SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 48, Issue 1, 20 January 1934, Page 49

SEASONAL NOTES.

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The Pastures. Often in January and February tall woody or fibrous growth, consisting largely of flowering organs, is prominent on many pastures. If this growth is not removed the plants on which it occurs devote themselves largely to seed-production, whereas if it were removed they would tend much more freely to produce leafage. At this season, both in dairying and in fat-lamb production, there is often an acute need for leafy feed. Hence topping of pastures with its consequent transference of the activity of the sward to leaf growth from seed-production is often . advisable. If dry conditions seem likely to persist for any considerable time after such topping, it should be carried out at a height which will serve to remove the stemmy portions at the same time as the bottom leafy portions of the sward are undisturbed this necessitates cutting at a considerably greater height than is adopted in ordinary mowing. Apart altogether from the occurrence of tall, stemmy growth, topping of pastures may be advisable, to remove as completely as is possible, without exposing the swards to the danger of drying out, all the aerial portions of shade-creating weeds such as spear thistles, docks, -hen, and red-shank or willow-weed. If weeds of this type are not checked in some way they are likely to weaken greatly the pasture plants in their immediate vicinity, and possibly to create vacant patches on which inferior plants later may become established. If, however, they are mown in the manner suggested, they cease to create the shade which is harmful to the valuable pasture plants.

The preparation of ground for the sowing-down of grass in autumn is a matter of seasonable moment. In general the most economical means of providing the mellow, firm seed-bed that assists in begetting the fullest success in pasture establishment consists, in part at least, in commencing the preparation of the seed-bed far enough ahead to allow time for natural weathering agencies to play a considerable part in the breaking-up and firming of the soil. Clovers which are essential in fully successful permanent pastures call particularly for consolidation, the widespread value of which is illustrated by the fact that the best portions of pastures, in respect both to grasses and clovers, are often to be found round the headlands, which have necessarily been subjected to greater consolidation by the passage of horses and implements.

The purchase of pasture seed mixtures is of such importance that it receives the personal attention of efficient farmers. Instead of being left to the last moment before the seed is to be sown, the purchase of seeds should be undertaken early enough to ensure that there will be time to obtain seed of desirable strain, purity, and germination capacity. As the strain of seeds is a character of fundamental importance which has come into the foreground during recent years, it is fortunate that the official system of certification of seeds has made the quest for desirable strains of the more important pasture species a relatively simple task in practice. The basic fact is that an ever growing mass of field experience shows that, as a rule, it is false economy not to use certified seeds when supplies are available. During the current seed harvest certified seed of rye-grass and cocksfoot will be described either as “ mother ” grade or as “ permanent pasture” grade, while in respect to both white and red clover there will be an additional grade termed “ first harvest, permanent pasture.” The

" mother ” seed should be used by all who contemplate the future production of certified seed, as it not only gives greater assurance of purity of strain, but also enables certified seed to be harvested at the minimum interval after sowing. Care should be taken to preserve the printed statements inserted in sacks of machine-dressed mother seed. These printed statements are known officially as “ insert slips,” and constitute essential evidence at a later stage, when application for seed certification is being made, that the required mother seed was used originally. The other grades of certified seed are quite suitable for all pasture purposes apart from certified-seed production. The purity of certified seed, especially in the case of mother seed, should be taken into consideration, for the purity of lines of certified seed varies considerably. It is also a sound precaution to ascertain the germination capacity of certified seed —though occasional lines are of quite low germination, they are not generally quoted at a price which is correspondingly low. Some of the grassland on many farms may, with distinct advantage, be top-dressed with phosphates in February or a little latergenerally such top-dressing increases the autumn and winter supplies of fresh leafy feed, and, even should dry conditions occur for a considerable period after the distribution of the phosphates, their influence will not be lost but merely postponed until the required soil moisture is provided. , Considerations relative to Seed Mixtures. In recent years authoritative views in respect to seed mixtures for permanent pastures have been substantially modified. One of the major changes is the limitation in the number of species recommended in specific mixtures. This change is a result of more thorough knowledge. The object of the earlier practice of using a wider range of species was to increase the likelihood of including those actually needed. But with greater knowledge not only of the species really needed, but also of those not needed, under a particular set of circumstances, it is possible with safety to narrow the range of species sown, and thereby, without sacrificing efficiency, to bring about a welcome saving. Another important change is the greatly increased weight given to strain differences within a species. In this respect the informed view ' in respect to pasture plants is now paralleling that which has for long obtained in respect to many arable crops. . Ordinarily only a slip-shod farmer would have been content to sow wheat or turnips or maize as such without seeking some knowledge of the sort of wheat and so on. But even the careful farmer, usually, of necessity, sowed perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot, white clover, &c., without giving any consideration to the possibility of different sorts of perennial rye-grass, &c., being of different values. With recent intensification of attention upon strain differences within pasture species this is now ended. A further important change is represented by the view that cocksfoot should be so widely used in greater quantities than were customarily included in seed mixtures in the . past that cocksfoot is now a major constituent in the great majority of the sowings of permanent pastures. These three changes suffice to suggest that in determining upon pasture seed mixtures it is advisable to keep abreast of current knowledge which at times is ignored in the advice that is . tendered to prospective purchasers of seed mixtures, about which detailed information is available from district officers of the Fields Division. The Breeding Ewes. ; In the North • Island farmers undertaking fat-lamb production usually put out the rams at the end of February or early in March. If the ewes tend to be overfat they should be put on a scant diet early enough to : bring about a sufficient reduction in condition. Flushing the ewes for about ten days before the rams go out is of known value, for investigations have

shown that the highest birth-rate is 1 secured when ewes are in moderately good condition which is improving at the time of mating. Flushing can be carried out by providing some succulent feed such as rape after the first feeding-off of the lambs, or by putting the ewes on the best available short pastures and thereby providing them with more nutritious food — i.e., better keep, at the appropriate period. The better keep by its stimulating effect tends to beget a greater proportion of twins produced in the earlier part of the breeding season. The farmer need not forego the benefit of flushing in respect to ewes that are becoming too fat. His course then is to confine such ewes to poorer rations up to within about a fortnight of putting them to the ram— flushing being done as described above.

February a Difficult Period in Dairying.

One measure of efficiency in feeding a dairy herd is the rapidity of the decline in production of butterfat in late January and February. Even in some of the most favoured dairying districts the daily production of butterfat in February is only about 75 per cent, of what it is in December. Such a rapid decline in production is not natural, even for cows which are not of particularly good dairy type, and there is ample evidence that in general the rate of fall at this stage could be greatly minimized by feeding in closer accordance with the needs of the producing cow. Improvement could be expected if it were more thoroughly realized that diets which consist essentially of pasture that is long and stemmy, or of overmature special forage crops such as maize, millet, and lucerne in the flowering stage, or of silage made from grass cut when it was approaching the stage typically adopted for hay, are fundamentally unsuitable for cows of reasonable production. Such diets favour body-fat production rather than butterfatproduction, and their use explains why at this season cows which , are at all inclined to beef commence putting fat on their bodies instead of into the bucket. There seems to be no easy course that will lead to the satisfactory avoidance at about February of diets which are unfitted for efficient butterfat production. The maintenance as far as possible of pastures in a short leafy condition is of assistance, but such pastures alone seldom are adequate and usually require supplementing by such measures as the feeding of young succulent lucerne or red clover before it has developed much woodiness that accompanies flower-production, the feeding of young millet or the feeding of soft turnips. The fact that an avoidable decline in production at this stage is reflected unfavourably in the production. for the whole of the remainder of the season seems at times to be overlooked. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why the use of suitable crops which are available is postponed, either because they may be more acutely needed later on or because they would eventually give greater yields. The point of practical moment is that later they may not be so acutely needed. Definitely in these circumstances a present pound of butterfat is preferable to a problematical future pound, and in February, as a rule, it is sound practice to make the fullest possible use of the succulent feed available.

Seasonal Work with Lucerne.

At times in February it is advisable to mow young lucerne which was sown in November or December. Generally such a mowing is necessitated by a vigorous development of weeds which tend to “ choke ” the lucerne seedlings by lessening their supply of moisture and of direct light. But if weeds do not threaten damage to the lucerne seedlings in this manner, then such an early first mowing should not take place. During the young stages of the crop, leafage, if unchecked, assists considerably in building up an extensive root system which is capable of serving well in subsequent difficult periods. One of the critical periods in the life of lucerne seems to occur at the first spring following the sowing of the crop, and an extensive

root system built up during the first summer is extremely useful at this critical spring period in assisting the crop to compete against invading weeds. In some districts; especially those in which grasses and clovers are not among its serious competitors, lucerne has been sown with success in February. Good germination is favoured by the warmth which the soil then possesses. Further, the crop sown in February is likely to escape much of the competition from certain weeds such as fathen, which at times greatly interferes with the establishment of a spring-sown crop. Where the grass grub is prevalent it is desirable that the land to be sown with lucerne in February should have been free from grass or cereals during the earlier part of the summer when eggs of the grub were being deposited.

As a rule, a suitable time for the cultivation of lucerne is after the second cut of the season ; the essential objective of cultivation is normally the suppression of weeds, and the dry conditions which commonly obtain at about the time of the second cut assist considerably in weed control. If weeds are not making inroads in lucerne, cultivation at any time is likely to be not merely unnecessary, but actually undesirable. Good results may be expected from top-dressing lucerne with phosphates in summer. Generally summer top-dressing benefits lucerne almost exclusively, whereas the benefit of spring top-dressing may be shared between lucerne and other plants which in lucerne are weeds irrespective of their worth under different conditions. Late Sown Turnips and Catch Crops. If further forage-crop production is desirable, valuable work in respect to additional cropping may be carried out during the coming few weeks. In many localities there is still time to sow such turnips as Hardy or Imperial Green Globe and White Stubble. Swedes are less satisfactory for late sowing. Often vacant land offers valuable opportunities for . the growing of catch crops. For instance, land in oat stubble, if cultivated as soon as the crop is removed and then sown in Western Wolths rye-grass and red clover will provide autumn and spring feed, which is often of marked value and especially to farmers operating under Canterbury or similar conditions. Black Skinless barley sown at the rate of 2| bushels an acre develops so quickly that it provides good feed for dairy cows or sheep in about eight weeks. Often it can suitably be sown immediately after oats in February and is then likely to provide feed at a period when it is welcome. Garton oats similarly used are also widely suitable as a green feed catch crop, provided it is not planned to obtain a further growth after the first feeding-off of the crop. Algerian oats rightly , are popular for later sowing and later feeding. With all of these crops it is usually distinctly profitable to apply superphosphate at the rate of i. to 2 cwt. an acre. General Cropping-work. All crops sown in rows wide enough apart to allow of intertillage call for summer cultivation at regular intervals until the development of leafage makes cultivation impracticable. No general rule as to the frequency of carrying out this cultivation can be enunciated ; on soils which contain a considerable amount of fine silt or clay and which, hence, readily become caked on the surface, a short, heavy, beating rain may so consolidate a loose surface as to make it in need of tillage even though it had been cultivated shortly prior to the rain. The ideal result is the maintenance of a continuously loose surface layer of soil which checks the loss of moisture from , the soil and so is of particular value under dry conditions. Hence summer surface-tillage is of distinct value irrespective of its obvious use as a means of controlling weeds.

While summer cultivation continues to be a useful practical means of dealing with weeds such as fathen, docks, willow-weed, &c., occurring in

such crops as carrots, mangels, and potatoes, it seems worth mentioning that summer cultivation alone is not satisfactory as a means of . ridding land of persistent perennial weeds such as sorrel, yarrow, creeping fog, and other “twitchy ” weeds.. Although summer cultivation can be employed usefully to weaken greatly weeds of this type, it is .not a satisfactory means of completing their destruction, and it should as a rule be associated with subsequent practices such as the growing of dense shading crops which are suited to carry on the. weakening process initiated by the summer cultivation. Included among the crops suitable for this purpose are : (i) Italian rye-grass and red clover sown in the autumn , and eventually saved for hay ; (2) Algerian oats, autumn sown, and eventually cut for chaff or hay. If after such dense crops the weeds still promise to cause trouble, they may often be dealt with satisfactorily by growing one of the following crops, which should be well tended and well nourished so as to exert the maximum weakening influence on the weeds : Mangels, potatoes, rape, chou moellier, oats and peas, or oats and tares. The position summarized is that a suitable rotation of crops which is spread over a number of seasons and which pays its way throughout is preferable, as regards both effect achieved and outlay necessary, to an intensive effort devoted to summer fallowing which, at times, was looked upon as a standard measure against persistent weeds.

A further fact of seasonable moment in dealing with weeds is that often ■direct attack upon such weeds as sorrel, brown-top, creeping-fog grass, and similar “ twitchy ” weeds is inadvisable. The best mode of dealing with them often is to sow the land in pasture and by appropriate topdressing and management to make the conditions so favourable to the growth of the grass that the resultant vigorous sward gradually weakens the weeds and so lessens their activity that even though they may not be eliminated the damage they do becomes negligible. P. Connell, Fields Division, Palmerston North.

THE ORCHARD.

Seasonable Spraying. Many growers throughout the Dominion make a very grave mistake by discontinuing spray applications many weeks too soon. Presumably this is done for economic reasons, the theory being that the cost of spraying towards the latter part of summer and early autumn is not warranted. ' This theory, however, is a penny-wise and pound-foolish one. The discontinuing of spray applications too early in the season will inevitably result in a far .greater percentage of rejected fruit during the process of grading. . The result of a few insect stings, injury of leaf-roller caterpillar or pin-head black-spot individually or collectively, is all that is required to reduce otherwise extra-fancy fruit to the reject class. In view of these circumstances, it is recommended that spraying operations as outlined in the November notes be carried on as late as possible.. At the same time, however, prospective shippers should take- into consideration the necessity of .reducing spray ■ residue on fruit intended for export to a minimum. This may be accomplished to a certain extent by leaving a margin of time of, say, ten to fourteen days between the last spray application and first picking of each variety. Varieties intended for . cool or ordinary store should’ be kept well covered with the spray .referred to above until , just prior to picking. , Cover Crops. , , To obtain the maximum benefit a cover crop should be ploughed under as soon as it reaches the flowering stage, while the correct time to

plough such a crop under is about the last week in May or early June. Therefore, those growers who intend sowing such a crop are recommended to take the foregoing remarks into consideration and sow accordingly. Cover crops are to be recommended and should take a definite place in the routine of orchard practice, for they not only improve the physical condition of the soil and subsoil, but add organic matter to it. Leguminous cover crops such as lupins (blue or white), peas, or vetches are recommended, as they supply nitrogen as well as organic matter to the soil. A seeding of from 40 lb. to 50 lb. lupins per acre is recommended, and seedings of vetches 1 bushel, oats i| bushels, and field peas 60 lb. per acre should be sufficient for this purpose. A dressing , of superphosphate from 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. per acre will greatly benefit the cover crop by ensuring an abundance of top growth for turning under. Fruit Export. . During the coming month, February, fruit-export activities will commence, therefore growers are well advised to anticipate the arrival of this busy period by having all necessary material to hand such as cases, nails, strapping wire, labels, straw-boards, and the various stamps necessary for branding cases. Advantage should be taken of every spare hour and wet day in nailing the cases together and attaching the labels. It is a good plan to soak the labels in water and attach them to the case while wet; this is a simple operation. Place the labels one by one in a pan of clean water, apply the paste to the end of the case (not to the label) with a brush, take a label from the pan of water and place it in position and wipe off with a squeegee or clean cloth and allow to dry before stacking away. The grader should be overhauled, cleaned, and well oiled before it is required for use, and similarly the engine or other power employed for driving the grader. If this work is completed before the packing-season commences it will save considerable time, and possibly much confusion later on.

In making the first packing of fruit for the season care must be taken not to remove from the trees immature, undersized fruit or fruit not carrying the necessary colour requirements. This can be avoided only by very careful picking, carried out by experienced pickers. These pickers should be familiar with the essentials that must be observed when picking fruit for export colour requirements, maturity, size, freedom from disease, and blemish. The right degree of maturity for picking for export is a most important and to some extent a difficult point to decide, chiefly owing to .the thousands of miles that must be covered before the fruit reaches its destination. The most reliable guide when deciding if the fruit is sufficiently mature for picking is the distinct change from green to light yellow of the ground colour, plus the ease with which the fruit parts from the tree. Pickers should be instructed to keep their finger-nails closely trimmed, and to use the palm of the hand as much as possible, not the thumb and fingers, when gathering fruit. By taking hold of the fruit in this manner and giving it a sharp turn upwards, the fruit if sufficiently mature for picking should break clean away from the spur with the stem intact. Considerable loss results if the fruit is carelessly and roughly removed from the tree : not only is the stem pulled from the fruit in this manner, but fruit spurs provided by nature for future crops are broken off.

Growers in their own interests should make every endeavour to eliminate as nearly as possible the heavy percentage of bruised or otherwise injured fruit that is usually to be found in almost every packing-shed. This injury is caused by rough, careless, and thoughtless workers, either in the orchard or shed or both, and can no doubt be reduced to a minimum if reasonable care is taken during the process of harvesting and packing fruit. The

overfilling of picking-bags and orchard boxes should be avoided, also the dropping of cases of fruit. In fact, rough or careless handling of fruit of any description should not be tolerated in the packing-shed or orchard.

—J. W. Whelan,

Orchard Instructor, Palmerston North.

Citrus Culture. As a result of the prolonged spell of dry weather the young growth on citrus trees will be retarded and a loss of young fruit and foliage may also occur in situations where the moisture content of the soil is much below normal. The maintenance of a soil mulch by surface cultivation is essential to conserve moisture. The destruction of weeds is also very necessary, as much moisture escapes from the soil through these. Should the dry weather continue some additional mulch will be required: to conserve the moisture. Stable manure is preferred, but if this is not available, hay, straw, or any litter will serve the purpose. Care should be taken not to allow the material to come in contact with the trunk of the tree, as bark injury may be caused by such contact. . • . Young shoots should be pinched back to a suitable point so as to encourage side lateral growth. If left to mature, these shoots often grow 3 ft. or more before developing side laterals which in such circumstances usually grow only on the extremity, leaving an undue length of wood unfurnished. By pinching out the growing point of these shoots as suggested laterals are forced nearer the base and growth encouraged where it is most useful. Should the weather become humid, spray with Bordeaux 3-4-40 to check verrucosis. - , Where red scale is present spray with a summer oil 1-40 when the young scales are on the move. From two to three applications at an interval of three weeks are recommended.

—L. Paynter,

Orchard Instructor, Auckland.

POULTRY-KEEPING.

Management of the Developing Pullets. Next month should see many of the pullets exhibiting such signs of beginning to lay as making a cackling noise, showing a red developed comb, a fullness of the abdominal region, and generally an adult appearance. No time should be lost therefore in getting the young birds into their permanent winter quarters. It is very essential that they be well settled down before their productive season commences, as any change of quarters at the time they are commencing to lay is a common cause of their going into a moult with the adult birds, and this at a time when eggs rapidly advance in price. The same result may be brought about by changing the food, or by subjecting the birds to fright by rough handling, &c. It will thus be seen that the more uniform the treatment pullets receive just before and after they have attained a laying stage the less risk there will be of their going into a premature moult. Of course the very early hatched pullets will probably be laying before this, especially where the common mistake has been made of providing them with a highly forcing diet, and in most cases they will moult in, the late autumn even when given the best care and attention. As a rule, however, the moult is a light one, and if the birds are well fed and managed they will soon recover and become productive again. When the pullets are commencing to lay they should be watched for a time, and discouraged from laying their eggs in odd corners of the house instead of in the nests.

Generally speaking, if one bird is'allowed to lay its eggs on the floor of the house, others are apt to do the same. This means that the eggs are apt to be covered up in the litter, and are . not gathered in a fresh condition. The placing of an obstruction where the bird has acquired the habit of laying, and having the nests slightly darkened will tend to break the habit. Nest-eggs should also be provided, but these will not tend to make hens lay when they do not want to, as is often supposed by the inexperienced person. A nest-egg, however, often induces a ■ pullet when commencing to lay to produce her egg in the nest instead of in odd corners in the house. Feeding the Chickens. A common and mistaken idea held by many people in these days is that chickens cannot be successfully reared on a simple ration consisting of sound grain materials, green food, animal food, and clean water. It is frequently claimed that for chickens to do their best, the use of certain chemicals, tonics, and stimulants' is imperative, and that chickens fed with these will make greater progress than where a plain simple ration is fed. This may be the case where the chickens concerned are constitutionally weak and parapeting is necessary to • rear them. The . most successful men to-day will admit that the chick reared by the hen, under natural conditions, has the best start in life, as it matures naturally and has therefore a greater opportunity of developing a sound and vigorous constitution. The chick artificially stimulated with tonics, chemicals, &c., may for a time show quicker development so far as size is concerned, and may even, as is often claimed,. come to lay at a much earlier age but this is because it is a more forced product. There is here a distinct analogy between the plant reared under natural conditions in the open and provided with natural food, making for hardiness and resistance to disease, and the hot-house plant which has only the advantage of size and early maturity due to the artificial forcing to which it has been subjected. The most important advance made in.recent years in artificial brooding has been the elimination of forcing conditions as much as possible, removing the risk of the chicks securing too much warmth and giving them only a sufficient degree of heat to enable them to thrive, and while guarding against extremes of temperature, introducing the hardening-off process by degrees, with as little delay as possible. Even allowing that, as a result of feeding stimulants, &c., the birds do come to lay earlier, the ultimate advantage of this is doubtful. One weakness in egg-production to be guarded against is the small size of many eggs at the present time, as indicated by the fact that eggs that weigh about if oz. have to be exported in order that sufficient of the summer surplus ■ may be shipped overseas, for the maintenance of paying values on the local market. . It is certainly not to the unduly forced bird that we must look for improvement in this respect. It is not the early maturing diminutive bird that should be aimed for, but the bird with good bodily development that has the power to last out one or more long heavy-laying season, as well as the power to resist disease : and these birds as a rule lay a decent-sized egg. It is not when a bird commences to lay, but the number of eggs she will lay in two or more seasons under ■ordinary conditions, and while her product is of good marketable size commanding the highest prices on the overseas market, that is the factor which, determines her value. The old hen which has passed the experimental stage in rearing chickens when, on a free range, gives a striking lesson worth following in regard to feeding the artificially produced chick. If the crop of a chicken being reared under natural conditions is opened up a good variety of food such as soft seeds, tender shoots of grass, insects, .and worms will be found. This also provides the lesson that it is unnatural for. a. baby chick to eat hard grains such as broken maize, wheat, &c. With such fqods, where.the artificially produced chick is concerned, it is always wise to moisten the grains with hot water or milk in a covered receptacle

and allow them to swell before being fed to chicks during the early stages. If there is any doubt on this point, a batch of chicks should be divided, giving one-half hard dry food and the other half food that has been moistened before feeding and watch results. The aim of the poultryproducer should be to rear his birds in such a way that they will possess desirable size, constitutional vigour, and be producers of standard. grade eggs—fig.-, eggs over 2 oz. in weight— their productive period. To achieve this end the birds should not be encouraged to lay before they are six months old. I would again emphasize that the chief essentials in successful chickrearing under artificial methods are to have the chicks hatched at the right time from healthy breeding stock, uniform temperature under the hover, a proper system of ventilation without draught, feeding only sound grains, succulent green material, sea-shell, gravel grit, charcoal, a fair proportion of ■ animal food, clean water .to drink or milk preferably fresh, strict attention to cleanliness, and clean ground to run on. Given these conditions the young birds will require no medicines, tonics, &c., at any rate so far as New Zealand conditions are concerned. Lameness in Young Ducklings. Several complaints have reached me of late regarding lameness and loss of leg-power in ducklings that were being reared by artificial means. This may be due to having the drinking-vessels insufficiently deep to allow the birds to get their heads well under the water to keep their nostrils from becoming clogged up with food, &c. Another cause and the most common one, is dampness in the sleeping-quarters and allowing ducklings to sleep on wet bedding-material. Curing leg trouble is out of the question., and the only safe course is to prevent it. The first step in this direction is to provide drinking-vessels which will allow the young birds to get their heads well under the water. Further care must be taken to keep the bedding-material in a dry state, and with this in view, the drinking-vessels should be placed well away from the sleeping compartment. This will go a. long way towards preventing the droppings from the birds after drinking coming in contact with the bedding. In furtherance of this end, a good plan is to have a low wooden frame covered with small-mesh wire netting on which to stand the water-fountain, while a flat dish is placed underneath. Then the droppings, when the ducks are drinking, will fall into the dish. This will help greatly to keep the quarters in a dry state and the birds healthy. It goes without saying that if brooder ducklings are to make sound development and be free from lameness and other troubles, it is necessary that they be well supplied with fresh crushed oyster or other sea-shell from the day they are placed in the brooder right, throughout their growing stage.

—F. C f Brown,

Chief Poultry Instructor, Wellington.

THE APIARY.

Taking Surplus Honey. , Where the beekeeper has succeeded in .getting his colonies into good order for the honey-flow there should be- some honey, for extracting by the end of the month. If the stocks of surplus combs - on hand are not sufficient to harvest the crop, there is a danger • that. the immediate requirements of the bees may not be met. It is well, therefore, to look over the upper stories and note which contain sealed honey. These can then be removed and extracted, and returned to the hives to be refilled.

In this early extracting great care must be exercised not to remove any combs but those which are fully sealed, as in the height of a honeyflow much unripe honey will be present in the hives, and this, if extracted, is likely to ferment. The practice of extracting from unsealed combs during a flow cannot be too strongly condemned, as it results in the production of honeys of poor flavour, coarse grain, and low specific gravity. All partly sealed combs should be left on the hives until after the flow, in order to get the honey in them well ripened.

Extracting during a flow has advantages, providing the above precautions are taken, as fewer combs are required and little or no robbing has to be contended with during the tedious process of removing honey from the hives. Where ample stocks of combs are on hand to meet the demands of a large flow the hives can be supered as required, and then the work of dealing with the crop may be left until the end of the season. If this practice is followed the beekeeper will be assured of a well-ripened honey of good quality and high grade. Use of Bee-escapes. For removing honey from the hives there is no better device than the bee-escape. The usual practice followed when the time for extracting is at hand is to remove the frames one by one. If excluders are used much time will be saved in picking over the combs. As the combs are taken from the hives shake the bees in front of the hive, brush off the' remaining ones, and place the combs in a hive body for removal to the honey-house. Some beekeepers practise removing full supers, which are bumped on the ground to cause the bees to fall from the combs. This is not a good plan, as during the operation many bees are killed, combs are broken, and robbers are soon in evidence. Others practise smoking between the combs excessively, in order to get the bees out of the supers. There is danger in this method of demoralizing the colony, resulting in it being an easy prey to the robber bees, and causing the attendant risk of injuring the quality of the honey by tainting it with smoke. There is no more satisfactory way of getting the bees out of the supers than by the use of escapes, and when their advantages are weighed it is a matter of surprise that they have not been more largely adopted. There is no stinging, smoking, brushing, or robbing when the honey is removed. Escapes are now made for the greater part of wire cloth. The advantage of this is that it allows the warmth from the bees to pass into the super during the night, thus keeping the honey warm ; the bees can also clean up the drips of honey that fall from the burr combs. In inserting the escapes gently prize up the super from the brood-chamber and insert the device. A puff of smoke will suffice to control the bees while the operation is being performed. If this is done late in the afternoon the bees will have gone down to the brood-chamber before the following morning, and the honey may then be taken off without disturbing them. A word of caution to those who have not formerly used the escapes : Should there be brood in the super combs the bees will not leave, and the escapes will not prove effective in bidding the supers. Honey-tanks. For the preparation and care of the honey after extracting it is necessary to provide suitable tanks. These should be made of tinned steel and externally soldered, in conformity with the regulations under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act. It has been proved by experience of late years that deep narrow tanks are the most suitable. These tanks obviate to a great extent the disagreeable necessity of straining the honey, and help to eliminate both froth and scum, which render the honey unsightly when it rises to the surface.

Extracting. To carry out extracting expeditiously two people should be engaged—one to do the uncapping and the other to operate the extractor. In the process of uncapping the comb is placed on the cross-bar on top of the uncapping can.’ The projecting screw point prevents the frame from slipping and acts as a pivot on which to revolve the combs. The comb should be placed with one end resting on the pivot and tilted slightly forward, in order to allow the cappings to fall away from the combs as they begin to peel off. For removing the cappings what is known as the Bingham knife is usually first favourite. Provision must be made to keep the knife warm, and this can be accomplished by immersing it in hot water. The knife should have a keen edge, and be thoroughly clean before starting operations. Uncapping should commence at the bottom and the knife proceed with a forward and backward motion, the same as when using a saw. Make a practice of uncapping as wide a surface as possible, and endeavour to remove the entire surface of the comb without once removing the knife. A little experience will enable the operator to cut below the surface of the cappings, and it should be remembered that the cleaner the cut the freer the honeywill be of wax particles when extracted. After the combs are uncapped the problem of dealing with the cappings must receive consideration. Where these are stored for a indefinite period the honey may granulate or take up moisture from the atmosphere and thus become a total loss. If the beekeeper does not possess one of the melters in general use he should improvise some means for straining the cappings. • A hive-body covered with coarse wire cloth at the bottom and placed in a tray with a lip provided at one end to drain off the honey will answer the purpose, for small quantities of cappings. For dealing with large quantities, it is well to install a good melter, but before doing so the beekeeper should satisfy himself that it will not impair the quality and colour of the honey. Returning the Combs. After the combs are extracted they should be placed on the hives in the evening. If this practice is followed the bees have a chance to clean them up during the night, and robbing is not likely to follow. Nothing will excite the bees more than wet combs placed on the hives during the day ; they promote wholesale robbing, and, moreover, the bees take advantage of the opportunity to enter the honey-house every time the door is opened. —E. A. Earp, Senior Apiary Instructor, Wellington.

HORTICULTURE.

Vegetable Crops. Winter crops planted out during the past month will require careful attention to keep them clean of disease, pests, and weeds and get them growing strongly. To do this, hoeing occasionally to destroy weeds before they pass the seedling stage and conserve moisture ; also a light dressing of nitrate of soda or sulphate of ammonia as may be necessary, will be of great assistance. Seedling crops so soon as they appear above ground will also require similar attention. Such operations, carefully carried out, following the sowing of seeds of good strain, in land that has been well-prepared, are the main factors in successful cropping. Cabbage and cauliflower for spring cutting should now be sown in seedbeds. These must not be forced, but grown steadily to produce sturdy plants. Select a piece of land that is warm and well-drained and have it ready for setting out with these plants during the month of April.

Tomato Crops.

It is a common experience to grow excellent crops of tomatoes under glass, with little difficulty, for the first two or three years after the house has been built. • Then troubles , of many kinds arise in the course of future cropping and the fine assurance one had acquired begins to disappear. The initial success is largely due, no doubt, to the fresh soil and clean house facilitating the work. An important problem is how best to maintain these facilities. It may be done by thoroughly cleaning the house promptly as soon as the present crop is finished. This is best commenced by fumigating the house with burning sulphur to destroy all fungous spores that would otherwise infect the following crop. Screened agricultural sulphur is burned at the rate of io lb. per 10,000 cubic feet. It should be distributed in a number of small heaps on the surface of the ground and ignited after pouring a small quantity of methylated spirits on the centre of each heap. It is best carried out during a quiet evening with no wind. Close the house up tight, ignite the sulphur, retire, and lock the door, placing, if necessary, a wet sack to stop any opening there may be under the door. The following day open all doors and ventilators ; cut the plants through a few inches above the surface of the ground and carry out all tops and strings and burn them as soon as they are dry. Then sweep the house clean of all dust and rubbish, and carefully dig all roots and burn them. The cleansing of the house is .then completed by washing the interior down, or spraying it well, with cresylic acid emulsion. This is made by placing one gallon of pure cresylic acid and 8 lb. potash soft soap in a bucket and heating it over a fire until all the soap is dissolved. This concentrate is used at a rate of one part to 50 parts of water. It should be carefully applied with good pressure to every part of the roof, walls, and surface soil. The ventilators should be left open while this is done, but should be closed down tight for four days when spraying is finished in order to retain the strong vapours. The house may then be opened up and planting commenced, if desired, fourteen days after treatment. From experience during the growing season, the examination of the roots when digging them, one will obtain a good idea of the conditions of the soil so far as pests and diseases are concerned. If these are present they may be destroyed by sterilizing the ground with steam ; or for fungous diseases saturating the soil with a solution of formalin ; or, in the case of insect troubles, by fumigation with carbon bisulphide or saturating the soil,with a solution of Restar, using it at a rate of 1 pint to 10 gallons of water. In the latter instance the Restar solution may be used in the place of cresylic acid emulsion for washing down as well as soil pest control. As work of this kind may be done most effectually in a well-built house in good repair, any repairs -needed should receive attention, all cavities and crevices being properly puttied and Woodwork painted periodically. After the above-mentioned, interval market crops may be planted or a green cover crop for turning under. Small Fruits. In warm localities in the North, strawberry planting is done during the month of April, but in colder and southern districts the latter end of February, or as soon as plants are available, they should be set out'. This should only be done in land that is thoroughly clean, well supplied with humus, smoothly graded, and well settled to affirm bed. At the lastploughing, or digging, turn under a good dressing (2 oz. or 3 oz. to the square yard) of blood and bone manure, and harrow or cultivate in a dressing of superphosphate and sulphate of potash when working down weeds. Two or three weeks later planting may be done. Where beds are down only for one year the plants are . set' rather close, 24 in. by 9 in., but for vigorous varieties or where beds remain down for a few years 30 in. by 12 in. is generally more suitable. The plants should be set firmly when the land is dry enough to be free from any stickiness.

Established beds should be cleaned up, all runners removed, and a dressing of fowl-manure in a friable state cultivated in.

The Homestead Garden. Where spring-flowering bulbs have been lifted for replanting, the work should now be completed as soon as possible. As with most plants of small, to medium size, they look best when planted in rather large groups of one variety. Occasionally, where the conditions are suitable, a very large group looks well, as in the case of wood hyacinths, grape hyacinths, or daffodils planted in grass.

Lilies have a very short resting period, and where planting is contemplated it should be done as soon as the flower stem ripens, taking great care to allow the bulbs to dry as little as possible in the process. Lilium candidum, known here as the Christmas lily, is now mature and is one of those ready at the present time for replanting. These handsome plants usually require little attention once they are established in a suitable position, and many are not the least fastidious. L. auvatum, L. speciosum, and. L.\longiflovum are stem-rooting kinds which should be planted rather more deeply than L. candidum, which forms no roots on the stem above the bulb.

Groups of bearded iris with their rich colours make a good display during spring or early summer. They also should be planted now they are great lime lovers, and should be planted with the upper half of the rhizome showing above the ground. - Roses generally receive the consideration of planters. Whether they are planted on the smallest or largest scale, no plants probably afford so much pleasure for the cost incurred. They are best selected now while the mature plants are in blossom so that the colours and habit may be definitely ascertained, as it is not possible to plant effectively without that knowledge. Also for a permanent crop such as this, the land should be trenched and thoroughly prepared, so that a commencement with this work may be made at any time now in readiness for planting during the month of May. As a guide to selection the following result of a plebiscite taken recently in Melbourne is of assistance. The voting gave the twelve best roses as Lorraine Lee, pink and orange ; Etoile de Hollande, dark red ; Shot Silk, cerise and orange ; Chateau de Clos Vougeot, scarlet ; Golden Emblem, pure yellow ; Ophelia, salmon flesh ; Sunny South, pink flushed carmine ; Dame Edith Helen, fragrant pink ; Madam Abel Chatenay, carmine rose shaded salmon Mrs. Herbert Stevens, white ; Mrs. Bryce Allen, carmine rose, fragrant; Madame Butterfly, pink shaded yellow, fragrant. These are all excellent varieties, but might very well include more yellows such as Rev. F. Page Roberts, Lady Hillingdon, and Angele Pernet. The list of best climbing roses included Black Boy, crimson scarlet; Miss Marion Manifold, crimson ; Paul’s Scarlet ; Climbing Lady Hillingdon, and Climbing Ophelia. Roses are often planted widely spaced in the mixed border ; this method is not effective in appearance, neither does it provide the right conditions for good growth unless the plants are of exceptional vigour such as Hugh Dickson or Frau Karl Druschski. A better practice has been to plant in well-prepared beds, but one variety in each; this is rather a limiting factor unless the rose-garden is very large. In many instances it would be best to plant groups, each of one variety, in harmonizing colours in each bed, taking care to plant the dwarfer kinds in front of the more vigorous varieties. planted in the centre, setting them respectively about 2 ft. and . 4 ft. apart. Beds about . 6 ft. wide are most suitable ; it is, not generally advisable to make them wider. • . •

W. C. Hyde,

Horticulturist, Wellington.