A Weraroa Farm.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 March 1915, Page 2

A Weraroa Farm.

Among the many well kept farms at Weraroa is the 50 acres in Bruce road owned by Mr J. Johnson. The first thing one notice* about it is the quantity and variety of the crops raisedand it is in this that Mr Johnson',farm differs so widely from so man\ other farms; where the farming commences with milking cows and finishes

at the same place, the whole eultiva tion heing"limited to a patch for winter feed and a plot or two of vegetables. The latter are grown on large scale by Mr Johnson, and tin rows of carrots and parsnips for instance are measured by the chain, and the cabbage plants by the thousand there is something like 3000 plants of drumhead savoy, winter cabbage planted out.

For winter feed for the farm stock there is a good area of mangles. Last year this field was sown down with oats and Italian ryegrass and provided lorage all through last winter for tindairy herd. This year a large portion has been sown down with different varieties of mangles, and with the seed were sown different combination-

of superphosphate, bone-dust. slag and "Vo. 3 root manure. Though thorp was n marked difference in the plots at first the plants now appeal .about the .same and the experiment ''as led to riot.liintr definite, but ZVTr John *011. in making such experiments, working 011 the right lines, and lia• that progressive spirit which make; for .success in farming and which uiai lithe .successful fanner 110 m tlie sort. One interesting thing occ a red in connection with this experiment. A plot in the centre, consisting oi about nine rows was eaten out twice by the grubs, while the mangles alongside were not touched. Possibly the manures used in this plot gave otic plants a flavour specially .agreeable to the grubs. Alongside the. mangles ar< tluvr plots of different kinds of potatoesNorthern Star, pamekeeppr anrp Up-to-date—the latter sus.,,ptible v . ..grit being planted between the other two varieties, which are claimed to be blight-resisting. Tt was a severe test and the Northern Rtar and Clampkeeper .succumbed. Although blighted the three varieties will give a heavy yield. Tn concetion with the Up-to-date Mr Johnson mentioned an interesting fact regarding the belief that potatoes, grown year after year from the .same seed, will deteriorate. The first seed was brought 011 to the farm eleven yeais ago. and after two or three years it 11 as discarded in favour of another sort, but year after year, tor a period of about'eight years, a few self-sown potato plants appeared. year these were dug up and saved for seed, and this year tliev produced a fine crop. Though the season has Keen unfavourable for maize the e.rop on the farm looks very well At present 24 cows are being milked and in the milking shed a .Simplex milking machine has bepn installed recently, and .judging from ift> appearance the name is an apt one. Tlie releaser is of jiarts and these work without the least friction, ibe vacuum pump is started almost instantaneously and the benzine engine has an electric starter. There is no wait for a vaporiser to get red hot. One 4-gallon tin of benzine is sufficient for a fortnight. The shed itself is kept very clean, is is the cooling room, the concrete fWs being spotless. Altogether everything on the farm ■* looking extremely well aiid shows evidence of tlio care given to it. So well is it managed that time has been found to establish a fine flower garden, a 110 the many brightly-coloured flowers make an attractive sight., while in the small orchard the trees are laden with fruit. The reason why Mr -Johnson tins succeeded so well 011 his farm is writ large on tlie face of it.