reports received by the Auckland Farmers' Union from most parts of the province aro to the effect that tho continued heavy rain is seriously interfering with the work of planting crops. The ground has been thoroughly saturated and at present cannot bo touched. A. largo number of last year's lambs have been lost in floods in the King Country, and it is feared that thero will b 0 a heavy mortality among tho new season's lambs unless tho weather shows an immediate improvement. In many country districts tho ground is so sodden that cattle havo difficulty in moving about, and in doing so destroy tho grass.

Tho short yard in" of beef at Ad-dino-ton at recent sales suggests that most of tho available stock has been sent in. A prominent dealer, however, asserts that many of tho big graziers have still ampfe supplies.

The hide on Mr .]. Garland's £62 bullock was estimated to weigh over 1001b.

At Middle-ton's Mart, Maud, Aberdeenshire, early in June, Mr Alexander Craighead, \erhe r Aden, Mintlaw, exposed a black two-yenr-old fat heifer, woighinf Ojjcwt, which sold at £49 2s 'Cd to Mr James Haddeu, butcher, Mintlaw. This is equal to 1003 <kl pei live hundredweight—a record for the North of Scotland.

The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce has decided to urgo the Union Company to provide better shipping facilities, especially for chaff, between Picton and Wellington.

Hero :s a sentence from tho " ZendAvesta," tho sacred book of the ancienb Persians:—" He who bows the ground with caro and diligence acquires a greater stock of religious merit than he could gain by the repetition of ten thousand prayers "

The Ararata Dairy Company paid out Is 8 l-3d per pound for butter-fau last year, and (i per cent on paid-up shares. The cost of manufacturing and placing cheese f.o.h. (including depreciation) was I.oßd.

"Agricola"' writes in the "Farmers' Union Advocate'':-—! am not in favour of the prohibition of the export of ewe lambs 'under normal conditions, but now that there seems to bo a probability tiiat we shall not get all our lambs into the freezing chambers next autumn, it is as well to consider the advisability of keeping back tho ewe lambs and letting the wethers go. As tho ewes and wethers in a flock of lambs arc about half and half, or m other word?, equal numbers of each, no one could complain of an undue advantage being given to any breeder or class of breeder.

At a recent sitting of the W.igton (Cumberland) Rural Tribunal, Alderman Williamson (chairman) issued a warning to farm workers who, having been granted conditional exemption, were exploiting their certificates by demanding exorbitant wages from farmers. He instanced one case where an exempted man demanded 8s per day and his food ; and another member of the tribunal told of another farm hand who, although he wanted 7s a day, would not start work before eleven o'clock in tho morning. The military representative said the man would bo better in tho Army.

The British Board of Trade i»s arranging to have cheese sold in Britain at Is 4d per lb retail.

In Franco the woman who is taking a man's place and keeping the farm going is receiving a diploma of encouragement. When the law is carried through she Avill receive the Cross of Agricultural Merit, just as her husband would wear his war cross. Among the diplomas given by the Mayor at Boury Achard, in Normandy, one wna for a young girl who, day in and day out, going forth to her work in tho morning even unto tho evening like a man, had helped her mother keep such a farm. More than a jear aao Sena-

tor Meline said to the Academy of Agriculture: "It is to women such as theso France owes. it that she has not known famine!" This year it has been more difficult, for the harder wor k—ploughing and carting—has fallen more and more to these women, the men being more and more caught up in the resistance to the armed invader. Some Of the big dairy companies in Taranaki are going in for making casein manufacture from the skim milk. The extra return to suppliers should be about 23d per lb of butter-fat supplied. Take out the butter-fat; take out the casein; what is loft in tho milk for the " gintleman that pays, the xiatf"