SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVII, Issue 2, 20 August 1923, Page 115

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM.

September is always" a busy month in all classes of farming, and owing to the exceptionally wet, broken weather experienced during the past winter this yx,a* there will be an even greater rush of work than usual. . .

EARLY SPRING SOWINGS.

The ' sowing of cereal crops—wheat, oats, and barley-should be pushed along, except where the land is very wet. In such situations it is better to waif until it is reasonably dry before sowing, for where grain is sown on very wet land a great deal of it rots, and what does germinate makes poor growth.

For many districts Algerian oats give the best results, Gartons and similar varieties being very liable ; to rust. They should . be sown at the rate of 3 bushels per acre, and on small areas where birds are likely, to be troublesome it will pay to put in an extra half-bushel. . Care should also be taken to see; that the oats are well covered, in order to prevent birds getting them before they germinate ; if the land has been firmed by rolling after sowing the birds will not pull out anything like so many seedlings after they come through the ground. - - ■

The Major variety of wheat is to be strongly recommended for the south Otago and Southland districts (as well as the North Island) on account of its early-maturing and quick-ripening characteristics. It yields well, and has proved a most suitable variety to grow. ' : ■

Barley may be sown towards the end of September, or even in October, as it matures quicker than other cereals.

Grain crops sown at this time of the year will generally benefit from i cwt. to 2 cwt. of superphosphate per acre, according to the quality of the land. This fertilizer, besides bringing the crop awav rapidly, stiffens the straw and helps the crop to ripen more evenly.

Many farmers will be sowing out grass-seed with the spring, oats. This practice, although not of the best, has much to recommend it from an economy point of . view, but the oat-sowing should be light, i bushel per acre being sufficient to give cover to the young grass. Heavy sowings of oats have a very depressing effect on pasture-establishment. The seeding with grass can often be delayed until the cereal is advanced well enough to stand harrowing. •

A mixture of 20 lb. of Western Wolths rye-grass, 1 bushel of oats, and 4 lb. to 5 lb. of red clover per acre makes a good spring-sown hay crop, and may be put in early in September. Other special crops for hay or ensilage were dealt with last month.

FEEDING DCWNj CEREAL CROPS.

The final feeding of autumn-sown crops should take place towards the end of September, the exception being rich areas where there is danger of the crop lodging. In such localities feeding may. be continued into .October.; After' the last feeding give the land a good harrowing with the tine harrows to open up the soil. If this - harrowing leaves the land unduly rough, follow in a week with the roller.’ Owing to the subsoil being well soaked a very rapid growth can be expected in spring-sown cereals, and it" may be necessary to feed off with sheep to prevent lodging and encourage tillering.

PREPARATIONS FOR IATER CROPS.

Lea land intended for late spring-sown forage crops should now be ploughed. It is most essential to allow plenty of time for the turf to rot’ before sowing "the crop. Spring-sown forage crops require a large amount of water in ,the soil, and the only way to ensure an adequate supply of moisture is by means, of early ploughing. ■; 1 -

Land intended for rape, turnips, peas, potatoes, late sowings of vetches, and linseed should be cultivated as time permits. Owing to the delayed sowings of cereals there will be a tendency for late spring and summer crops to be neglected in this way. Land for mangolds and swedes should be ■-deep-ploughed as soon as possible.

Old grassland intended for summer fallow should be cross-ploughed and thrown into rough lumps to allow the roots to be weathered and killed, especially if the land is infested with twitch of any description. . The skimming should be deep enough to just get below the twitch and no more, probably 3 in. in old pasture. • • .

IRRIGATION FARMING.

In Central Otago all irrigation ditches should by now be well cleaned and able to carry their full complement of water. Boxes must be repaired, and everything be in readiness for. the irrigation season. Land intended for lucerne should be ploughed and kept cultivated to control fat-hen and sorrel prior to sowing in November. It is better to delay lucerne-sowing until November, thus allowing spring weeds to be overcome in the meantime.

LUCERNE.

Established stands of lucerne should be cut or quickly fed off about the end of September, and, if the land is dry, given a good cultivation. The object is to break the surface of the land which has become firm by too much grazing or constant rain, and allow the air to get in, also to shake up weeds and grass that have become established. If the field had a good autumn cultivation and was not heavily grazed during the winter the spring cultivation is simple, and can be done with a light cultivator or the tine harrows weighted with a few posts or a bag or two of soil. If, however, autumn cultivation was neglected, or the land has become badly infested with grass, the spring cultivation must be more drastic. In cases of this sort the best method is to give the paddock a good disking, in some cases several strokes being necessary. The disks should be run with as little set as possible, the object being to cut up the surface of land and grasses or weeds as small as possible. This having been accomplished, the loosened material can be shaken up by means of the cultivator or tine harrows. If the cultivator is used first in the spring on land badly infested with fog and similar grasses the ground is torn up in lumps, and subsequent working fails to properly break it up, with the result that it is almost impossible to get the mowingmachine over the paddock when cutting-time comes.

It should be remembered that spring cultivation is carried out more with the object of bringing about a rapid growth than destroying weeds, but if the cultivation is well done and carried out at the proper time—namely, when the weather conditions are suitable for the lucerne making rapid growththe bulk of the weeds and grasses will be smothered. Lucerne should not be cultivated when the land is wet. If the stand cannot be worked reasonably dry it is better to leave it alone in the spring.

If the lucerne has not been doing very well and requires top-dressing this is the time for applying it, and provided the field has been liberally treated in the past with lime there is nothing better than superphosphate, which may be used at the rate of 2 cwt. or 3 cwt. per acre. Slower-acting phosphates like basic slag, Ephos, and Nauru rock are also useful, but they should be applied earlier in the season. Lucerne is expected to give heavy crops, and consequently must be well fertilized if the land is at all poor.

• On old lucerne-fields that are becoming very thin the first cut of lucerne can be greatly improved by drilling i| bushels of oats in the ground after cultivation. The mixture of oats and lucerne is excellent for ensilage. Any weak patches in young lucerne-fields that were sown in the spring of last year can be greatly invigorated by top-dressing them with any well-rotted cowyard manure that is available. These weak patches usually show up along the “ finishes ” or on the hillsides, where the soil is thin, and quickly become a mass of weeds and grass if the lucerne is not helped along.

If green crops are being grown in preparation for lucerne they should be ploughed under during September. If this cannot be done it is better to feed them off and plough under the residue. 1

MISCELLANEOUS.

Ground in which, it is intended to sow tares for seed should now be well prepared. In Marlborough this crop is best sown during September. The practice of sowing 2 bushels of tares with % bushel of oats, then feeding this off after it has made sufficient growth, has proved satisfactory. The tares smother the oats, and are easily harvested by use of the hay-rake. At the same time the oats during the growing-period serve the valuable purpose of keeping ’ the tares more erect. September is also a good month in Marlborough for sowing peas for seed purposes.

Lucerne and cow-grass ’ paddocks which are being set aside for seed-crop purposes should be thoroughly cultivated. If plants are too close together judicious grubbing-out will often be worth while-—on smaller areas, at least. In order to yield good seed plants must have plenty of air and sunlight.

A peculiar position has arisen around Blenheim this year owing to the floods which took place in May. Until this month the ground has had little opportunity to dry. In many cases 6 in. or 8 in. of silt remains on the land. In the event of dry weather setting in this soil ' will cake, and working, if deferred too long, will become very difficult. A good plan is to run over the land with the cultivators to loosen and aerate the top soil, and follow by a surface-sowing of grass in the case of pasture. This has already been done on some of the flood areas. Similar advice may apply to some of the other localities which were flooded.

Fields that are intended for hay or ensilage should be shut up about the end ■of September. They should be thoroughly cleaned up and well harrowed to ensure a clean bottom for the mowing-machine. If not already top-dressed this may still be done, using superphosphate at the rate of 2 cwt. per acre, and where the land is light and poor i cwt. of blood-and-bone may be added.

—Fields Division.

CASTRATION AND DOCKING OF LAMBS.

One of the most important factors connected with these operations is to have the work carried out on clean ground, and under no consideration should the lambs be marked on the same ground two years in succession. The reason for this precaution is that the ground is soiled with blood, and consequently becomes a propagating-ground for bacteria, especially those which cause blood-poisoning or septicaemia. The organisms of tetanus, or lockjaw, must also be similarly guarded against. :

The most suitable place is a clean grass-paddock, high-lying and well exposed to the sun. Low-lying and damp places should be avoided as far as possible. Bacteria must have moisture to keep them alive and multiplying, so that if the ground where the operation is carried out is wet or damp it may become a veritable incubator. On the other hand, ground in a high and dry position, well exposed to the sun, soon becomes clean, the sun's rays being the . best disinfectant. On damp ground the moisture protects the disease organisms from the direct action of the sun.

Lambs should be castrated. and docked when from three weeks to a month ■old. Marking lambs during the heat of the day or while heavy warm winds are blowing should be avoided as far as possible. The cool of the afternoon is the best time to carry out the work. For marking operations a few hurdles and coils of wire netting, together with a sufficient number of stakes, should be held in readiness. With these a pen and yard can be erected in a suitable part of the -paddock where the ■ ewes and lambs are to be folded.

The instruments required consist of two clean, sharp knives, together with a bucket of water to which has been added some disinfectant. The hands of the person operating should be well scrubbed in a solution of the disinfectant before commencing operations. The knife when not in use, should be placed in the bucket containing the antiseptic solution.

The method of operating most often employed is as follows : The lamb is held by an assistant in such a position as to expose the pouch. The operator grasps the pouch at the tip and with one clean cut severs the end. The testicles are then pressed out and drawn. This is generally done with the teeth, but some operators prefer drawing the testicles with the fingers. If the cord should happen to be broken by rough handling before the testicle is properly drawn bleeding will be the result, and the blood collects in the pouch. This must be removed

and the pouch washed out with an antiseptic solution. The reason for this is that if a blood-clot collects in the pouch septicaemia supervenes, , and death follows. The -testicles and pouch-ends should, be ,placed in a receptacle provided for. this purpose. .: As soon as castration is completed the tail is 5 grasped and severed with one, clean cut. The cut is best made two or three joints. from the stump the joint can be felt by the finger and. thumb. A weak disinfectant should be applied to the wounds before releasing the lamb. .

■ o The knife 1 used for tailing should be a separate one from that used for opening the pouch. The knives and operator’s hands should be dipped into . the 'antiseptic after each operation. After the work is concluded the tails, testicles, and pouch-ends should be collected and destroyed by fire.-

" 1 When marking is finished the ewes and lambs should be placed on good clean pasture with sufficient growth to keep the lambs’ tails or pouch-ends from coming into contact with the soil. If these precautions are strictly 1 observed' any mortality from castration and docking should be reduced to at minimum. t .' ;-.’ :

— F. Mackenzie,

Live-stock Division.