Farm Practice and Management

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 63, Issue 3, 15 September 1941, Page 235

Farm Practice and Management

Fields Division Exhibit at Winter Show

MUCH interest was displayed at the New Plymouth Winter Show in the exhibit of the Department of Agriculture. The Fields Division exhibit dealt with the growing of sugar beet for pig feeding and its comparative values to all other farm-grown crops, and also featured a number of sugar beet crops grown this season in Taranaki. Another feature of - the exhibit was the new scheme for the certification of ryegress and .'white clover, the stages from foundation stock right through being explained by suitable show cards and illustrated by turfs and by samples of seed.

Value of Sugar Beet

In North and Central Taranaki, at least, sugar beet is a comparatively new farm crop, and ' its wholesale introduction was brought about by the drive for increased production and the demand for bacon by the British Government in its war effort. At the 1940 Winter Show a similar exhibit displayed crops grown in South Taranaki, explained the preparation for, and the sowing of, the crop, and compared its food value with other farm crops. From that' display and through a great deal of publicity in the “Journal of Agriculture,” the local Press, and other papers, many farmers have successfully grown the crop this season, and in every case they are enthusiastic as to its value as a pig food. Although the season has been favourable 'in every way, it is certain that sugar beet can be grown with success in the district. Its introduction has, indeed, created a considerable impression, and it is felt certain that many . farmers will continue to grow the crop.

From the weights of the above crops it will be seen that the leaves , weigh very heavily, and that in two cases the leaves are heavier than the roots. Being of high feeding value, the leaves form a : valuable part of the crop, and can be pulled and fed to pigs while the crop is still growing. Mr. W. J.

Bridgeman, Okato, has pulled and fed leaves to sows with very good results since January of this year.

Seed Certification

Most farmers in New Zealand realise the value of certified seeds for pasture sowing, and to demonstrate the new

scheme for the certification of ryegrass and white clover, the exhibit was staged at the Winter Show. In the “Journal of Agriculture” for December, 1940, Mr. J. H. Claridge, Seed Certification Officer, fully described the new classification for the certification of ryegrass. Similarly, white clover is also under a new classification, the general lines upon which certification is

based being similar to that of perennial ryegrass. The accompanying photograph illustrates exactly how the exhibit was set up, and how each process was suitably, described and demonstrated by turfs and by seed. Each sample of seed was also accompanied by the correct certificate. The demonstration attracted much attention from farmers

who visited the show, and special < interest was taken by the agricultural students from the New Plymouth Boys’ High School. In' spite of the trying conditions brought about by the war, it is felt that the whole exhibit was appreciated by the visitors, and that the effort was well worth while. —J. M. HOPKINS, Instructor in Agriculture, New Plymouth.

Rearing Motherless Lambs

AT this time of the year much of the sheepfarmer’s time may be spent in collecting motherless lambs, or, rather, persuading ewes which have a dead lamb to adopt another lamb.

The general practice seems to be to skin the dead lamb and fit this skin over the lamb it is proposed to mother. The ewe, recognising the smell, will then usually allow the changeling to drink. ? .

Another practice used by many sheepfarmers with success is to tether the ewe up to a fence or post and leave the motherless lamb with her. This has the disadvantage that the ewe may not take to the lamb and in her struggle may knock the lamb or herself about; and, further, there is not always a fence or post conveniently near.

A very effective practice used by Captain . L. ' Forde, Matapiro, Hawke’s Bay, is to tether the ewe to a peg just wherever he should find her. The tether consists of an iron peg about 18 inches long, pointed at one end, and with a curved ring top, to which is attached one end of a dog chain. To the other end of the chain is fastened a swivel ' attached to a short length of strap (an, old dog collar suits admirably, the tongue of the buckle being removed so that it may form a running noose). ■ The running noose is placed over the ewe’s front leg, just above the hoof, and pulled tight. The

iron peg is then pushed firmly in the ground. The ewe’s first action is to pull‘back on the noose, and she will hang back in this position for some time fact, she is so occupied with her endeavours to pull away from the chain that the lamb has every opportunity to approach from the rear and obtain a drink. Once the lamb has succeeded in drinking once or twice there is no difficulty in the ewe finally mothering it. Captain Forde states that he sometimes skins the dead lamb, but skinning does not appear to be essential. He claims that this practice has much in its favour. Several pegs and chains may be inexpensively put together, and they are easily carried and can be brought into action in any part of the paddock. A ewe tied up in this manner in the morning may generally be released the same afternoon, or, in any case, the following .morning. It is hardly necessary to point out that the ground on which the ewe is pegged should be reasonably flat. —R. P. HILL, Fields Instructor, Hastings.

Another Method of Repairing Worn-out Tanks

A . DESCRIPTION of a method A employed repairing worn-out employed in repairing worn-out tanks with reinforced concrete appeared in the January issue of the “Journal.” While this method proved highly effective and seems almost to have conferred everlasting life on what was once a hopeless ruin of a tanktwo merits which would be hard to surpasswhat is claimed to

be even a better alternative has recently been demonstrated by Mr. Rob-' ert Taylor on his farm near Warkworth. , The water used by Mr. Taylor is highly impregnated with ( corrosive minerals, and the normal life of a tank is only about two and a half years. After costly experience, Mr. Taylor concluded that the recurring replacement charge for new tanks was too high, so he. decided to patch up the old ones. He began by scraping the inside of a tank, intending to paint it over with water-proofing, paint, but

found that ’ the metal ■ in •• many parts was too thin to stand scraping. -s . ' ■ He accordingly began by treating the holes and weak places from the outside with alternate coats of waterproofing paint and cheese cloth as follows: A covering of water-proofing paint. A covering of cheese cloth stretched evenly over the part. A covering of water-proofing paint. A covering of cheese cloth, as above. A covering of water-proofing paint. Where the metal around a hole was very thin, the edges were held in place from the inside while the first coats

were applied. When the various patches had been completed, a coating of the paint was then applied to the inside of the tank. ..... . ■ . . .. ' ■ .7 , As will be seen by the numerous patches in the illustration, the tank was indeed far gone. The repairs, however, have actually resulted in a tank which was demonstrably better than new, as it has already given three years of trouble-free service, and appears good for many years more. As previously mentioned, a new tank was good, only for about two and a half years’ use.

As the work entailed is simple, while the cost in money is relatively trifling, the method adopted by Mr. _ . , , , , Taylor has much to recommend it,

particularly at a time such as the present, when new tanks are both expensive and difficult to procure. The fact ‘ that this profitable economy aids the ,

national. war effort' is an additional incentive to repair rather than to renew - „„„„„ T , —P. S. SYME, Instructor in Agriculture Warkworth

Manuring of Maize

ALTHOUGH much valuable information comes from research work, and of that the most valuable probably from the work carried out ! by the instructor himself in his own district, there is another method from which the > Fields Division obtains information. There is no doubt that field officers are indebted to the farmers in a very large measure for their agricultural outlook and knowledge. As they travel from farm to farm this knowledge is modified and increased as more and more evidence is gained on the numerous diverse matters on which it is necessary for them to have some information. - We know that in even the most carefully carried out trial, some small,but important factor may escape notice,.

which, if recognised and noted, would show that the results are not accurate, and the investigator must be continu-

ally on guard against errors which will upset the judgment. This applies more so to trials conducted in a rough manner, as they must be by the farmer. The results, however, are always noted and a watch is kept for correction which may be shown to be necessary from evidence gleaned on the same or on other farms. In the manuring of maize for greenfeed the usual practice in my district is to plough the land, sowing the seed, and fertiliser in the furrow. One farmer in the Ararimu district began in this manner for a few yards and then decided to sow the fertiliser broadcast at the same rate. The results are showin in the accompanying photograph. In the foreground the maize grew at only half the rate of the maize in the background. On the land in the foreground the fertiliser was sown broadcast, while in the background the fertiliser was sown in the furrow. Thus, the general practice is vindicated. The fertiliser was applied at the rate of about 3| cwt. per acre. —J. E. BELL; Instructor in > , Agriculture, Auckland.

Novel Method of Stocking Hay

A NOVEL method of stacking hay has been in use on a small farm in the Ashburton County for a number of years, and is giving great satisfaction. It depends upon the use of a tractor for hauling, and a large low trailer with broad wheels. Essentially, the system consists in loading the hay in the paddock on to a frame on the trailer, and then dropping the frame and hay together on a stand, releasing the trailer immediately for another removable stack. It is the quick method of dropping the load which

makes the plan practical, as no jacking is done. Die trailer must have two very strong longitudinal runners, the top edges of which are clear above the tops of the wheels. In other words, the top is smooth, except for two blocks at the very front, and the trailer can thus slide out from under the frame quite easily. A sufficient number of frames must be ready to hold the whole crop, each frame on this farm holding about four tons of hay. A frame consists of four good crossmembers (say, 7in. x 3in each and 10ft. long) carrying a rough framework of poles. These cross-bearers project /about Ift. outside the wheel hubs, and this overhang rests down on to the stationary stand when the trailer is dropped from under the loaded frame. The stand (one for each frame) consists of eight posts in two rows of four, corresponding exactly to the ends of the cross-bearers.

In practice, the frame on the trailer is loaded from the windrow by two forkers (this would be ideally performed by a mechanical loader). When the limit of height for the forkers has been reached, the load is driven, exactly centrally into the stand, rising as it goes the last yard or two,'on to two strong planks, about 12in. x 4in., with a long gradual ramp sawn at the end of the approach, but square at the front end. The trailer wheels must be brought to - the very end of these planks when . the . load is nearly in position over the stand, and there stopped. The overhanging bearers will

now be some inches above the posts, and this gap is filled up by inserting a sufficiently thick rail on each side. The whole outfit is now moved cautiously forward, and the trailer wheels drop down from the planks, leaving.the load perched upon the stand. .. The stack is then topped off with a couple of drayloads of hay, and the process is repeated with the trailer and another frame. The unloading is much easier to do than to describe. Actually, it is done by driving through the stand, with a minute’s pause to insert the packing

rails, but farmers would be well advised to have a rehearsal or two with an empty frame. The advantages of this system are obvious. The stacking is done in little more than half the time, and with half the labour. A whole stack can

be finished and tied down in a couple o f hours, and if rain or heavy wind intervenes, nearly twice as much . hay ls saved , than by the ordmary methods. It is especialy good with lucerne, as it eliminates that heavy

handling from dray to stack which knocks off so much leaf. And then how easy it is to make excellent pig shelters out of these stacks on stilts! . —-G. K McPHERSON, Instructor in Agriculture, Ashburton.

Cheap Farm Gate from Tea-tree

TIE accompanying illustration shows a manuka or tea-tree gate constructed by a farmer who finds the type serviceable yet superior in ease of operation to the more common “Taranaki” gate. . Several of these teatree gates have been in use on this property for 10 years or longer. The rails have been nailed together and clinched, although to prevent splitting it was necessary to bore the nail holes first with a brace and bit. Wire netting was then fastened ' over the rails', and the gate was swung on the end stake, the bottom portion of which was sharpened to turn in an oiled hardwood block at ground level. The top hinge was made by passing

the stake through a hole in a piece of hardwood nailed to the post top. Although cheap and light, these gates have proved their worth on this

property, and have saved the expense and maintenance of heavier structures. ;

D. M. E. MERRY,

Instructor

in Agriculture, Nelson.

. 1 Name of Grower. Weight per acre of crop. Weight of Roots alone. Weight of Leaves alone. G. H. Bell, Oakura .. . W. J. Bridgman, Okato O. Stockwell, Tarurutangi . . H. C. Taylor, Ngaere ,.. Dem. Farm, Stratford Dem. Farm, Manaia C. J. Preston, Normanby . . ■ »'■. ■1 J 52 tons 1 cwt. 45 tons i 5 cwt. 49 tons 16 cwt. 55 tons 1 cwt. 38 tons 14 cwt. 65 tons 17 cwt. 62 tons 6 cwt. 32 tons 2 cwt. 28 tons 2 cwt. 26 tons 16 cwt. 24 tons 5 cwt. 16 tons 9 cwt. 36 tons 4 cwt. 33 tons 2 cwt. 19 tons 19 cwt. 17 tons 3 cwt. 23 tons 0 cwt. 30 tons 16 cwt. 22 tons 5 cwt. 29 tons 13 cwt. 29 tons 4 cwt.

Seven crops grown in Taranaki. this season were featured in the show exhibit, the details of weights being as follows:-