THE FARMER.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 8 November 1911, Page 3

THE FARMER.

CULTIVATION. (Continued from last week,) Many years before soil bacteria were thought of, Jethro Tull laid down the .axiom " Thorough cultivation is half manuring," and this axiom has not been, nor never will be, ruled out by any findings of science, although in the light of present-day science the wording may be altered to "Thorough cultivation enables the farmer to reap the benefit, of all plant-food that may be in the soil, while indifferent cultivation has little effect in this direction." The most successful farmers I have ■known were in the habit cf ploughing th^ir laud thoroughly four or five times before sowing a root or potato crop. It is true that we in New Zea land cannot go to the extent of ploughing five times, but in preparing for a root or potato crop land should never be ploughed less than twice, and afterwards thoroughly, deeply, and repeatedly worked with the cultivator. Repeated cultivation has also the ef feet of destroying weeds, nnd the destruction of the latter is a work which the New Zealand farmer must face in earnest at an early date. It must be'admittedjthat the farmers of this country has much to contend against in the form of scarcity and dearness of labour, but it must also be admitted thaf. a portion of the'land has now got into such a state through indifferent cultivation that if: some better system is not adopted in the near future it must go out of cultivation entirely. Perhaps there are no better exponents of the necessity of thorough cultivation than the much roviled Celestials who supply us with market-garden produce. Theirs is mostly sj^ade work, it is true, but it none the less shows the advantage arising from thorough and repeated cultivation. It is also a fact that efficient cultivation checks, to gome extent, the ravages of vegetable parasites. Whenever possible, the land should be ploughed as soon as a crop is removed for the oftener it is cultivated, and the longer it is exposed to the sun and air -before another crop is sown, the greater will be tht> chance of success. It is true that drought or other weather extremes may, to some extent upset our best means of storing a reserve of moisture in the soil, end by surface cultivation while the crop is growing we conserve the moisture that has been stored. Deep cultivation also enables the soil to lid itself of much of the surface water that may be the result of a wet season, so that, whether the season be wet or dry, good cultivation lessens the risk of complete disaster. The bc\st plough now on the market is the "digger." If this plough is of the proper make, and properly set, it wiil do as much in one operation in the way of cultivation as the ordinary plough will d'« in two. If the skimmer is properly adjusted it i.s also a great weed-eradicaror, as the top sod is turned into the bottom of the furrow and the weeds effectually smothered—that is, the majority of the weeds, for some cannot be killed by this opeiation. Iv dealing with wtcdy lnnd—that is. in instances where the weeds have not been securely buried--'the disc harrow ?hould be avoided, especially in th°case oi sorrol. It would bo hotter to use the cultivator and tiue harrow, sc that all weeds may be dragged to the surface

As a moans of cheap and effective cultivation the motor will undoubtedly tike first place iv the near future.

Manuring is, of course, included in cultivation, but it is too wide a subject to be dealt wiih here.

Among tho principal rules of cultivation there nro two tint every fanner should lay to heart. These are—First, thorough cultivation ; second, more cultivation; and I might add a third, which would ho ".still more cultivation." It uitisst ho borne in mind, however, that thorough tilling of the soil will iot itself maintain soil-fertility. As a matter of face, it is a powerful means of depleting the soil of its fertility. II" land contains considerable scores of dormant Inmm*, the repeated stirring of tho soil hastens the docnv of humus and sets free a considerable quantity of plant food. If tho soil is indifferently cultivated, Iho manures a ■ariner may apply, or whieli are lying in an inert state in the soil, may be likened to badly invested money for which tho farmer receives no interest while the capital itself is being more v less waited.

The great objoct of the farmer slicuucl be to maintain a permanent, not a teniporar\, system of agricuU ture, or ono in which tho available plant food sheu id not only bo maintainod bn't increased ; and this can only bo accomplished by judicious manuring aud thorough "cultivation. The present deplorable state of uiurli of the cultivated land in the United States of America s\\n\M ho suftLient warning to us in New Zealand. A system of ladi'iferent cultivation, and soil-jobbery has been followed for ages, with the result that hundreds of farms are now deserted, the ownors flocking over tho bolder into O.i^ada, wli^re, no doubt, they will far a time carry out u"\uc]\ the same system. The present aveiage wheat yield of the UnUed Srates is 13,]- bushels pov aero, while iv Kngiand it is 31 bushels. The lattur result js not due to the tact that tl'O lands are mo.c fertile, bnt almost entirely to better methods of cultivation, thereby tuuiut;iiqiqg the fertility of the soil,