THE FARM.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4691, 28 April 1924, Page 4

THE FARM.

SEASONAL NOTES. AUTUMN SOWING OF OATS. Oats for winter anil spring feed and subsequent harvesting should be sown not later than April or early in May Where they are following a fed-off crop of turnips manure may not be necessary, but on land that has had a crop carted off it is best to use from lewt to 2cwt. Suitable fertilisers are mixtures of half superphosphate and half Nauru, Ephos, or a similar phosphate ; or lewt of superphosphate may be applied with the seed and another hundredweight put on as a top-dress-ing after the feeding-off in the spring. Tlie latter method is good practice after a wet winter, when the crop is hanging fire and showing somewhat yellow. The cultivation for autumn-sown cereal crops should provide a good mould underneath, but an endeavour should be made to leave the surface a little lumpy. These lumps shelter the young plants and prevent the surface. from running too tightly together during wet weather ; an even surface for harvesting can ho provided by harrowing or rolling in the spring. It is advisable to use oat seed from the previous year's crop. • Some oats, especially Algerians, have a very low germination until the normal ripening process has been gone through. Seed which germinates quite well twelve months from harvesting has been known to give only about 30 per cent, germination a few weeks after harvest. If year-old seed is not procurable and current season’s must be sown a very heavy seeding should be resorted to. A normal rate of sowing for Algerian oats is from 2% bushels to 3 bushels per acre. LIMING AND TOP-DRESSING. , April is quite a good month m which to apply lime to the land, partieulaily for grass land that is to get a dressing of superphosphate in the winter. In the case of land intended for cropping the lime sliptikl always be put on the ploughed surface ; it will work -down quickly enough, if applied to a grass surface and ploughed under it quickly gets below the range of the roots or ordinary crop: - . Most mud can benefit from a ton or more of lime per acre, but it is bet--ter policy tp put on a smaller quantity.'say, 6cwt or lOcwt, and repent at more frequent intervals, rather than put on a heavy dressing and then let it go for several years. There are, of course, exceptions, such as where the land is very sour. Tn such cares a heavy dressing must be given to show any results. For general purposes, and where it can be applied ea?’ly in the year, carbonate of'lime (ordii ary ground limestone) is the best.

Man: - farmers, especially i” th 3 North, are in the habit of top-dressing their pastures in March with the object of producing late feed, though on the whole it is probably better practice to rely on supplementary forage crops, and to rest the pastures during the winter months. However, 3cwt to 3cwt of superphosphate applied nov will stimulate a useful growth. The slower-acting. manures, such as ground rock phosphate, can be applied with advantage in the autumn, with a view to stimulating spring growth, FEEDING POINTS. The feeding of maize, millet, etc., should be finished by the end of April, as tlie first severe frost cuts these crops back and generally reduces their feeding value. Moreover, in dairying districts the cows will be drying off about the end of the month, and should go on to hard turnips, swedes, or good pasture. Autumn is the time to feed the cows up and put them in good condition to produce healthy calves and do their best at the bucket next .season. If allowed to go back at this period no amountof extra feeding later in the winter will bring the cow forward in the spring in the best condition. In-calf heifers should also hdve special care at this time. The popularity, of Japanese millet throughout the Auckland province and some other North island districts has been amply demonstrated this season, and imdoubtedly many thousands of pousidu have accrued to dairy fanners from its use as a drought insurance. In many cases, however, waste hals resulted from allowing the crop to gel too far ahead of the stock;. Millet is at its best for-grazing when about seven weeks old or Bin to 10io high. The cows then relish it keenly, and subsequent growth will be\rapid and even. Millet has also proved itself good grazing for lambs, and

should be valuable for flushing ewes at mating time. As regards the feeding of green .crops (barley, oats, etc.), in order to prevent waste from undue . trampling of tlie crop it is better to. make two or three feedings-bff when the. growth is not excessive rather than wait until a large bulk of feed is present. Besides the saving of waste, tlie fodder is more palatable when not too much.grown. irrigation operations. On irrigated areas in Central Otago preparations should now ne made to have contour ditches cut, ’leading water to those places in the various paddocks which during the past season have proved hal’d co irrigate. This particularly applies *o undulating country. Low-lying parts of the paddocks which become flooded during the irrigation season should have open drains cut, so as to allow surplus water to be carried off to lower levels. Ditches can now be cleared while .still soft, and all boxes which have become disrepaired during the season should have attention. The breaking-up of land intended for spring sowings should be pushed on without delay, before, hard winter frosts make cultural operations difficult. SUNDRY HINTS. Pastures, both permanent and temporary, may still be sown in April, but if the situation is at all exposed it is advisable tp sow a bushel of white oats or barley with the grass seed to provide temporary shelter. On the better soils probably no better nitrogen fixer can be- grown than vetches, and their importance as a hay crop cannot be too strongly stressed. Tlie crop, whether for seed or for hay, should be got in by April. Oat and vetch hay is highly palatable,, ami is relished by stock. Rates of sowing were given in last month's notes. Where necessary preparation for drainage should now be made. The levels can be taken and the lay of drains determined, so that when time permits the actual work may be carried out. The mouths of all drains should be also attended to and put io good running order before winter seis in. It is a good plan for a farmer co have a sketch of his farm, showing each field, and where watercourses and drains are. situated. In all cases stacks should be raked and made secure, and when not intended for. immediate use they should be thatched. Where not already done stacks should be fenced without delay, as stock will be acquiring a keener appetite for dry fodder, and can do a jconsidei'ablc amount of damage in a short space of time. The tripod-harrowing of cow pastilles at this time of year allows the solvent action of the rain to make available a well-distributed and valn-> able manure. CATTLE DISEASE- IN CALIFORNIA. “ New outbreaks of foot and moiitn disease- have alarmed herdsmen throughout California, and forty of the best dairy herds have already been slaughtered.” The above was cabled from New York recently, and the news seems to indicate that New Zealand will presently get an opportunity of furnishing California with butter and cheese. The slaughtering of forty herds must make a very big difference to the milk supply of the Stirte, and imports of dairy produce would seem to be inevitable. About 12.000 boxes of New Zealand butter were taken by tlie s.s Wgimana for New York, and although it was optional for the consignees to send the butter on to London, the probability is that it will now be landed in New York in view of the changed condilions The United States.is fast becoming an importer of foodstuffs, and butter in considerable quantities has been imported from Denmark during the past few month,s.