Seasonal Notes

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 69, Issue 5, 15 November 1944, Page 477

Seasonal Notes

The Fields Division

Haymaking

Soon farmers will be cutting the early hay crops, for there is a fair chance of obtaining good haymaking weather during the last week of November, and as good, or better, chance of settled weather in early December as in late December. Since the quality of the grass rapidly declines as the grass grows older, the cutting of one field at least on the early side is to be commended, particularly on those farms where silage is not made. Early cutting of some of the area saved for hay is of advantage also in bringing about better distribution of the labour, and cutting in rotation also spreads the risk of weather damage. ALTHOUGH the time of cutting is very important in determining the quality of the crop, the weather after cutting is more important' still. Farmers can obtain up-to-the-hour information concerning the weather by sending a .collect telegram to “Weather, Wellington,” indicating that they require information as to the fitness of the weather for haymaking and the period involved. Although great improvement has taken place in the science of meteorology, the weather cannot yet be forecast three or four days ahead with accuracy. Knowledge concerning the weather on the third or fourth day after cutting, unfortunately, is more . important than knowledge about the weather on the day after cutting, for rain falling shortly after cutting is not so harmful as that which falls after the crop is partly or wholly cured. Quick Drying the Aim After. cutting the aim in haymaking is to get the material dried as quickly as possible, and at the same time maintain the natural colour and aroma of the freshly-cut material. If left exposed to the hot sun for long, the grass will bleach and the clover leaves—the most valuable part of the hay— become brittle, many falling off and being lost in the handling of the hay. The wind is a better drying agency than the sun, but the farmer must make use of whatever drying agency Nature provides. If it is wind, the grass is fluffed up with tedders or

swathe turners to take advantage of every puff of wind that blows; if the sun, the hay is turned to prevent bleaching and to dry both sides of the swathe. In sunny weather, as,soon as it is reasonably dry, make windrows to minimise the bleaching preparatory to stacking or baling, but if rain threatens, the material should be put into cocks from the windrows. The drier the material the larger may the cocks be made without risk of undue heating. If rain does fall in the night or for a period to follow, little harm is done to hay in well-built and wellraked cocks. After the rain has gone the wet material should be spread to dry . thoroughly before stacking or baling. Stacking The site for the stack should be level, well drained, and in a position for easy transport of the material, which is placed on a foundation of straw, or, better still, of logs, permitting of bottom ventilation. Before stacking make certain that the material is sufficiently cured. Even experienced haymakers at times find difficulty in deciding the fitness of the material for stacking or baling. This commonly occurs when haymaking in hot weather; the hay appears to dry quickly, whereas it is still sappy. If the hay is too moist before stacking,

it will heat, go brown or black in colour, become mouldy, or may even catch on fire. The addition of salt may have an effect in preventing heating of the material or the formation of moulds, and it improves the palatability. Sprinkle it evenly over each layer as stacking proceeds, using about 15 to 201 b. for every ton of hay. If the material is sappy, there is less likelihood of heating if small stacks are made. The small, conical-shaped stack seldom . heats unduly or catches on fire. I After the stack is finished it should be well protected from the weather by the provision of a cover of some kind or another. With greater use being made of the contractor, much more hay is being baled than formerly, when baling was seldom carried out except for transporting the hay long distances. If the contractor does not arrive in time to bale from the windrows, place the hay in large, well-built cocks, with covers properly weighted to prevent damage from rain and strong winds. By baling much labour is saved in feeding in the winter, and no dependence need be placed on the co-operative system. Co-operative Harvesting Most of the hay is still harvested on the co-operative system, each farmer and his staff forming part of a gang which may do all the harvesting on several farms. This system has its drawbacks, as all farmers operating

the system know full well. The cutting of the crops necessarily goes in rotation, and many of the crops are cut very late and after the grass has seeded, or harvesting is too hurried and the hay put into the stack in too sappy a condition. The co-operative system does not provide additional labour that is really required to harvest the whole of the area at or close to the optimum time, a period lasting about three weeks. Frequently farmers harvesting their own hay with their own labour or under the co-operative system are busy harvesting for a much longer period than three weeks, resulting in much of it being harvested at too late a stage for the production of goodquality hay. With the increase in activities of the contractor and assistance from Army labour, more of the hayfields are cut and harvested at earlier stages than has been possible previously.

After the war is over no doubt the contractor with his machinery and labour will come more and more to the fore, and the hay-harvesting period will be shorter than formerly. The farmer will have to beware that his programme is not upset by untimely arrival of the contractor. If the contractor is late, the hay must be cocked, and if too early, the farmer should not permit baling or stacking to z proceed until the material is in a fit condition. Hay is the chief supplementary fodder of the New Zealand dairy farmer, who conserves about 400,000 acres annually. As with other feeding stuffs, quality is most important. Hay cut from early growth of good pasture, well cured, and properly protected in the stack is of high feeding value, and is the foundation of next season’s dairy production. *-»

Harvesting Machinery

NOW is the time for a final look at the cereal harvesting machinery that will be in full use in a few weeks’ time. All working parts should be oiled and greased and operated where possible to see that they are functioning properly. Time spent in this way frequently saves many man-hours in the field at a critical period and at a time when replacements are difficult to get and repairs cannot be accomplished on call. Little time need be spent now if the machinery has been overhauled and given proper care during last winter when wet weather, has prevented outside work. Particular attention should be paid to the reaper, and binder, which requires special skill for the correction of mechanical troubles and the adjustment of working parts, so that in the hands of a competent operator it will produce tidy sheaves of grain without undue strain on the horses or tractor and the machine. Considerable trouble may be caused in the field if the canvases are not overhauled. Slats which are not properly attached to the canvas should be re-riveted and broken ones replaced. The canvas should be carefully inspected, particularly where the slats are attached, to see that it is in a condition which will stand more work. Spare canvases should be provided where there is any likelihood of replacement, permanent or otherwise, when the machine recommences its work. Canvases should run buckles first, and the slacker they will work without slipping the lighter the draught and the less the wear on their bearings.

The sprocket wheels should be in proper line with each other, and the chains should run hooks first and with the open side of the hooks outwards. The outer or grain wheel should run with a slight lead towards the pole; if it bears towards the grain, it will cause side draught. The cutting mechanism should be examined to see that the knife sections run from the centre of one finger through the next finger to the centre of the next one. Make certain that the knife sections are sharp, and the ledger plates are not worn and are in close contact with the knife sections. The needle and knotter should be threaded and the action tested by passing through the contents of old sheaves, allowance being made for the lightness of the material. If grass seed is the first crop to be cut, adjustments should be made to the compressor or trip lever spring to produce light sheaves, otherwise the sheaf may sweat and result in discoloured seed of poor germination. The usual causes of untied sheaves are too great tension of the twine, the twine retainer being too loose and failing to hold it while the knotter bills are revolving, the knotter spring being too loose and the bills allowing the twine to slip out of their mouths, or the twine knife being dull. Adjustments can be made to the twine tension, the twine retainer, and the knotter bills, and the knife should be kept sharp with an oil stone. If the machine throws a series of miniature sheaves, look for the trouble in the dog in the binder headeither in the dog spring or through the contact faces of the dog and stop arm becoming worn.

Parts such as chain links, canvas,: slats, rivets, packer bearings or dog springs, or those which experience with the particular binder indicates need frequent replacement, should be kept in stock, and a watchful eye kept to see that the parts on the binder are replaced before damage arises. Before operating tractor-drawn bind-, ers with power take-off see that the clutch is properly adjusted on the power take-off. Care must be taken to see that it is not so tight that it. loses its safety value.

Japanese Millet

JAPANESE millet sown up till earlyDecember will provide greenfeed from January onwards, when pastures normally dry up. If the pastures do not dry up, the crop is best utilised as silage. The crop is suited to high temperatures and will withstand very dry conditions. It is grown to a limited extent in the warmer districts in New Zealand for feeding dairy cows. . The millet is permitted to reach about 9in. in height before grazing, which should be rapid and not severe. The crop will provide one or two more grazings in the autumn, but during this period the millet tends to run to seed head and growth is not so rapid. An acre of millet produces much less fodder than an .acre of maize or soft turnips. It will, however, withstand dry weather better . than maize and does not require hand feding and is not subject to disease.

Preparation of Lea Land for Wheat

r T'HERE is little doubt that the de- ,-*■ mand for wheat will prevail in 1946, and farmers will again be asked to grow large areas of wheat in New Zealand. A great deal of the autumn and winter wheat is sown after grass, .and to ensure successful crops skim ploughing of lea land should start now. The work is generally commenced when the horses or tractors are not fully employed in preparing the land for spring-sown crops. Before undertaking the work the pasture should be hard grazed. The whole aim of surface working is the breaking up of the hard surface crust and the killing and decay of grasses, clovers, and weeds before deep ploughing commences. It is better to commence skim ploughing now, when the ground is reasonably soft, than to delay till the summer, when the ground is hard, making penetration more difficult. If the work is delayed until the summer and if the ground becomes too hard for skimming, the hustler can be used from time to time to tear up the turf. Even then, however, spells of wet weather which prevent continuation of the harvest may moisten the ground and the opportunity should be taken for continuation of the skim ploughing. . Before deep ploughing in the autumn the skimmed turf should be thorough-

ly disintegrated with discs. As a rule the earlier the land is surface worked the earlier deep ploughing can be carried out in the autumn; the turf is given time to rot and become suitable as plant food, while the pulverised turf falling to the bottom of the furrow eliminates large air spaces and makes for a firm seed-bed properly worked throughout.

Swedes

i ?JttOM now till January is the period FOM now till January is the period X commonly chosen for sowing the swede crop, except in southern districts of the South Island, where sowing may be earlier. The crop is very subject to attack from the beetle of the grass grub commonly known as the “turnip fly.” This pest will destroy a whole crop overnight in the two-leaf stage, or will render such destruction that the crop may require resowing. In districts where attack from “fly” is frequently experienced the sowing of the crop is delayed till Christmas or later. Before sowing the ground requires to be well worked, firm and fine. On heavy soils the right condition is achieved by repeated harrowing in the later stages of cultivation, but with light soils rolling before sowing is necessary to secure a good strike. A very large acreage of j the swede crop is still sown with special turnip mixtures, which, while generally giving satisfactory results, are costly. Some mixtures affect the germination, and it is safer to use basic super or serpentine superphosphate. Properly - reverted super will not harm the ; germination and results in satisfactory yields on most soils. In the moist,cool climates growing the crop on ridges is commonly practised and results in high • yields. In other districts drilling in 14in. rows is the method adopted. At the outset of the war it was realised that swede seed would be difficult to purchase, and steps were taken in New Zealand to grow our own needs, and those seeds grown under the Government certification scheme have come at least up to standard of seed which was imported prior to the , war. The varieties under certification are sufficient to meet all requirements. For ordinary purposes the farmer has the choice of Superlative, Grandmaster, and Crimson King; to stand dry conditions there is Sensation, a deeprooted variety, and to withstand

club root and dry rot there is the Resistant variety. \ . The swede crop is capable of very high yields and does not demand any attention after sowing, except in those areas where it is grown on ridges. It can be used for the wintering of all classes of animals and keeps moderately well. Unfortunately, it is subject to disease and insect attack. With the introduction of parasite control of white butterfly and latterly of dia-mond-backed moth, however, the difficulty experienced in growing the crop in the milder climates should lessen considerably and it may regain its former eminence in those districts. Today it is still the mainstay of the farmer in • the cool, moist southern districts of the South Island. —J. E. BELL, Acting Land Utilisation Officer, Wellington.

PLOUGHS and PLOUGHING: A valuable free bulletin on this subject is available from the Department of Agriculture.

Mares .. 340 days from date of service 340 days from date of service Cows .. 283 ” 99 283 ” if ff Ewes . . 150 ” 150 ” >> rf Sows .. 116 ” 99 116 ” J! „ j? >> • ft 99 Bitches . 63 ” 99 63 v Rabbits 28-30 ” 99 28-30 ” ft

Gestation Table