LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 878, 7 February 1879, Page 1 (Supplement)

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The wheat plant is traditionally said to be a shallow grower. Practical men, however, tell us that this is not the case. The plant.is furnished with a tap root and a corralal root. The first has been to penetrate to the depth of seven feet in a loose sandy soil, while the second spreads its tender and and flocculent roots in every direction in search of the food material necessary for the plant. It is therefore evident that periodical subsoiling is absolute life to the cereal, particularly in heavy soils, as the wealth of the plant depends on the amount of well pulverised and aerated soil, in which the root obtains its Bustenange, "It is believed

by highly practical men that the tap root descends as deep into the soil as the plant rises above it. If this is the natural habit of the plant, it will account f«r the strong growth and great productiveness of wheats grown in Egypt, where the soil is of such a thoroughly loose description, and irrigation is universally adopted. The parallel ought to apply itself to New Zealand farming and steam cultivation ba brought into general practice. A parapraph appeared in last evening's paper suggesting the advisability of grubbing or ploughing-in shaken grain in wheat and oat fields. We have since accidentally learned that a gentleman well known in the grain trade of this district advised a similar practice to a farmer who has been a heavy loser through the late winds, and that the agriculturist in question intends to adopt it at once. We hope many others will follow his ex« ample. Mr. Dodge, the statistician to the Board of Agriculture at Washington, reports that Jhe anticipation of a great crop must be considerably reduced—the average of the whole wheat area being probably less than 13 bushels an acre—39o,ooo,ooo bushels altogether ; not much in excess of the crop of 1877. An American paper states that 360,000 acres of white oak timber and mineral land in Western Virginia were sold in New York in large lots for about a halfpenny an acre—probably the cheapest sale of land on record.

The Waitangi Tribune contains the following : —" The relative positions of harvesters and servants in this district, now-a-days, cannot be said to resemble those which existed during the reign of the. feudal system of old. For we cite a case which actually happened, the other day, not many miles from Timaru, A party of harvesters who had been en-. gaged by a well-to-do farmer, after work* ing three days, beoame dissatisfied with something or other and walked off the ground. Next day a showy equipage, in the shape of a stylish buggy and pair, was seen to approach the farmer's dwelling. The daughters of the household seeing the vehicle, and judging from the ' pomp and. circumstance' of the ' turn-out,' naturally thought they were about to be visited by the parson, or someone equally high in the social scale, and commenced a hfwty toilet, in order to make themselves suffix ciently presentable for the oooasion. The surprise and amusement of the damsel* may be more easily imagined than described when they found on the oarriage coming nearer that it contained only the truant harvesters who had come from town to take away their swags, &c." Of the ovops in Tasmania, the ton Examiner states " that in some of the, country districts the caterpillars have made their appearance, and are doing serious injury to the wheat and o.thw crops. The district is. said to have them very badly, ai\d now they are appearing in the Bishopsbourne and Lonpford districts in such force that J *h§ farmers are compelled to use all «fj schemes for their destruction,"

From a paper published in, Ja,pan we learn that the farmers in. that enterprising country are importing seed wheat from abroad, and have actually produced wheat of good quality. It is thought that Japan will yet T)ooome a profitable during country. Any man entering upon agricultural pursuits without mo.ney has to commence on a system &f robbery and continual taking out of the land the fertility till he has sold enough to buy stock, when, if h.e. breeds from his animals and keeps a boac} deal of the progeny, he may in time repay his exhausted soil; but it is a, great advantage to have money and farm without any debts at starting.

Depend upon tins, assertion—A good well-hung gate will save its cost the first year in the time saved by stopping ta put up bars whenever anyone passes. Farm gates arc pleasant for master and men, and in England there are. good substantia ones into every field on the farm, and all have good, safe latches, made to, open easily with a riding stick or whip, so that a farmer can go all over his farm withc,ui dismounting. There are no waggon-waya of any kind without gates for the convenience of equestrians.