FOREST FARMING.

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 309, 3 April 1878, Page 4

FOREST FARMING.

By !! Agricola,” in. the Auckland ‘ Herald WHAT TO SOW. I must caution those who are making a start on a forest farm, anti who may Lave burnt their first piece of bush. Great care must be used in respect to the seed sown on newly-burnt land, because whatever is sown will have to remain a number of years. If noxious weeds, such as docks and sorrel, get possession of the ground, they will be a lasting source of annoyance and trouble. And they may get there if rubbish is used for seed. One man I heard of—a new settler—who had a large piece of forest cleared —now I suppose burned—who _ was gelling a friend of his who bad stables in Auckland to save all the seed that came from the hay that might be used —a most unwise thing to do. For if a person has gone to tile expense and trouble of felling bush, he ought to be very particular what he sows. From no land can such clean, pure seed be obtained as from bush land, supposing, of course, that the seed was sown pure. As a rule growing seed pays well, and furnishes in an easy 'manner ready money to" those who may not have much capital. It is for each to. decide what will be best, to lay the land down in permanent mixed grasses, or to utilise it for seed purposes. Where the clearing is pretty extensive, it is a good method to lay some down in permanent pasture, and to devote the other for raising seed. On goo'd land the produce per acre of grass seed should be worth from £8 to £lO, besides the hay. A bushed of permanent rye grass and Blbs pure cocksfoot, with a little clover, is the usual quantity used for seed purposes. Th. rye grass cut the first year will be succeeded by the cocksfoot, which can be reaped the second year. SURFACE SOWXXG. On burnt bush land the sowing has of necessity to be on the surface. The time was when this could be done with perfect safety. Years ago we used to grow crops of wheat, oats, and grassseed from seed scattered amongst the logs and stumps; and at that time nothing would interfere with it; there were no birds to pick it up. Things are changed in this respect. Millions of sparrows and other birds are now in the country. And as the immense losses through the ravages.oi these pests are ever and anon recorded in the papers, it must be with feelings of regret the farmers peruse the reports. Take the case, for example, of Mr Menary, an old settler of the North Shore, who has been in the habit of growing from 50 to 60 bushels os wheat to the acre ; but who this season has bad his crop all but destroyed. Many others are doubtless in the* same plight. I am sure they have the sympathy of their fellow settlers, who do not know how soon they may W similarly circumstanced from the same cause. The following" is an extract from the Weekly News of the 9tu ult. It is from the report of the meeting of the Acclimatisation Society:— ■ - ! h’j.-iTows.— The chairman stated lI iv' *vdrv; to the large increase of :. • .«» m di‘ trials which were formerly oWi”, caterpillars, the farmers were ■ •i.-.w ,-,b'c to grow wheat.” in perusing that paragraph, various thoughts flitted through the minds of)

settlers. Some looked upon the statement either as very cool or as a joke. Cithers thought there 'was a printer’s mistake made, the word “ not” being left out. However, taking the words reported as the utterance of the chairman of the society, and putting Mr Menary’s experience alongside, opinions about sparrows are verily conflicting. Writing on forest farming, I am obliged to refer to this subjest because sewing time is approaching, and something will have to bo done. It will never do to goto the expense of buying seed, and have most of it, and the best of it, picked up by birds. Some have been trying the effect of small shot on sparrows. But that is a tedious process of destroying them. The truth is, they will have to be poisoned wholesale; and it would be a righteous thing if some of the funds oi the Acclimatisation Society wore voted to the purchase of strychnine to do it with. I do not think arsenic would accomplish the result. The plan that will have to be adopted will be to mix sufficient mix vomica with a pint or two of wheat, and scatter it wherever seed has been sown. Some farmers have adopted this method with a success that is almost alarming to behold, so great is the mortality amongst the small birds. FENCING. Till inflammable material is removed or consumed, lines cleared, and standing trees felled, it is of little use erecting any other but temporary fences on forest farms, and fencing of the most primitive style is generally adopted at the commencement. A fence composed of moderately-sized logs, stakes, and rails, will last for a couple of seasons' . Some prefer the dog-leg where there may be an abundance of rails. A dog-leg fence takes a lot of, stuff to erect it properly. Once the stakes are split, which may consist of rimu, kohe, or even tawa, two men will put up a long piece of logfencing in a day. During any spare time, stuff may be split and prepared for a proper, permanent fence. There is no timber better than puriri for posts, and the heart of kauri or rimu makes capital rails, as does rata.