THE MAORI MESSENGER. Auckland, October 9, 1851.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 3, Issue 73, 9 October 1851, Page 2

THE MAORI MESSENGER. Auckland, October 9, 1851.

Having, in our last number, presented a general description of the plough, and its various means of draught, we shall now proceed to explain the nature and properties of the harrow; but, before doing' 5 0, \vc cannot render our native agriculturists a greater survive than t>y endeavouring to impress upon them (lie following instructions, of Mr. James Jackson, one of the most intelligent practical writers on the modern system of Agriculture. " There are certain requisites to constitute good ploughing—a skilful ploughman, a steady team of horses, and a properly constructed instrument. Before these can be brought to bear, however, it is essential that the land be tolerably even in its surface. If it be encumbered with large stones upon, or a short way below, the surface, or with whins or furze (tea tree or fern) or any kind of heights and hollows, it cannot possibly be ploughed to advantage or with neatness. A. preliminary to good ploughing therefore is to level and clear the land, by lowering its protuberances, filling up its hollows, breaking up and carting away its stones, rooting up stumps of trees and if required draining its springs. If the land be in a rude condition, and require these and other improvements, another preliminary to a right process of tillage will be its division into fields of from six to twelve acres; the divisions to be hedge-rows, walls, or palings, according t" local circumsiantes. Whatever be the nature of the femes, they should occupy as little room as possible, and in most situations, they ought to have a sunk ditch on each side, to receive watT from the surface and small drains. In Norfolk, Northumberland, the Lothinns, and other highly improved districtsof Great Britftin, the fields in general are from fifteen to twenty five avrcs in < xtent, ea<-h encompassed by fences and ditches, and to all appearance

as beautifu'ly trimmed oil the surface ns n garden*" _ Although tliese observations refer to a country where Agriculture lias been the anxious sfudy of many ceniuiies, and where the extent of competition lias comyelled the farmers to devise every means for enhancing the quantity and quality of their crops, as well as of improving the fertility of their pastures and their soils, thev are still, in a degree, quite as appllcable to New Zealand. The British farmer's grand aim is to apply the great discoveries of modern science to and* which have been under crop for hundred* of years, to work those lands more profitably if possible; because, if he neg'ects any opportunity of improvement, he will ■"'■ c sure to be outstrip! by his more per"Nverinl* neighbours, and, with the heavy rents and foxes lie lias to pay, ruin would be the inev .table result, In Engli nd, anil in all other old countries. where ngri«ulturc has been the pursuit of nge3, the object is to sustain and to thosejands, which have been again, and to j render them capable of producing other . rnd, if possible, better crops, without di- ] ininisliing the fertility of the soil, In New Zealand, in New Holland, and other countries fresh from the hands of the Creator, the aim is to reclaim the wilderness, to convert it to the beneficial service of man, and to till the earth which Providence has blessed man with. Now there aie many ways of doing this, some of which are hastily, and of course, sloven'ily performed —and of these perhaps the worst and most destructive of all is to scratch up in a rugged and impel feet manner, year after year, fresh patches of soil in order to extract one h If. or at most but two thirds, of the crop which the same piece of grourd would yield, vear bv year, under a judicious system of Cultivation. The evils attendant upon slovenly husbandry are incalculable ; for the ground when once broken he* omes open to the growth of weeils, and i' these are not carefully chopped up, or the land laid down 111 grass's, it becomes far more worthless than it was when covered with the fern, the lea tree, and other waste scrub. Such an evil system cannot too speedilv be got rid of, nor can the native farmer be sufficiently awakened to the necessity of concentrating bis operations as much as possible. It depends greatly upon himself whether he shall speedily become rich and prosperous, and New Zealand the most t.xtensive grain {producing country of the Southern Ocean, livery^year the demand for wheat, oats, bailey,maize, hay. Hour, butter, pork, lard, and every description of farm produce will largely increase ; and if advantage is to be taken of the markets which will not fail to grow up rapidly around us, it can only be" 5 done bv unal ated industry, by a constant conversion of waste lands, and by working those already brought under cultivation upon the best and 1111 st methodical systems of European Piactice. And to accomplish this, new lands should he constantly under clearance; stones, roots, and all obstructinus to the plough should be carefully removed, and the land turned up in sufficient time to undergo exposure to the Autumnal sun and winter's rain. After this, it should be frequently hairowed and cross hare owed, and every description ol root and rubbi-h being gathered into h< aps, and burnt, it should be carefully rolled so that the clods may be well pulverised and broken After this,it should be cro»s ploughed, and if this operation be skilfully performed, we have found it, in Van Diemen's Land extren.ely advantageous at once to sow the field and then to cover the seed with the harrows, finishing ofT with rolling. If pains be taken with a newly broken up .—if the land be laid bare to the summer's sun and winter's rain; if it be well hairowed and rolled, and the rubbish bo cartful v burnt oil", although the trouble and the cost will no doubt, he considerable, still the superior return will not fail to compensate the additional outlay ; whilst the land will not only be beautiful to behold, but in the very highest order for yielding an equal if not superior crop the succeeding year. And now to describe the harrow, which •' consist? of a frame of w-ood, or iron, of at least four bars lengthwise and cross, wise, with iron teeth set 011 one side. 111 general a pair of harrows are yoked and drawn together. The teeth are set only

on the long bars, and the harrows are drawn at siicli an 'angle us to preserve the tracks of the teeth in separate lit'os, and at regular distances from each other. Strong heavy lands require heavier liarrows than those, of a light nature. In some cases the teeth of the harrow are ol different lengths, tho--e forming the front row being half an inch longer tlui; the set ond ; the second, a little longer (hull the third, and so on diminishing backwards. A light single harrow is in most instances sufficient for drilling, or harrowing overthe young wheat in the spring." Groat care should be observed in the choice of seeds; frequent change of seed and a selection of the finest qualities of grain being all essential matters. "The oldest established mode of sowing' says Mr. Jackson, "is by broadcast, or scattering the grain from the hand over tl:e Inii'l which has been prepared for it. But this plan is not so economical, or otherwise so valuable as sowing in drills by machines." "Sowing broadsays Mr. Main, in his Young Farm- j crs' Manual, "is most equa ! ly performed by two sowers, the half land sown by A. going down, being sown by If. in j going tip ; that is the ground is gone , over twice, one cast forwards and another ] back again ; and if this be done by two i sowers the grain is more equally distributed.'" " Tlie sowing of the seed," writes another, " has always been looked upon ns one of the most important operations of bus jatulry. Much of the success of the future crops depends on the time and the inoie in which the seed is committed to the earth. The best seeds, and the proper seaj'Mi for sowing them must be carefully chosen. And the prudent farmer if lie does not himself sow his seed will invariably select his most experienced and skilful labourer to perform this work." Wc shall continue to follow up these pra> tical suggestions from time to time, because if our native agriculturists desire to render Newt Zealand, what file may easily become, an immensely productive grain country, it can only be done l>y an earnest a jplicntioti to acquire a thorough knowledge of the best printip.'es and practice of agr cu'ture.