FIELD NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

Otaki Mail, 10 December 1923, Page 3

FIELD NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

partnienl oi Agriculture.)

.-Suit, turnips, swedes, mangels and carrots should be making good growth, and every endeavour should be made to get thinning completed as early 8s possible. Just previous to the last-named operation, between the rows should be scuffled with a. grubber as close to the young plants us possible, preferably during dry weather, so that all weeois may be destroyed.

, As most, root crops are now being ffrbwn in slightly raised ridyas, there sbbukl be no danger ol heaping earth close to the young plants during intercultivuUon and thinning. In the case of turnips, swedes, and mangels, the proper method is to bate the loots so that each individual plants falls over completely on its side. It will thus be seen that ridging is an advantage in after cultivation. li the mangels looks pule and poor in itai growth, a lop-dressing oi lewt i.nM'.ite of soda per acre will be oi gie.st assistance, but U lining well rhty are better without. Further sowings o; soft turnips for lamb lattening and cow .leediug may be made dining the tally pai'iy of L'lcember, or ii roi late autumn or early winter feeding they spc;.dd be sown between the scOlh and the end oi December. Good varieties lor the latter purpose are—Hardy ureen Globe, Imperial Green .Globe and Lincolnshire jied in the white fleshed, or Green Top Aberdeen and Purple Top Aberdeen in the yellow fleshed varieties. The. very early sowings for iirsi feeding should have b«en Devonshire Grey *;tc*-ie or Pouieuaiiian White Globe. Parple Top Maaiirnoth i.-, also a first early and heavy ciopper, but inehn»d So become leathery and tough i 1 not eaten off as soon as tuatufc-d. Sowings of swedes ma.' lie continued hear the coast, early in ilio month. while on the higher country sowing may be carried out until the vnd oi The month. Superlative, Magnum Boiium, Grandmaster, Elephant, and Up-to-date are among the best vnri~ties. All are liable to attack ol dry tot. particularly the first i>i'-.;tt Jued, while Up-to-date and Grandmaster ate probably among the most resistant. The seed bed should be firm ; in fact it i.s a good plan to roll the ridges after sowing, ;i f this ollen ensures a heKer strike, from one to one and a-lv.ilf pound; ci swede seed « it'll fiom ■ two to three cwt. manure, accord-ins to locality, should he sufficient. .Mo ■ of the proprietary manures give good results, but should the farmej wish to mix his own, the following will ut found very suitable — £ or £j cwt. supe'.\ plus 1 or I cwt. bonedust, eplios, basic slag, or Nauru phosphate. On oJd land ■]• to A cwt. sulphate oi potash per acre added to any of the above, may possibly be advantageous. J Gr«en crops: Maize or mille' may I still be sown. May and ensilage : In the earlier districts areas intended for both hay and ensilage will be ready for cutting from the first of the month onwards. To get the best value, these crops should be cut when the majority oi,. the plants, either singly or in a mixture, are beginning to flower as this moans maximum growth or bulk without impairing! quality, for ii allowed to stand beyond this period the plant; become woody or fibrous and much of the fodder is not so digestible. Iu most instances it is preferable to err i on the side of early cutting. An- j other advantage of early cutting is a j finer aftermath. Where special crops,!

such as oats and tares, or peas have been grown lor ensilage or hay, care should be taken that the oats are cut in the dough stage for the former, and in the milk stage for the latter. Whore ensilage is required, and the farmer has not the advantage of a properly constructed silo, stack ensilage carl be made quite simply. ISie latter method has the advantage that it can be made close to where the crop is grown. The greatest disadvantage in ensilage production is the labour involved In handling both into and out of file silo or stack, so that every endeavour should be made to lessen this

cost. About 40 tons is the minimum quality of green material profitable to make' into stack ensilage. If the quantity i.s less the farmer should try a small pit in the side of rising ground, where a euttine can be- made for carting out at the bottom. A le»s amount than 40 tons green gives too great a proportion of waste round the outsMe of a stock, whereas a small pit can be covered up completely with little or no waste. A good crop of grass or roughage should yield .about 7 or 8 tons green weight uer acre, while special crops | such as" oats and 'ares, may yield i from S to 12 tons. A stack to contain . 40 tons should be approximately 14 *e<H ky 14 feet; 50 to 70 tons 16 feel bv 18 feet, and 100 tons about 20 leet By 54 feet. The stack should always be made as near square as possible. In making a stack. only sufficient shuuid he mowed to build say fix or eight feet, high the first day, and then allowed to stand for a day or two, so that heat may be generated up to about ISO degrees when a further 'aver of three or four feet may be •dded and again allowed to stand. until the last layer added reaches the above temperature, and so on until the stack is completed, when the sides mav be trimmed down wun a .hay knife and the result thrown on top. To complete, spread a layer of earth over the top about 15 to 1? inches m the centre tapering to P or 1? inches , at tho outside. This layer of earth excludes the air and practically prevents the temperature rising any high- l er, but if it has not already settled well, do not add the earth until it has. I Should there be a wind blowing continuously from any one direction during the building-, or for some time afterwards, if may send the heat to one sidev consequently the whole may fettle very uneven. This can be avoided bv hanging a stack cover along the windv side. Should the material be poor,' about five or six pounds oi si.it ' is an advantage, and makes it much more palatable. The best ensilage is ' made at a temperature of from 130 i-o 150 degrees Fahr., and has a sweet « odour, while below this is sour, and above known as burnt ensilaee. The beginner should use a. thermometer suspended by a string inside a piece of -iron water pipe, sharpened at the lower end, and stabbed down info the mass after each layer has been built on. Tlie rise in temperature cap then be watched from day to day. If it heats quickly to 130 deg. add more material; if slow, allow it to stand beI for adding a further layer. j Lucerne Hay.—The first cut is gener--1 ally ready early in the month, and I may go into ensilage if the weather is unsuitable for saving hay. As a rule, this cut has more or less a per-

eeatage of grass or weed growth, but is followed bv good clean cuts later, j It is a great advantage to any lucerne | stasd that it be given a few strokes of heavy sharp-pointed tine harrows immediately after each cut is off. On a well-established stand, such cultivation cannot be overdone. Every endeavour should be made to save the leaf of both lucerne or Mover "Bay, and this Gari' only" he done by not al- | Uwiug it tb remain long before raiting I ajid CflcKnf. Valuablo hay, such a? eithftj liicen-ft or clorer. Khonld really : ha cvrtad. in the. cock rather than in tilt windrow. This method tends t# tougtxen thi, material, ahd rather Isa-

sens the risk of the leaf falling white handling. General. Harvesting machinery should have bten all looked over, and oiled, and worn parts fitted where required, so that no delays occur when crops are ready.