SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXX, Issue 3, 20 March 1925, Page 196

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM. CULTURAL AND CROPPING OPERATIONS. In Canterbury and other South Island districts with similar conditions the teams from now on' should be working ar high pressure preparing land for wheat and oats. There is no advantage in sowing wheat too —-May and June being the best months—as autumn flights of Hessian fly are liable to injure the young plants." The earlier sowings of wheat should be light-— i-J bushels per acre—as the land is usually in good condition and the stooling of plants greater. Further sowings of oats can be made in the coming month. Cape barley is not as serviceable as Algerian oats for winter feed for sheep. Black Skinless barley is best suited to early spring sowing, owing to its very rapid growth. In the North Island,' as a general rule, wheat gives the best results when spring sown, but oats may be sown any time now. Algerians usually give the best results ; for autumn sowing 2J bushels per acre is ample. . In preparing a seed-bed for autumn-sown cereals it is advisable to work the land fine underneath but leave it somewhat lumpy on the surface ; this condition affords a certain amount of shelter for the young plants ' and prevents the soil from running together. In ploughing lea land a good deep furrow should be turned. Too often the ploughing is of the same depth each season ; it is advisable to vary it each year so as to avoid the forming of a pan. Any stubble or other vacant land should be ploughed at once and either sown in a green crop or left to fallow. Very stiff wet land is greatly benefited by a winter fallow; but the lighter North Island lands are apt to leach badly if left fallow, and for this reason they are usually better sown in a green crop. Suitable forages for this purpose were mentioned in last month’s notes. Advantage of the winter months should be taken for cleaning yarrow-infested lands. If ploughed now sheep can very profitably be grazed on the ploughed land, as they thrive on the yarrow-roots. • CROPS AND FEEDING. Cocksfoot-paddocks from which seed has been taken should not be stocked till July, as the April growth, of leafage assists next season's production. Late-sown rape-paddocks having been once fed, especially if sown with grass-seed,,. may be closed for early spring feed for ewes and lambs. Rape land should be ploughed now if required for winter-sown cereals. If dry-rot has made its appearance in the swede crop, and shows signs of spreading, the roots should be fed off without delay. Crops like maize and millet should be cleaned up as far as possible during April, as they are easily damaged by frosts. In most dairying districts the cows will be dried off during May, and every opportunity should be taken by generous feeding to get them in as good condition as possible before they go out.

LIMING. The coming month is a suitable time for liming operations, it being a great advantage to get the carting done before the land is too wet. Lime is best applied to the ploughed surface, as it quickly works down. The question as to which form of lime to use is one for each farmer to determine for himself. In many districts carbonate of lime (raw crushed limestone) is satisfactory, but if very quick results are desired the burnt form should be used. Again, if the lime has to be carted long distances there is a saving in haulage in the case of burnt compared with the carbonate, as about 12 cwt. of the former is equivalent to 1 ton of the latter. Against this advantage the greater cost of burnt lime must be taken into consideration, this being on average some 70 per cent, more than for the carbonate. The unpleasantness of distributing burnt lime is also a factor in the pros and cons. Except where the land is of a very sour nature the best results are usually obtained by light and frequent dressings, as against heavy dressings at long intervalssay, 6 cwt. to 10 cwt. of carbonate dr half this quantity of burnt. Considerable benefit may be derived from even half. these quantities. It should be remembered that liming cannot be fully efficacious unless the land is properly drained. LUCERNE. After the last cut of the season has been taken the stand should be closed for winter, and not trampled by stock as is frequently the case. The autumn cultivation is best done with at least two strokes of the rigid-tined cultivator to a depth of 5 in. to 6 in., and the land left in a rough state to be mellowed by the effects of frost. Early cultivation will allow the 'stand to make a few inches of protective growth before severe weather sets in. Lucerne will benefit by autumn applications of lime or manure at the time of grubbing the stand ; 10 cwt. per acre of ground burnt lime or 2 cwt. per acre of super are suitable dressings. • Land in which it is intended to sow lucerne next season should be ploughed during the autumn, limed, and thoroughly cultivated through the winter. These .cultivations germinate and . destroy weed -seeds, especially when continued in the spring. They also promote the firm, sweet seed-bed so necessary in the establishment of lucerne. GROWING LUPINS FOR SEED. The growing of blue lupins for seed is on the increase in the Marlborough and Nelson Districts. Sowing may be carried out with advantage during April, the optimum rate being about i| bushels or 90 lb. per acre. A mixture of 5 cwt. lime with 1 cwt. super, or | cwt. super mixed with • J cwt. rock phosphate, constitutes a satisfactory fertilizer. The crop is best cut with the binder, as the small sheaves may then be stocked in round stocks with a fork. If the pods then split, as they frequently do, the seeds fall into the centre of the stock, and are less easily lost than when the crop is cut with the ordinary mower. For this reason it is a wise precaution to leave a strip of about 5 yards undrilled, all round the headlands, thus obviating the necessity of opening out with the binder.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Stacks of late-harvested cereals should now be securely thatched and made snug for winter if not intended for early threshing ' or chaffing. It is also wise to plough a few furrows round the hay. or sheaf stacks as a precaution against fire spreading to them by a carelessly dropped match. . New season’s chaff, if it has not been properly matured by a few weeks in the stack, is very prone to heat, and if it has to be bagged should be left as loose as possible. The effect of immature chaff will usually be noticed in the team by swellings on the legs, especially if it is fed suddenly. The better plan is to' mix it with old chaff and gradually accustom the animals to it, until the material in the stack is properly sweated and matured. The outlets of all drains should now have attention, so that water may get away rapidly during the winter months. Plans for winter and spring drainage should also be put in hand ; the work may be then done when opportunity offers. . ■ ■ - ' • - ■ . . Fields Division, MATING THE EWE FLOCK. - - J When all the rams are turned into the same paddock with the ewes it is often noticed that they’ spend a great deal of their time and energy in fighting each other for possession of the first ewes to come in season. The effect of this fighting is reflected later on during the period of mating. The following plan will be found decidedly advantageous . on the smaller sheep-farms, though it cannot be adopted in every case, particularly on large stations : First separate the ewes into small lots of about fifty to sixty in each paddock, put a ram in with each lot, and leave them for a fortnight. Then mix every two lots, leaving them together for ten days. Next mix them all, and let them run together until the rams are taken out at the end of the season. The idea is that each ram is first of all put with a separate lot of ewes ; therefore he is undisturbed and can pay strict attention to business for a full fortnight. By the time the mixing of every two' lots takes place each ram has steadied down a. good deal, and fighting will not take place nearly so readily as would have been the case had all been put in together in the first place. When the mixing takes place each ram will pick up the ewes that the other one has missed, and after the mixing of the whole lot there is every chance of each ewe having been served before the rams are finally taken out. Another method is to hold a small;number of rams in reserve until half-way through the mating-period, and then turn them in with the others. Being quite fresh, they will sort out the ewes not yet served. Either method leads to an increased lambing, but the first-mentioned plan is recommended where practicable. It has been tried and has always given good results. ; . -

J. G. Cook,

Live-stock Division.