Pumpkins for Sheep Feed.

Manawatu Herald, 23 December 1897, Page 3

Pumpkins for Sheep Feed.

In the Poverty Bay district of the North Island attention is being turned to the growing of pumpkins for winter cheep feed, and ibe following replies were given by Mr W K. Chambers, of RepoDgaere, to a series of questions for information put by a correspondent in the Povet ty Bay Herald :— " I have for the last five years used a late keeping variety commonly known as ' Ironbark.' I have, however, come to the conclusion that one should have an early maturing variety which could i be eaten off in March and April, i c., about two months before the late keeper mature. Two year-old seed i 3 best. Its slightly decreased vitality makes tbe plant run more to fruit than leaf. They should be planted not earlier than the middle of October and up to the end of November ; it\ raoist summers even later. Too early planting is dangerous, as in the early stages of the plant a sudden lowering of the temperature, even though it should be many degrees above freezing, will give a check that it never gets over. Thorough cultivation is absolutely necessary to ensure a good crop. I am trying a very small quantity of manure this year, just sufficient to give the young plants a quick start. Heavy manuring is to be avoided, as it causes the plant to run to leaf and vine instead of fruit. After a good many trials of different distances each way, I have finally adopted drills eighteen feet apart and single seeds four feet apart. In some soils no doubt those figures might be profitable either increased or diminished. If the ground is to thickly covered with a mass of luxuriant growth, many of the flowers are not fertilized. I don't recommend planting in hills. I can only speak of late keepers. I think the seed is the most valuable feeding portion of the pumpkin, superior to an equal weight of oats. It 13 also a well-known anthelmintic. Late keepers mature from April to Vl ay, and should be quite sound to the middle of September. I fed 800 wethera on eight acres of a very medium crop from June 3rd to end of July, and 400 were picked as freezers. A load of threshed hay a day was the only other food they had and the run of fifteen acres of rough grass. Dry food of some sort is very beneficial. As long as it is sound it hardly seems to matter how poor or innutritions the hay is.