Farm Notes for August.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XVIII, Issue 1713, 29 July 1885, Page 3

Farm Notes for August.

V. mu. watitef generally continues ihivi-gu ut t.i:» tuontn with utidttumLhed severity, mid stoc» vvui stia uemana watching care unu alien.mu to c.i:). them into spring v.oaths. - . - ia thriving condition. Farm fu. work tuns month impends a groat deal uj tue cn.rractcr trio season, ii fry and mud almost any spang gram crop may be sown ;:i August, Du; as a rule the weather is s U... tt '/.. it a.y ite d peas Ultd beatls cWI tie got ,n.u the ground with any advantage, and :t is as weil ;( possible to sow the varieties of mn.tug oats before the end of the mouth. r-pr.ng Wticv.t ihoui-J an he in before thecr.u oi u.e month. Ttte most popular vanct.es iuttai country have 00.11 White Tuscan, i'urpic SLiav,, and i'tuk Straw, la England iaiaveta wheat ;s reckor.e 1 bv some the best spume wheat in cu.tivattcn for ruth black iud e_sy 'veit-'.vcrhed soils. (flay laud Joes

not suit it very well. It must be borne in n.ind that a thicker seeding is necessary for spring-sown than for winter wheat, as it does not liiler like the latter. If sown broadcast, 2 bushels at least to the acre should be sown, unless the land is very rich and in good order. If the drill is used, one and a had bushels of seed per acre will suffice.

Oats.—As we have said, certain varieties, such as the milling sorts of oats, can be sown this month, weather permitting. Early sowing when possible has the advantage of enabling oats to withstand a subsequent season of drought, as they have had a longer period in which 10 develop their roots while the ground was moist than if they had been sown later. Canadian and other varieties of short oats are less liable to suffer from red rust when sown early. From 2to 2t bushels of seed is generally sown per acre. Many people advocate a thicker sowing ;in many parts of Scotland they recommend as much as 4 bushels to be sown per acre broadcast. In bleak situations we would advise waiting till September to sow tills crop.

i lieaus. —Xow is the time to sow beans, and as cany in the month as possible. If the land was not manured in the autumn, a l:!«.ral allowance of farmyard dung must now be suup.ied, either in drills or broadcast. In Fug.ami the land receives a light plough me if manured broa lc..st, or a scarifying if it Ims to be drilled up to receive the manure. Tiie sec! may be placed 111 the ground upon the manure 111 the furrow, and covered by spotting the intervening drills ; or it maybe sewn in every third plough furrow; or it may be put in with a Suffolk drill in rows iS to 24 inches apart, or simply dribbled or hoed in. An English author recommends, as a very good method of sowing beans, to drill them in " double rows," six inches apart, 18 or 20 inches being allowed between each double row. This allows room for the horse hoe to work in wide spaces, and any weeds in the narrow spaces could be cleaned out with the hand hoe. Stilrish land is suitable for beans. About three to four bushels per acre is the amount to sow.

Peas may be sown on gcod light soils. The ground must be thoroughly clean before sowing the crop. Sow in rows 12 to 18 inches apart—three bushels per acre. Take care to open out furrows to drain water off any spots where it might otherwise stagirate.

Pnploughed Grass Land intended for later sown oats should now be turned up without delay.

Hedges and Fences.—lt is time all planting of the thorns for hedges was nearly finished- Whenever the weather permits push ahead this work, as well as that of constructing and mending sod banks and ditches. Put fences in order, and erect new ones where required; cut and lay hedges. Special Crops.—Some farmers may like to try a patch of canary seed, hemp, or flax, this corning season. For canary seed the land should new bprepared and reduced to a fine tilth for the bed. A rich adhesive loam is the soil best suited to this crop. Half a bushel of seed per acre may be sown towards the end of this month, in rows nine or ten inches apart. For English flax the ground should have had a winter fallow. Newly broken up tussock, or pasture land of an alluvial kind, or a deep friable loam, is recommended as suitable soil for flax, We, believe this crop might be made to pay well in this country. The land must be rich, in good tilth, and in clean condition. In England this crop is usually taken after a corn crop, as wheat, or oats, or beans, and in Ireland it follows potatoes. Good, clean seed is of the utmost importance as keeping flax sufficiently clear of weeds is the chief difficulty. Grub.harrow and roll the ground as soon as dry enough and next month will be soon enough to sow the seed, 6 or s pecks to the acre, in drills S to 10 indies apart, to be covered m with light seed harrows. Scarlet clover (TrifoUum inceni'Unm) may be sown when the flax is pulled in December or January, and a heavy cuuing of splendid forage may be had the following spring, and the ground then sown will’, a later crop of turnips. I lops. —The manure should all have been earned out before this month, and now, whenever the ground is dry enough foi the purpose, the digging of the ground should be pushed on, and the young hops planted as soon as possible.

Arboriculture.--Get tree planting work completed with as little delay as possible now. Pruning and thinning out branches where necessary may still be continued, but fini-.h up all such work this month. Protect V' ur.g plantations carefully from depredations ot cattie. All tree seeds not sown ia tin.- autumn should now lie planted as soon as possible, such as mountain ash, holly seeds, acorns, walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, punri berries, and other native tree seeds which will succeed in the southern disincts, Light loamy soil is the most suitable for tree seeds. Put in cuttings of willows and poplars, Ac.

Live Stock.—Calves will be coming in now and will need care while the weather is cold and wet. We need not repeat the “ standing orders " about looking after newly calved cows. Horses must now be put on a full allowance of food as the heavy spring work is fast approaching. Ewes are now - near lambing, and will require more watchlul attention and generous keeping. With their oats, or dialled hay, they should have an allowance of mangolds or turnips in their paddocks. Avoid any sudden change of treatment however, as it may injuriously affect the lambing. If necessary, early in the month, dress for ticks, and look well to tlie feet of the whole dock.—New Zealand Farmer.