FARMING WORLD

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21218, 14 September 1940, Page 19 (Supplement)

FARMING WORLD

SURPLUS GROWTH PLANNING TO SAVE CULTIVATION IMPORTANT A great weakness of New Zealand farming lies in the excessive reliance, especially in the northern districts, placed on the relatively favourable climate, which certainly gives more even distribution of grass growth than in less favoured countries. But every year there are many deaths of stock due directly to starvation or to disease caused by partial starvation. Few farmers appear to realise that two-thirds of the grass growth occurs in four months (one third of the year), only one-third of the growth occuring in the remaining eight months (two thirds of the year). By saving surplus grass as hay or silage, this unevenness can be partially levelled out, but there is still plenty of scope for the use of supplementary feed crops. By commencing work now, there is ample time to prepare the ground thoroughly for root and green-feed crops for the coming year. The spring sown cereal crops should be all sown by the middle of September, late barley crops being an exception. Heavy rains may make it worth while to delay sowing barley to prevent the crop from being drowned. As autumn-sown cereals are fed off, they should be harrowed to aerate the surface and scatter clods which have been broken by winter frosts. Foot and Forage Crops For root and forage crops the soil should be brought to a good tilth, i.e., a seed-bed that is clean, moist, firm, and deep. In addition it is important that the seed-bed should be fine from top to bottom. A superficial cultivation that leaves a few inches of fine soil above a cloddy layer is most unfavourable to crop growth. The clods should be brought to the surface with a cultivator, if necessary, and broken down by roller and discs. Land for potatoes that has been skimmed in the autumn, should be cross-ploughed ready for the working up and planting of the main crop in October. Every care should be taken to purchase seed potatoes free from disease, the only reliable method generally being to buy certified seed, since virus disease cannot be detected by visual examination. All possible use should be made of the implements at this busy time though heavy soils should not be worked under unfavourable weather conditions. Farmers who cannot themselves fully employ their tractors, and few tractors are fully employed, especially on North Island farms, should endeavour to co-oper-ate by hiring them to other farmers not possessing one. Preparing For Lucerne

In preparing land for sowing lucerne in November it should be remembered that lucerne must be given a good start in its competition against weeds. Arable land that is prone to weed infestation, especially of twitch weeds, is not therefore very suitable. Accordingly it may be advisable to sow lucerne on land which has been in old pasture -and which is to be ploughed over only for lucerne. This normally gives a seed bed with but a small degree of weed infestation.