ON THE LAND

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 20, 18 May 1922, Page 43

ON THE LAND

; ■ MARKET REPORTS. • At Burnside last week 252 head of fat cattle were yarded. This number, after the two previous heavy yardings resulted in a fall of fully £1 per head. Best bullocks made to £l3 15s, prime £ll, medium £7 to £B, light £6, best cows and heifers to £7, medium to £5, light heifers and old cows to £4. Fat Sheep.3sßo were penned. Heavy wethers were down about Is, medium-weights and ewes, owing to one export buyer taking 1350, were same as on the previous week. Quotations*: — prime to 34s 3d, prime to 30s 6d, medium 22s to 255, light from 17s to 21s, extra prime ewes to 24s 9d, prime 17s 6d to 21s, lighter from 13s up. Fat Lambs. —Small yarding of 795, mostly medium quality; prices on a par with the preceding week. Freezing buyers were the principal operators. Pigs.—An exceptionally large yarding was offered, all classes being well represented. Competition was good, considering the large supply, which was due in a large measure to the fact that bacon curers were anxious to stock up. Prices for baconers were practically on a par with late rates; but porkers were a shade easier. Prime baconers realised from 6£d to 7d per lb, and prime porkers from 7-J-d to 8d per lb. At Addington market last week there were big yardings of stock in all sections, and a slight easing in values, except for breeding ewes. Fat Lambs. —A yarding of 5450, compared with 6430 on the previous week. Prices' all round were a shade weaker, averaging about 73d per lb. Extra prime lambs, 25s to 38s, prime 21s 9d to 24s' 6d, medium 19s 3d to 21s 6d, light and unfinished 16s 6d to 19s 9d. Fat Sheep.—A very heavy yarding, and an easier sale for big sheep, particularly ewes, which comprised the greater part of the entry. Extra prime wethers, 27s to 33s 6d, .prime 22s 9d to 26s 9d, medium 19s 9d to 22s 6d, lighter 17s to 19s 6d, extra prime ewes 23s to 24s 9d, prime 19s to 20s 9d, medium 14s 9d to 18s 9d, lighter 11s 6d to 14s 6d, old 8s 9d to 11s 3d. Fat Cattle. —A yarding of 508—practically a record. Prices showed an allround easing, though a good clearance was effected. Extra prime bullocks £l4 to £ls, prime £lO 5s to £l3 10s, medium £7 12s 6d to £lO, inferior £6 5s to £7 10s, extra prime heifers £8 10s to £lO 10s, prime £5 12s 6d to £8 ss, ordinary £4 to £5 10s, prime cows £5 to £7 15s, ordinary £3 10s to £4 15s, old £2 5s to £2 7s 6d. Yealers. —Prices were lower than on the preceding week. Runners.to £5, good vealers £3 5s to £4, medium £1 5s to £2, small calves 3s upwards. Fat Pigs.—Porkers and baconers were in over-supply. Choppers £2 10s to £4 10s, light baconers £3 5s to £4, heavy £4 5s to £5 5s (average price per lb 6d), light porkers £1 18s to £2 ss, heavy £2 7s 6d to £3 4s (average price per lb 6d to 8d).

MANURING OF FRUIT TREES. The Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture supplies the following information on the above subject in answer to a correspondent:—“lt may be said at the outset that lime is always necessary, and where this is' deficient it should be applied at the rate of two tons per acre of the ground limestone (carbonate of lime). Fertilisers proper should be varied according to the soil and usual rainfall. Thus superphosphate tends to hasten maturity, which means that in certain conditions it shortens the growing-period. It is, therefore, appropriate for use where the soil is naturally wet or the summer rainfall heavy. It is not appropriate for use under dry conditions. In dry or moderately dry soil or conditions blood-and-bone manure is better. This probably would suit your case. The. amount to use should be according to the size of the tree, varying from 201 b for large to 41b for quite small trees, to be applied about July. Potash is necessary; it affects the fruit directly, and also stiffens the growth and renders plants . less liable to attack by fungus blights. Nitrogen is necessary to promote vigor in the tree; it affects only the vegetative parts of a tree. . Blood manure contains considerable amounts of potash and of nitrogen. Where blood manure .is not used potash and nitrogen should

be' added, the former by sulphate of potash (lib for a medium-sized tree), while nitrogen can! be supplied by nitrate of soda, using the same amount as of potash. This, however, should not be applied until the tree is in growth about October. . Where trees are lacking in vigor, whatever other fertilisers may have been used, nitrate of soda will usually restore vigor.

STRAWBERRY CULTURE. A correspondent, to an exchange, with a view to strawberry growing on a commercial scale, asks several questions, which space will not permit the paper to answer in full. A few of the general strawberry requirements (says the writer) may help, however. They are taken from an article by Horticulturist W. H. Taylor, and appear in the Journal of Agriculture. Good drainage is a sine qua non of strawberry culture. If the plants are in the ground during winter a waterstate i esults in loss of roots. Soil that is water- ■ logged in winter is cold in spring, and consequently not in a state that will promote quick root-action, which is highly important with spring-planted strawberries. In consequence of the warmth of our climate in spring a cold soil ill at that time result in a great disparity of temperature between root and top, and a slow start will be made by the plants. lei feet drainage is necessary for another reason. Fertility depends on the action of certain microbes in the soil, and if these microbes are not active there can be no fertility. Even artificial manures are valueless without active microbes. A certain degree of heat, the presence of air, and perfect darkness is necessary to these organisms. If the soil is full of water there can bo no air in it, and it will bo too cold. As the microbes, require darkness, they cannot work within a few inches of the surface. Deep tillage is, therefore, necessary as well as drainage. The maintenance of an open surface is of equal importance, both to admit air and to preserve moisture. It should be understood that the strawberry is a surface-root-ing plant. The roots never penetrate deep into the soil, and do not reach much beyond the spread of the foliage. This serves to emphasise the importance of perfect tillage and the maintenance of a good rooting medium around the plants. The crop of fruit is produced in a very brief period of time, and the demand for plant-food is thus sudden. The supply of fertilisers should, therefore, be readily accessible to the roots, and should bo in excess of the actual requirements of the crop of fruit, so that finding sufficient may be easy. The best soil is fairly heavy loam, friable in character. Whether subsoiling is advisable should be decided by the character of the soil usually it is required. After ploughing, the usual steps should be taken to break up the furrow and bring the surface soil, to a fine tilth. If the mechanical condition of the soil is not good a green crop should be sown and ploughed in before planting strawberries. This should be done if the soil is deficient in humus, even though otherwise in a suitable condition. Stable or farmyard manure would answer the purpose better, but is rarely available. If the soil is poor it will be advisable to apply artificial fertilisers; the increased bulk of the crop will pay for this.