FARM AND GARDEN

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14770, 8 October 1921, Page 13 (Supplement)

FARM AND GARDEN

AGRICULTURAL EVENTS FOR WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 15. MONDAY; Stock Sale at tarn-bridge. ' Stock,Sale at. Ohlnewal, bull Sale at Morrfnsville.TUESDAY; Stock Sale at Ngatea: Bull Sale at Ohaupo. blearing Sale at Rotefeaurt; WEDNESDAY; Stock Sale at.Matamata; Bull Sale at Hamilton; THURSDAY-' Sleek Sale at Hamilton. Stock Sale at Glaudelands. Bull Sale afe Matamata; FRIDAY; Bull Sale at Te Awamutu. Stock Sale at.Merrinsville; Horse Fair at Ohinewai; SATURDAY; Stack Sale at Te Awamutm THOROUGH CULTIVATION. ITS IMPORTANCE IN CROPPING. Before the use of artificial fertilisers became common practice 011 the farm, tnord attention was paid to the thorough preparation of the soil, farmyard manure, more especially Vvhere slack Were housed or folded, \vas used to Increase fertility. This practice persists to-day in countries where animals are not brought In during the colder months. It may bo duo fchiefly to the good results obtained by the use of artificial manures that the Srt of good cultivation ts declining. It may bo partly attributable to the ealonlal Instinct for 'the rough and heady way of doing things that ho ignores the attention to detail that mean-; feuccess, This want of thoroughness is hot only seen to-day In farming, but also in many’ other activities. On farms in tiic North Island one cannot help noticing Hie slip-shod way many farmers prepare land for cropping. At the present limn one may see areas lying in fallow walling to be put into summer forages or grass. Some have been ploughed to varying depths up to about five inches usually, and the sods not turned over and packed. The grass Is green on Hie furrow shoe, and with the recent rains has begun to shoot Some are only now ploughing down tu-f and hoping to crop this season with soft turnips, maize, and even oats. Many farmers do not realise that fresh turf ploughed down, especially where the ploughing is deep, remains and does not rot, but forms a cushion that effectively prevents the necessary moisture rising from below. If a dry spell comes in the warmer months this undecayed turf proves fatal to ths crop. To make the matter worse twitch is often present in the grass. Farmers are too apt to think that because they have disked the surface and the grass is not seen that all is well This ostrich-like complacency is nol applicable to successful cropping. The best way of preparing land out ot grass is to skim plough early—before the winter if possible. The turf then has a good chance to rot, and form hium’us, which is so essential to most of the soils of Waikato, the province, and similar classes of country. Where twitch is present they can be got ou f with the tine cultivators. The land then can be turned over to the required depth, and the seed bed prepared. This thoroughness in cultivation will ensure moisture for the crop, will make the manure applied more effective, and if the soluble phosphates so necessary to all our northern soils are applied the roots will gm down to the moister soil below. Drought will then have less harmful effects. Remember moist crops are not grown in the first few inches, but the first few feet, of the soil. If this principle la kept in view cultivation will bo thorough. WAIKATO A. AND P. SHOW. The various committees concerned with the conduct of the annual show of the Waikato Agricultural and Pastoral Association have their respective preliminary duties well forward. The province's principal agricultural and pastoral display of the season gives promise this year of being stronger than ever In all Its stock classes, while the public attendance at Clnudclands on November 13 and 16 should be well up to the figures of previous years, The annual exhibition Is a matter which should have the concern and active support of the whole farming community, upon which the; benefits of the display redound in large measure, This can bo done in a practical way by farmers entering their stock in the various classes, while the part expected of the townspeople can' be directly attended to by financially supporting the Association, the active members of which institution deserve every encouragement for the gratuitous endeavours they bestow in Hie direction of making each «how, as it comes round, superior to Us predecessors and an' agricultural display worthy of the rich district with JHamilton as its headquarters. Entries for the show will close on October 27 with the secretary, Mr }. M. Baxter, Hamilton. THE RABBIT ACT. Speaking Uj tiic delegates at a farmers’ Union conference in Dunedin recently, Dr. C. J. Reakes (Director of Agriculture) dealt with the working of the Rabbit Act. Dr. Reakes said that the methods had to bp suited to the conditions prevailing in particular localities. The main essential was to , get the rabbits killed. He believed in netting, and considered that when properly used it was most, effective. The Minister realised that also, and the Department had been keeping in touch with the market, so that when the netting reached a reasonable price arrangements would be made whereby the farmers could obtain supplies at a minimum price compatible with the current market conditions. The Department was quite prepared to take action on those lines. He was speaking with the authority of the Minister. Opinions as to trapping wore very divergent, and all Ihc Department could do was to go into the matter very carefully, and then arrive at what seemed to he the soundest conclusion. If the Minister decided to take any action in the direction of making regulations, as he had power to-do under the Act, no steps would be taken to make those regulations bperflfttvc until they had been snhihifted to representatives of the Otago Farmers’ Union for an expression of opinion. By doing so the union would have the opportunity of saying whether the operation of the regulations ifould bo beneficial or not. and any represent a tflorw made on that point VtWhi receive the fullest consideration, Twichin# on the establishment rabbit boards, Dr. Reakes said that Ifi 'h&opinion these boards constituted a valuable and effective means of dealing with tire rabbits where the conditions were suitable for their operations. There was this further advantage connected wßli the rabbit boards

'—that the farmers themselves bad a say In controlling whatever action was taken in their particular territory. In the Narth Island, wherexer these boards bad been established, they were carrying out an effective offensive campaign against the rabbits. When the Minister fans in Otago lie made a promise which he meant to sliok to.- At the present time he was making arrangements to amend the Act on lines that would give the farmer an opportunity to put ids case fully before the Court, and so that the magistrate could use ids discretion in deciding the rights and wrongs of a particular case on the evidence. The Minister was going forward with (hot amendment, and when it was drafted it was also to be forwarded to the executive of the union. Regarding the laying of poison, there appeared to him to he no doubt that the greater degree of- uniformity there was in any one district the better were the results that would be obtained. At any rate, that had been his experience in the North Island. VALUE OF GREEN FEED* Investigational work done by Professor E. B. Hart and his associates at the Wisconsin College of Agriculture indicates that the fresh, green plant has In it a certain property that is extremely valuable for the best nutrition of the animal and for the largest possible production of milk. While their work has been largely confined to experiments with milch goats, there seems no reason why it should not be applied to dairy cows as well. In some previous work which they have done, they found that milking animals, such as the cow and goat, would excrete more calcium in their milk and faeces than they received when being fed on grains and dry oat straw. In the case of a goat, they found after a period of this type of feeding that if they fed the animal on green grass, almost immediately the goat would discontinue throwing off more calcium than supplied in its food. The particular point in this experimental work is that it is the belief of many men that it is the failure to assimilate sufficient calcium that frequently brings our milk cows down in production. Tills is particularly true of the period just prior to freshening, and this decreased production seems to continue throughout the entire succeeding ' lactation. The particular factor that is found in green growing plants is possibly similar to the fat soluble A which is the factor in milk which makes it desirable for growing children. Neither of these factors are discernible by chemical test and are only shown by feeding trial. Investigators have found that the principle in green grass which is so valuable in the assimilation of calcium and lime is also found in other green growing plants, and also seems to be found in considerable quantities in such roots as turnips and cabbages. For some reason it docs not seem to be quite as good in silage, indicating that the heating and fermentation may. have destroyed this particular principle. This factor Is also found in the juice of such fruits as oranges. It is too early as yet to make any definite application ot these investigations, but it opens up a line of new study which may prove highly valuable to the dairy industry. JOTTINGS, To create shearing records is apparently not the exclusive right ot Australians and New Zealanders. An American paper reports that one, William Jenkins, of Burley, Idaho, has shorn 403 head of sheep in nine and three-quarter hours. A record shipment of 807 Hereford heifers, for breeding purposes, was sent to the Solomon Islands last month by the s.s. Malayan. The campaign against the cattle tick will soon be in operation (stales the Bay of Plenty Times). The new regulations are not yet, known, but meantime the old regulations are in force. According to the old regulations, cattle are not allowed to pass over the boundaries of the Tauranga stock district without a permit that they arc free of living tick. 1 Stock found on the public road or in saleyards walh tick upon them render their owners liable to prosecution, hast year lick was found on certain town cows, and there is every probability that all the cows running on the roads within the borough and vicinity will have to be dipped every three weeks until March next, as soon as the new dip at Judea Is erected. The construction of two dips at Maniatutu and Te Puke has been completed.