FARM AND GARDEN

Waikato Times, Volume 93, Issue 15311, 11 August 1923, Page 15 (Supplement)

FARM AND GARDEN

AGRICULTURAL EVENTS FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 18. r MONDAY. Stock Sale at Ngatea. Stock Sale at Cambridge. TUESDAY. Horse Fair at Matamat'a. Horse Sale at Hamilton . Clearing Sale, H. A. Kelly, Cambridge. Stock Sale at Frankton. WEDNESDAY. Clearing Sale, Mrs J. McDowell, Paterangi. Stock Sale at Matamata. THURSDAY. Clearing Sale, W. F. Carter, Te Kauwhata. Stock Sale at Claudelands. Spring Horse. Fair at Cambridge, FRIDAY. Stock Sale at Morrinsvilio. Stock Sale at Putaruru. Stock Sale at Pirongia. -- NOTICE TO FARMERS. (■" Recognising the importance of giving the farmer highly scientific advice, we have made arrange- * ments for abides to appear weekly from the pen of a recognised authority on agricultural matters. Farmers are invited to address any queries on farming matters to “Practical,” care cf Waikato Times, and they will be answered in the succeeding week’s issue. THE FIELD CARROT. (By “Practical.”) When authorities are advising farmers to grow various fodder crops to carry .stocks comfortably through the season, the carrot is not often advised. It is a crop that deserves more attention by farmers. It is excellent feed for horses. Those who keep horses in the towns especially know the value of carrots. They help materially in maintaining their health. Both cows and sheCp relish carrots. Unfortunately hares and rabbits also show a decided taste for this root—just as much as does the pilfering two-legged vertebrate known as the schoolboy. Raw carrots have often tempted strong willed as well as the weak

willed youths, though of course the market garden or home garden varletv ies are the real forbidden fruits of the erring ones. I Carrots are not subject to the pests which threaten (the turnip crop. This Is an additional consideration favouring the.r inclusion as a crop on the farm. Furthr, the cultivation necessary during the growth of the crop Jefaves the ground clean. This is important, as summer weeds on cultivated ground, especially where turnips are grown in narrow drills, leave the field very dirty for subsequent crops.

Cultivation Points. A good free-working loam Is the Ijest for carrots. If the soil Is deep and the sub-soil free all the better.

Thin hungry soils are not suitablev Carrots "can be successfully grown on ».-'stiff soils even with clay sub-soils, if the preliminary preparation is good. Deep ploughing and sub-soiling is necessary. The top soil should be worked up also to a fine tilth. It must not. be .forgotten that' a good clean start for the young plants Is very essential. Hence I would advise would-be growers of carrots to have the seed-bed clean, and give the young a good start. An additional safeguard in this connection is to mix up the seed with some moist sand. About two or three times the bulk of sand tp seed is recommended by the Fields Division of the New Zealand Department of Agriculture. The seed-sand mixture should be carefully turned daily for five or six days and then sown. This operation gives the seedlings a quick start, which in the race with weeds is like “a flying start,” to use a sporting phrase. If the weather is dry, it pays to roll before sowing, as this packing of the soil causes the moisture to rise from below. If the farmer has'been careful to pick the cleanest pasture field on his farm, or say an area on which rape has been grown, he will be ensuring himself further against failure due to weeds. Sow In Wide Drills. Carrots should be sown in rows about 28 inches apart. The doubletridgers, which are becoming more of a familiar sight on Waikato farms of lato years, will do the job quite well. The horse hoeing, so necessary during the growth of the crop, is quite easy when the drills or rows arc wide apart. About 211 bof seed will sow an acre. On the average soil suitable for carrots, the following manure will do: Superphosphate 2cwt, ground rock phosphate lewt, blood and bonedust iewt, sulphate of potash 4 cwt. The above mixture'will provide 44 cwt per aerb. When the carrots arc above the ground 4 to 6 inches, a top-dress-ing of 1 to li cwt of nitrate of soda per -acre, especially on soils of aver- ' age or lower than average quality, is quite good. The carrots should be 'thinned out When the plants are G inches above ground. In the rows leave plants about 5 to 6 inches apart. I have said enough about the necessity for inter-tillage to pass over the matter now. Keep the weeds down, and the surface stirred up well. As to varieties, Bariball, Sinclair’s Champion, White Belgian, Yellow Intermediate, Matchless White, and Magnum Bonum give a wide choice. Bariball is easily lifted when harvesting. The crop should average about 20 ton 3 per acre. Of course much higher yields arc obtained- Up to 50 tons of Magnum Bonum have been secured. About 1 acre lo 30 dairy cows with other feeds is a good guide to t-hc area to sow. Harvesting can bo done by ploughing out the roots, or they can be hand pulled. If stored carrots should be pitted like potatoes. As the time lo sow is approaching, namely October or November, farmers should give the crop some consideration before passing it over for less profitable crops.

WHAT IS A GOOD DAY’S PLOSJGH-

Compilation of crop labour records supplied by 324 farmers enables rural economists of an American University to announce initial findings as lo the average day’s work in preparing land for seeding on these farms. The 324 farms from which records were taken are about equally divided between soils of varying discriptions. Averages can therefore lie taken as approximate for an extensive area. However, in giving out these figures the economists remark that wide differences appear between the time it takes to plough, harrow, prepare and roll an acre in different soils and on different farms.

All averages following are in terms of acres covered on a ten-hour day

Ploughing: The man with a 12-inch walking plough drawn by two horses ploughed, on these 324 farms, an average of 1.3 acres a day. The man with a 14-inch sulky plough and three horses turned over 1.9 acres a day. The man riding a tractor-drawn double gang plough got over 5.8 acres before night.

Discing: Tw’clve-inch disc harrow with two horses, 9.2 acres a day; same with three horses, 10.2 acres. Harrowing: Two section tine harrow with three horses, 12.9 acres a day. Twosection spring-tooth harrow with three horses, 11.7 acres a day. ' Rolling: Two horses, 11.7 acres a day. AGRICULTURAL CONGRESS. The International Congress of Agriculture, held in Paris during the latter week of May, was considered a most important event. The French Government viewed this congress as one of the most important ever held. Practically/all the European Powers had official delegates present, also New Zealand, Japan, Argentine, United St Mr S, R. tC McGillivray, of the Department of Agriculture, Christchurch, was selected by the High Commissioner to represent New Zealand. Amongst the subjects discussed were the following:—The present state of agriculture and its future prospects were fully considered also the general improvement of rural conditions by the supply of electric energy, telephones, efficient mail services, etc. Agricultural education and farm instruction, and many recommendations of a forward nature were decided upon. Other matters dealt with were influence of agriculture on international relations, plant breeding and general plant selection, tropical agriculture, sylviculture, viticulture, improvement of dairy breeds of stock, etc.

The general impression of the delegates is that the various recommendations of the Congress were of a sound and practical nature, and should be of great assistance in the development of better methods and the placing of agriculture on a higher plane, and be the means of greatly assisting the movement towards the retention of the rural population on the farms. , NAURU PHOSPHATES. At the Dominion Conference of the Farmers’ Union, Wellington, the following remit was 'forwarded by Otago: —This conference protests against the present high price of 'Nauru phosphates, and calls on the Government to insist that all costs incidental to transport, preparation, and distribution be kept as low as possible.” Mr A. A. Ross (Te Kauwhata) said th-at all would admit that cheap manures were a necessity to the farmer, and -would do more than anything else to help production. While all were anxious to get manure as cheap as possible, they must not expect the impossible. There was the cost of manufacture and freight to be considered. The cost of labour and carriage by sea had gone down considerably of late, and this would mean cheaper manure. As the cost of labour and carriage by sea had gone down considerably of late, and this would mean cheaper manure. As the cost of production came down, so the price would come down. No manufacturers of manure were making exorbitant profits at the present time. Nauru phosphate was being manufactured in this country at reasonable cost. Mr G. Priest (Pukehou) said the conference should ask the Government to go closely into the cost of manufacturing manures. Mr F. S. Bowen (Gicbome) moved that the result be referred to the executive. Mr R. B. Meek seconded the amendment. The president (Mr W. J. Poison) said that Nauru phosphate could be delivered in Auckland at £2 12s 3d per ton, but the cost of manufacturing just about doubled this. It was not possible to cheapen the cost of. manufacture without running the company at? a loss. The amendment to refer the remit to the executive was carried. ROYAL SHOW. It is fitting that the representatives of farmers that? met at Wellington last week should have decided that the Roval Show project- should be gone on with, and that it should be put in hand without going to the Government for money. The proposal to hold the show alternately in the North Island and South Island has much to commend it, taking into account the geographical circumstances of the country. Tho benefit of a Royal Show -will be in favour of the breeder of stud stock primarily, but will be to the general advantage of the whole of the farming community and consequently to the Dominion. A very healthy and commendable spirit, was shown by the members of the Council of Agriculture in discussing the matter, from its financial aspect, and the tenor of the .remarks''made was to be self-reliant, a quality that is rare, nowadays, when people are apt to run to the Government for relief when the weather breaks. For tile first two shows, Palmerston North and Christchurch have claims that cannot be passed over, and the south would no doubt have received preference had the Canterbury Asoscialion been better equipped* with buildings, etc., to deal with the first gathering. Writing in the Christchurch Sun “Ponaho" states that there are other centres that will have to be considered in this connection. For instance, Maslerton and Hamilton in the north, and Dunedin and Invercargill in the south, should have very strong claims when the two larger centres have had their “Royals." JOTTINGS. There is such a concensus of belief amongst farmers regarding a short wheat sowing this year (says the Press) that should the promise of yesterday’s weather change bo fuliilled there will be a very free spring sowing. No matter what foreign prices arc at present wheat can scarcely bo landed in New Zealand from Australia or Canada at a price that will bring the Dominion grown wheat below the present season’s value. Ordinary growers of spring wheat do not like sowing after August —the.risk of a dry spring is too great—but the soil has received such a reserve of moisture that crops should gel. a great send-off in spite of a not too favourable mid-spring, should such develop. This,is a can sideralion that may stimulate a heavier spring sowing than would otherwise be the case. A Welsh correspondent of the London Grocer predicts a cheese famine in the near future, and suggests that the British Board of Trade communicate with 'the Argentine Government and ask them if they can inaugurate dairies for the marketing of cheese •from their countless herds of cattle, and send England that food instead of a surfeit of beef.

A correspondent, writing to the Meat Trades Journal, says: “d saw a calf, three days old, dehorned by a lady by simply wetting with saliva or spittle the point where the young horn began to show its presence under •the skin, and then burning it with caustic potash (wrapped, to prevent blackening the fingers, in a piece of rag). This simple process entirely obviates the necessity for the cruel sawing or nipping off the mature horn of the adult animal, which not only causes great agony, but also at times does permanent damage. I hope (now that hornless animals have become a commercial necessity) you will use your utmost influence to advocate this method of dehorning calves. The operation would take place between three to 10 days of age, bu' as soon as ever the growing hom can be detected by the finger beneath the skin, the caustic should be applied.”