SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVII, Issue 4, 20 October 1923, Page 260

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM.

SOWING OF GREEN FORAGE CROPS.

In nearly all parts of the Dominion November is the principal month for the sowing of summer and autumn green forage crops, both for the supplementary feeding of dairy cows and the fattening of sheep and lambs.

For rape, if the land is dirty, it is good practice to sow in drills 21 in. to 28 in. apart and intercultivate. By this method the land is well cleaned, and heavy crops of good feeding-quality may be obtained. Seeding will range from 2 lb. to 3 lb. per . acre, with from 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. of fertilizer. Generally freezingworks mixtures are considered very suitable for rape, and they give big yields, but in moist seasons rather much leaf is produced and the crop does not ripen as quickly as desirable, the nitrogen content doubtless accounting largely for this. Many farmers complain that they get heavy crops but very poor fattening results. Practice goes to show that a pure phosphatic manure such . as super and Ephos, super and Nauru, or basic super, while not growing such a leafy crop as a mixture containing nitrogen, produces a much better fattening-crop. The heavy leafy crop is all right for dairy cows, but the shorter, firmer one is better for lambs.

For cow-feeding Buda kale is preferable to rape. It is not so heating, and the subsequent growths are quicker. The same rate of seeding and manure recommended for rape will do for the Buda kale. Thousand - headed kale also has many good qualities as a forage crop.

In many districts, notably in Otago and Southland, chou moellier has proved an admirable crop for dairy cattle and sheep. It does not bloat cattle nor impart taints to milk. Further, although a member of the Brassica family, it is not affected by club-root to the same degree as turnips, a point much in its favour. Sown at the beginning of November this crop under usual conditions will be available for feeding off during February. It should be sown in 28 in. drills by the turnip-machine, at the rate of 1 lb. of good germinating seed per acre. Thinning has to be resorted to in order to give the plants plenty of room for development, and a distance of at least 14 in. between the plants should be allowed. The use of a mixture of 1 cwt. superphosphate and 1 cwt. finely ground rock phosphate should give good results. Intercultivation between the rows is necessary to obtain freedom from weeds.

Field-cabbages, especially of the Drumhead variety, are well worthy of trial for autumn and winter feeding. Excellent results have been obtained from them in the South. On club-rooted ground this crop would prove very susceptible to the disease, and consequently should not be sown in such land.

Maize may be sown when danger from frost is past. The Ninety-days variety is among the best for green feeding, sown at from ij to 2 bushels per acre. Suitable manures are those recommended for rape, at the rate of 3 cwt. per acre. Seed should be buried at least ij in., and guarded so far as possible against birds.

Japanese millet is a good fodder crop for cows and sheep’, and should be given a trial in districts where rape does not do well. It requires a sheltered position to give good returns, and should not be sown too early—-any time after the middle of November in the warmer districts, and the first week in December in colder situations. Sow through every coulter of the drill 16 lb. to 20 lb. of seed, and manure with superphosphate at 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. per acre. To get the best from millet feeding should start when the growth is 6 in. to 9 in. high, and the crop should be fed off in breaks. Treated thus it will give a number of feedings.

In tests of millet against rape for lamb-fattening the former has shown up very well, in several cases lambs having shown a bigger gain per head on the millet (see special article elsewhere in this issue). On the other hand, a good crop of rape will in a good season fatten more lambs per acre than the same area of millet. If not ready to start feeding millet when a few inches high it may be allowed to grow up to 18 in. or more and then be fed. So long as it is not allowed

to seed it will make a second growth. Where there is doubt about the rape crop it is good practice to drill i-J-lb. rape and 12 lb. of millet per acre. If both come away well there is a good mixed crop of splendid feeding- value, and if the rape fails the millet will give good forage. If a millet crop is not required for grazing it may be cut for hay or ensilage.

Peas for sheep-feeding may still be sown on the heavier land. Good varieties are Grey Partridge or Blue Imperial, sown at the rate of 3 bushels per acre. Superphosphate or basic super is a suitable manure for late-sown crops.

TURNIPS AND CARROTS

Sowing of turnips will be one of the chief field operations in November, especially in the mixed-farming districts of the South, and attention should be paid to securing the best of seed. On - club-rooted country an endeavour must be made to grow turnips only on land free from this disease. In order to get the crop well away out of reach of the fly it is important to work to a fine seed-bed and use a good dressing of quick-acting manure, such as a mixture of basic super and blood-and-bone. For early use. Mammoth Purple-top is a good variety of soft turnip, but where the crop is to stand any length of time Green Globe and .Red Paragon are better. The Green Globe variety keeps better than the Red Paragon.

Where turnip - growing is practically out of the question the growing of carrots should be considered. White Belgian, Matchless White, and Sinclair Champion are varieties worthy of trial, and should be sown at the rate of from 1 lb. to 2 lb. of dressed seed per acre. The ordinary method is to sow in drills 14 in. to 28 in. apart. For milking-cows the carrot may be considered superior to any other root crop.

In connection with root-growing, there is now on the market a one-horse single-disk ridger well adapted to the requirements of the average dairy-farmer who crops to a limited extent only.

LUCERNE.

Usually the weather in November (in the North Island at least) is not suitable for making hay, and the better proposition is to put. the first cut of lucerne into ensilage, or feed it out green to cows and pigs. Lucerne cut towards the end of November should be ready to cut again early in the New Year, when it may . be harvested for hay or fed out green. Lucerne is required at different times and for different purposes ,to suit varying conditions of farm and situation, and a great deal can be done to regulate this by means of the spring cuttings. Although it is recognized that there is a proper time for cutting lucernejust when the new growth is coming away—it will not . impair the stand if cutting is delayed for a time ; in fact, the subsequent growths will often be more vigorous.

Areas that are being prepared for sowing in lucerne this year should have frequent cultivation to germinate and destroy weeds. In the drier and warmer districts November is a favourable month, but in exposed or cold situations sowing is better delayed until December. If the land has not been limed and carbonate of lime (crushed limestone) is to be used it should be applied at once. Burnt lime is best applied just before the seed is sown. Give, at least 10 cwt. of carbonate or 5 cwt. of burnt lime per acre. ■ Seed at the rate of 15 lb. per acre, and sow through every coulter of the 'drill, or, what is better, drill half the seed one way then cross-drill the remainder. The next " best method of . sowing is broadcasting after the Cambridge roller. The seed-bed should be well rolled and firm. Inoculated soil is usually necessary, a suitable quantity being about 3 cwt. per acre. Alternatively, the seed may be dressed with Farmogerm. Superphosphate or basic slag, are the most suitable manures, but any phosphatic manure will give good results if applied at from 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. per acre. The requirements for obtaining a good stand of lucerne are clean land, fertile soil, a firm seed-bed, and favourable weather to germinate the seed. The Marlborough strain of seed is to be recommended.

PLOUGHING AND FALLOWING OPERATIONS

Under Canterbury and North Otago conditions any land intended for summer fallow should be skim-ploughed as soon as possible. Rape and turnip land after green feed should be ploughed and worked down. Towards the end of November twitch-infested land should be ploughed to a depth that will just go beneath the twitch layer (probably about 4 in.), and when this furrow has dried out considerably the land should be cross-ploughed to the same depth. In this way large rough

hunks are left to dry out in the north-west winds, and most of the twitch will be destroyed. This method is preferable to skim-ploughing and grubbing, as the latter, method consolidates the ground beneath the surface, and any piece of twitch that may have been missed will re-establish.

PASTURE-MANAGEMENT

Pastures will now require the greatest care in grazing, so that the luxuriant early-summer growth is not allowed to become rank and unpalatable through insufficient stocking. The advantages of good subdivision of the land into comparatively small areas is well demonstrated by the finer sward and more succulent growth of those paddocks, which can be fed down quickly whenever necessary. Should the feed show signs of getting ahead of the stock it is a good plan to shut up one or more paddocks and cut them for ensilage. This can be done even in showery weather, and will not only save waste, but will greatly improve the succeeding herbage. Stock of all kinds relish a change on to fresh young grass.

The management of pastures is a phase of farming which perhaps requires special attention in Canterbury. Owing to the heavy local north-westers and moisture conditions generally, combined with heavy stocking during the spring months, pastures usually present a poor appearance about January, and even on the better land do not hold so long as they should. Spelling of grasslands should be practised to a greater extent — with the object of allowing the better grasses to reseed, and thus re-establish the pasture and, secondly, because a certain amount of feed, though- somewhat dry, will be preserved for use later in the season.

—Fields Division.

BRANDING OF SHEEP

Immediately ' after shearing all sheep should be carefully branded with the registered brand of the owner—that is, in all districts which are not exempt from wool-branding. . It is noticed that a number of owners brand in a very careless manner, the oil or paint used not being of the proper consistency and simply making a blotch. Section 62 of the Stock Act states that all sheep shall be distinctly and legibly branded with the owner’s registered brand, and for every such sheep not so branded the owner shall be liable to a fine not exceeding 10s.

In the case of stragglers or sheep shorn by mistake, these should be branded on the head with the registered brand of the owners in whose shed the sheep have been shorn, or, if he has no registered wool-brand, with a distinguishing mark of paint or tar. Failure to observe these rules is often the cause of bad feeling between neighbouring owners, and sometimes ends in Court proceedings. All lambs should be branded not later than 30th April in each year.

—Live-stock Division.