SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 20

SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL NOTES.

(Fsox Otnt Own Coßßxsronnrr.'V As the ground was- unusually dry last month, for the' time of year The Weather some farmers were expressand ing a fear that the summer the Farm. might be even drier than any of the recent dry summers. But the heavy rainfall, 3.23 in to date, experienced during the month that is passing away has probably dispelled that fear. It is probably the first time during the past winter that the surface soil could be described as soaked. -The rain came when a few farmers had commenced sowing oats and others had commenced the sowing of wheat, so that some inconvenience was experienced, and some loss sustained through the harrowing not having been completed. It is not an advantage to sow oats here before the advent of September, and this year is not an exception to the rule. A larger area has been sown with wheat this season in the localities best adapted for the production of that cereal, and a number have sown small areas in localities where it is not grown every season. One dealer in grayi says that he sold this season more wheat for sowing than he sold for that purpose during any previous season of the last 30 years. But it is probable that a number who were beginning to sow when the wet weather set ia will now sow oats instead, and if this be done the acreage under wheat will not be quits as large as it would have been if the weather had kept dry a week or two longer. In the past it has been considered inadvisable, to sow wheat here after the 10th of September. A considerable number of farmers sow artificial manure, lewt per acre, with the . cereal seeds, but there is- not a consensus of opinion regarding the benefits of such-ap-plication", and some have discontinued >ts use. ."Those who have not 'had good results from the application of commercial fertilisers argue that it is sufficient to apply them to the green crops produced during the rotation. Farmyard manure which is rich in nitrogen gives good results when applied to all the cereals. Next in importance to nitrogen is phosphoric acid, and ground or steamed bones, which contain from 20 per cent, to 25 per cent, of phosphoric acid, are largely used as phosphatic fertilisers. Hence commercial fertilisers for grain should be .well supplied with nitrogen, and phosphoric acid, but the application of such manure would not benefit a crop on land in good heart. On acid soils it is lime that is needed for oats, and not fertilisers. The broadcast seeders are not so generally used for distributing the Sowing seed as formerly, chiefly on Seed. account of the depredations of birds, and hand-sowing has long since gone out of fashion. The drill has been used for a number of years on a considerable number of farms, but some farmers pYefer the cultivator, which scatters the seed better, besides giving it some covering. It may be pointed out that the seed is in some cases sown too deep with the drill on looae soil through not removing the weights which are required on hard ground. All cereal seeds should be sown about 2in deep. When the seed has a covering of 2in the knot that forma on the stem an inch above the seed sends out numerous roots, which afford the plant securer anchorage and more nourishment. Anyone can observe in harvest tirme oat plants ' which have not received full nourishment or the securest anchorage through the seed having been too near the surface. Of course, the bulk of the seed, especially that sown on deep soils, gets sufficient covering through harrowing under any system of distribution. The use of the drill ensures the sowing of the whole of the seed at the most suitable depth. The seeds of grasses, which are related to the cereals, must not be sown nearly so deep, but in some cases they receive too little covering, which accounts for some disappointing results. Brush harrowing is not sufficient, but li^ht tine harrows are very suitable for covering the seeds of grasses. It has been proved by experiment that the most suitable depth for such seeds is three-quarters of an inch. Sheep have been very free from ailments during the past winter Sheep. owing to the small rainfall. It is very important to keep ewes off the turnips at this time of the year for from 12 to 16 hours out of the 24, as the want of exercise during pregnancy is apt to cause an ailment known for some years as ante-partum paralysis. This disease is unknown amongst sheep not receiving turnips. Time and trouble are saved in case* where there" are straw stacks accessible to sheep in adjacent padocks or at remote corners of the turnip paddocks, as then they often take sufficient exercise voluntarily by travelling occasionally to and from the stacks. Straw has a value apart from its nutritious properties for sheep as well as cattle,' inasmuch as it enables them to. chew the cud. -It is- perhaps -not generally known that unsatisfactory results in I- feeding lambs on turnips and rape are due to ' their being unable to chew the cud owing to the nature of the feed £ and that the good results arising from the addition of coarse herbage and straw is owing as much to the second chewing of the food as to the addition of the nitrogenous elements. During tiie past season my two last drafts of fattening lambs had access to a stack of { oaten straw, and there was a.much larger • percentage in prime condition than was the | case in previous drafts. On pastoral farms here a good deal of hay is saved for hog- '

gets and ew.es, and the value of such feed is quite apparent.. Anyone who has occasion to travel throughout Southland cannot tail Dairying. to observe that new dairy factories are b.Sang erected in many places, which shows that the dairy industry is in a flourishing condition. It is the fall in the price of fat lambs that has given an impetus to dairy factory construction lately. The feeling of hostility to the dairy regulations -has died down somewhat, owing to assurances that they will not be carried out harshly. One effect of these regulations is that those who are beginning dairying and those who have occasion to erect new sheds are taking steps to erect suitable ones. There are two common designs, one comprising a single row and another comprising a double row of stalls, the heads of the animals being towards the wall in both cases.' In the feeding districts of Britain a design adopted by many is one in which there is a double row of animals in the centre of the shed facing each other, the feeding passage being between them and a passage on each side of the building for milking and removing the manure. Many farmers prefer to have the. animals' heads toward the wall, as it prevents them ' reaching forward when feeding and ■ soiling the standing. Sheds for "single rows of" cows are made from 12ft to 14ft in width, and those for double rows 24ft. The stalls, should be about 7ft long, inclusive of the' breadth of the feeding trough, and, 4ft, or 4£ft wide. The 1 heel-post should come to the gutter, as when it reaches the flank only the cow leans against it, thus causing discomfort to the milker. Both bails and chains should be used, the first to secure the cow while being milked, and the latter to enable her to lie in the stall without injuring the neck. As cows cannot he comfortably on sloping ground the stall should be level or slope ' backwards not more than one or two inches. The gutter should be 12in wide, Bin deep next the heels, and 4m on the opposite side, where it should be a little lower in order that the urine may eravitate to that side and drain away. Gutters of a V-shaped form, such as some use, are not suitable. Cement concrete is used for the bed of the stall, but some authorities say that the best material is any of the preparations of asphalt made sufficiently hard not to be affected ty the heat of the body. This material b emg a good non-conductor of heat is little liable fo cause chills of the udder, bowels, or joints.