SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVII, Issue 3, 20 September 1923, Page 191

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM.

PASTURES.

Pastures will now be making good growth, and every care should be taken to feed them as evenly as possible so as to prevent their getting away. - There is nothing like a well-grazed clean pasture to produce butterfat or fatten stock. • If droppings have ■ been allowed to accumulate the tripod or chain harrows should be used to scatter them. On farms devoted partly to dairying and partly to the pasturage of sheep, paddocks on which ewes are to be turned with their lambs should be heavily stocked with cattle during October, in order to prevent too rank a growth of grass in November and December, as, if this occurs, scouring will result in the ewes, and the number of lambs fattened off their mothers will consequently be reduced.

Paddocks intended for hay should be shut up about the middle of October. Where possible the haying of permanent pastures should be avoided. It is preferable to hay short-rotation pastures consisting of perennial rye- and cow-grass where such pastures exist. Owing to the saturated state of the subsoil this year such grass-sowings may be confidently made in October.

When sowing down pastures in general at this season of the year it is good practice to drill either i lb. of rape or Buda’ kale, then roll the land again and sow the grass-seed, covering the latter with light tine or brush harrows. The rape or kale supplies some quick feed and shelters the- young grass.

SUMMER FORAGE CROPS.

Land intended for mangolds; carrots, soft turnips, kale, cereals and vetches, &c., should be well worked in preparation for sowing towards the end of October or early in November. ' Generally speaking, the first week in November is early enough, but in the warmer situations these crops may be sown any time after the middle of October. On farms where club-root and dry-rot have been bad during the preceding season an endeavour should be made to arrange for sowing brassicas on land which has not been under that class of crop for a number of years.

Good varieties of soft turnips are Red Paragon, Lincolnshire Red Globe, Hardy Green Globe, and Imperial Green Globe. Where they are required for feeding to cows it is best to sow . a small area first, and more in about two or three weeks. • On a properly prepared seed-bed 8 oz. to io oz. of seed per acre is ample. Suitable manures are basic super, or mixtures of two parts of super and one of Ephes phosphate, basic slag, or Nauru rock phosphate, at from 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. per acre. Sow through every second coulter of the drill or on ridges. For early crops.of turnips it is worth while to steep the seed in turpentine .before sowing, with a view to preventing the attack of the fly or beetle.

' If rape is cropped after grass on good land 3 cwt. of super and Nauru rock (half-and-half) gives good results. On poorer land, or where the rape follows a cereal crop, one of the freezing-works mixtures containing 2 to 3 per cent.- of insoluble nitrogen is probably preferable. . Rape has a heating effect on lambs, and the headland and a few strips across the paddock should be sown in mustard just after the rape is up in two rough leaves, so that the two crops mature at the same time.

MANGOLDS AND THEIR CULTIVATION.

Provided they have a chance to become well rooted before dry summer weather arrives, mangolds often do quite well in dry seasons when the swede crop is a failure. Prizewinner, Jersey Queen, White Sugar,..and Red Intermediate

are among the best varieties. Where a fair area is being put down it is advisable to sow two or more varieties so that the stock will have a change ; there are also slight variations in the ripening-period. For small areas mangolds may be sown , in drills 14 in. to 21 in. apart and hand-hoed, but for anything over J acre the drills should' be from 22 in. to 28 in. apart, so as to permit the intercultivation being done by means of the horse-hoe. Mangolds require a good free soil, and may either be drilled on the flat or put in with the ridger. The latter method allows a better distribution Of manure, and the crop is easier to clean. The seeding should be at from 4 lb. to 6 lb. per acre.

Manuring should be generous, not less than 3 cwt., but generally from 4 cwt. to 6 cwt. will be found profitable. Mangolds like a complete manure, and for this reason special mangold-manures are very suitable—mixtures of half super and half Ephos, bonemeal, dr Nauru ; or three parts super and two parts bone, Ephos, or Nauru. Sulphate of potash, at J cwt. per acre, added to these is an advantage. Salt is also very beneficial, especially in situations a fair distance from the sea. This should be broadcasted at the rate of 3 cwt. per acre, and harrowed a day or two before the crop is sown. In place of the sulphate of potash and salt, kainit may be used at from 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. per acre ; it supplies both salt and potash.

CARROTS.

Carrots make a valuable forage crop for milking-cows in the late autumn and early winter ; while for hard-fed horses a few each day when the grass is scarce are an excellent dietetic. Their suitability for sheep-feeding is dealt with in a special note elsewhere in this issue. The crop does best in a deep, sandy loam, with a free subsoil. Matchless White, Sinclair Champion, and White Belgian are good varieties for field purposes, being heavy yielders and easily lifted.

Where the area grown is not large the seed may be sown in drills 14 in. apart, and the rows hand-cultivated ; this system generally gives the heaviest crop per acre. On the other hand, if the area is fairly large the sowing should be in drills 21 in. to 28 in. apart, with subsequent horse-cultivation. If properly worked, nearly as heavy a crop can be grown this way, and the labour is greatly reduced. . For the wider drills sow at the rate of 1 lb. per acre, and for the 14 in. rows 11 lb. ' '

Where great difficulty is experienced in growing swedes, owing to club-root and dry-rot, carrots should certainly be given a trial. . ■

MAIZE-GROWING.

In districts where maize is grown for cob-production preparation of the land should now be well in hand. Maize is expected to make abundant growth during a comparatively short period, and the initial cultivation should be both deep and thorough. Under suitable climatic conditions the crop will thrive on a wide range of soils, but land that is cold or badly drained should never be selected.

Seed should have been chosen last autumn from the standing crop just before harvest, and careful selection is amply repaid by the increased yield resulting. About sixteen average cobs, or 15 lb. to 20 lb. of seed, are sufficient to sow an acre, the plants being about 10 in. apart in 3 ft. 6 in. rows. This will give the crop sun and air — all-important’factors. October and November are generally the favoured months for planting. The seed should be set about i|in. deep, and manure used according to the fertility of the land. Generally speaking, cwt. to 3 cwt. of a mixture of super and blood-and-bone will give profitable results.

Thorough cultivation during the growing season is of prime importance, in order that weeds may be kept down and a good soil-mulch maintained, thus ensuring the steady growth of the crop. Constant use of the horse-hoe will be well repaid, however clean the land may appear to be.

CEREALS.

The fine weather experienced this month (September) has enabled farmers to sow wheat where spring sowing can safely be practised. Oats should not be sown later than October, and barley-sowing should also be completed then. Autumnsown wheat should now be rolled and harrowed.

Barley, being a surface feeder, naturally prefers a light soil of a sandy and calcareous nature. Although it does best after a root crop, it can be grown anywhere in the rotation, and should receive the same cultivation as that given to the oat crop. As maltsters desire a fairly large uniform quantity of grain with even germinating-capacity, it is desirable that the growers in each district should endeavour to crop the same variety. In Marlborough, varieties of malting barley of the Chevalier type are most commonly sown in October on the heavier landsthose of the Wairau Plain. The Gisborne variety is usually autumnsown in the drier country of the Awatere Valley. In the Hawea and other inland districts of Otago where barley - growing plays an important part in the farm operations it may 'be sown right up till , the end of October. A variety named New Binder has given excellent results and is well worthy of extended trial. .

POTATOES.

From the beginning of October onward the second early and main crop of potatoes may be planted, care being taken that the ground is sufficiently worked to be free from weeds. From io cwt. to 15 cwt. of seed should be sown in 28 in. rows to allow of intercultivation with horse-drawn implements. Good moulding-up tends to prevent the ravages of potato-blight and to ensure heavier crops. A manurial mixture consisting of 3 cwt. super, i cwt. sulphate of potash, and cwt. sulphate of ammonia generally gives good results.-

Only the best of seed should be used. Many selections of the chief varieties of main croppers go under various names. Among the good standard varieties are Up-to-date, El Dorado, Arran Chief, King Edward, Maori Chief, Gamekeeper, and Northern Star. The last three varieties are more or less immune from blight. In favourable situations and circumstances a few acres of potatoes make a very valuable cash crop on a small dairy farm; and help materially to increase the net returns. For domestic use it is a good plan to plant a few drills of potatoes in the mangold-field, as the two crops are sown and mature about the same. time.

PULSE CROPS.

Peas should be sown during October. In - Canterbury there were indications during last season that the regulation seeding of one sack to the acre was too heavy. Cases of lighter seedings which resulted in good yields have been brought to notice. In Marlborough, Dwarf, Medium Straw, Partridge, Prussian Blue, and other varieties should be sown not later than the second week of the month. About 3 bushels per acre of the Dwarf and Medium Straw varieties, and 21- bushels of Partridge and Prussian Blue (smaller peas), are sown. Owing to collar-rot, pea land in Marlborough should generally be limed ; superphosphate should not be used alone.

LINSEED.

. Land should be prepared for this crop where grown, and it may be sown towards the end of October at the rate of 30 lb. to 35 lb. per acre.

LUCERNE.

Most lucerne stands will now be shut up for a crop. Where necessary the -stand may still be top-dressed with superphosphate at the rate of 2 cwt. per acre. In Marlborough, owing to fine weather conditions, it is sometimes possible to get a cut of lucerne hay in October. This, however, is not possible in most districts. Ensilage may be made, or the lucerne cut and fed out in a neighbouring paddock. In this way much of the nutrient matter is returned to the ground in the droppings from the stock.

Under Canterbury conditions, where late frosts are a frequent occurrence, sowings of lucerne should not be made before the end of October, except in- cases where the soil is extremely light and the crop is likely to be damaged by the hot drying winds sometimes experienced in early summer. The sowing season may be extended until the beginning of March. It should be remembered, however, that October seeding is advisable only where the land is thoroughly clean and where there is no risk of weeds getting away with the young crop. . Spring sowing certainly has the advantage of enabling the young plants to escape grass-grub attack. ' . Fields Division.

SANITARY PRECAUTIONS AT SHEARING-TIME

Blood-poisoning . among, sheep at shearing-time is still too prevalent, and calls for the close attention' of farmers. After a thorough clearing-out of the shed the first consideration is absolute cleanliness of the shearing-board and counting-out pens. The floor and walls should be thoroughly scrubbed with a disinfectant before and immediately after shearing. The counting-out pens should be swept clean and liberally sprayed with disinfectant, and afterwards a small quantity 1 of unslaked lime spread on the pens.

The shearers’ water-pots for cooling shears or machines are a likely source of infection. They should be cleansed with disinfectant, and when refilled with water a small quantity of kerosene should be added. The reason for this is that the kerosene floats on the surface, so that every time the shears are withdrawn a coating of kerosene adheres to the shears and acts as a very good disinfectant.

Much the most common cause of blood-poisoning is the entrance of germs through small wounds— which are very often unnoticed by the shearer. As soon as these small wounds are covered over with scurf or matted wool the germs of blood-poisoning immediately become active. A sharp lookout should be kept, and, no matter how small the wound, each should be dressed with Stockholm or Archangel tar, which should be kept handy in a receptacle for the purpose. All excreta are hotbeds of bacteria, especially from such animals as pigs, fowls, or dogs, and the quartering of such animals in or near' a shearingshed should be carefully avoided. The excreta when dry are blown about .by wind, and often deposited in the counting-out pens and even onto the shearingboard, or on to the fresh wounds while - the sheep are held for counting and branding. —Mackenzie, Live-stock Division.