DRILLING V. BROADCASTING.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3157, 17 September 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

DRILLING V. BROADCASTING.

Tiik following extract from a paper read at a meeting of the Wynclam Farmers' Club (Dunedin) by Mr Ayson, who is described as an extensive and intelligent farmer—on the subject of drilling versus bro-idea-ting turnip seed, will be of interest to our farmers. We believe, however, that the broadcasting system lias been almost wltollj' ibamloncl in WaiUato. Mr Ayson wrote : —'• Some years ago, I determined to experiment largely in the growing of turnips in drills and broadcast, respectively, keeping: cost of each system and comparing results by what sheep each carried. These experiments I carried on for three years running on two farms of different quality of soil, and I ascertained that a medium crop of drill turnips carried 30 .sheep to the acre for four months, and it took four acres of broadcast to do the same. I will now give you my figures of cost of raising one acre of drills capable of carrying 30 sheep for four months, and may say I have chosen a medium quality of soil,

say, worth Gs per acre rent : — Rent, G? ; two ploughing, 103 ; five harrowings, 3« 4d ; two rollings, 2s; ridging, 3s; sowing. Is 01 ; seed, Is 4d ; drill grubbing, hs ; thinning, 12h ; manure (2cwt. of bones, one do. guiino), 20s; total, £3 Hs Gd. Cost of growing four acres broadcast, to carry 30 sheep for four months : —Four acres, rent, 20s ; harrowing three times, Ss ; rolling, 4s ; sowing, 4s ; seed, 2a 6d ; manure (guano), 1 Is per n<uv\ 44s ; total. £5 Gβ (Sri. If you are satisfied that these fiwureg are anything like correct, you will readily see that there are thousands of pounds lost annually by our farmers through the pernicious habit of sowing their turnips broadcast instead of in drills, looking at it merely from the point of cost of production. But I arn satisfied that i« only a small part of the loss our farmers arc sustaining through the system as the growth of weeds is propogated throuah it wholesale, thereby deterioratini_' the carrying capacity of our farms to an almost incredible extent.