FIELD NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

Shannon News, 7 December 1923, Page 3

FIELD NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

(Supplied by the Fields Division, Department of Agriculture.)

Soft turnips, swedes, mangels and carrots should he making good growih, and every endeavour should, be made to get thinning completed -a,s early as possible. Just previous to- the last-named operation, between the rows should be scuffled with a grubber as close, to the young plants as possible, preferably during dry weather, so that all weeds may be destroyed. As most root crops -are now being grown in slightly raised yridgtes, th.ei;e should be no* danger of heaping earth close to the young plants during intercultivation and Thinning. In the case of turnips, swedes, and mangels, the proper method is to bare the roots so that each individual plants falls over completely on its side. It will thus be seen that ridging is an advantage in after cultivation. If the mangels looks pale, and poor in leaf growth, a top-dressing of lewt nitrate of soda per acre will he of great assistance, but if doing well they are j better without.

Further sowings of soft turnips for lamb fattening and cow feeding may be made during the early party of December, or if for late autumn or early winter feeding they should be sown between the 20tli and the end of December. Good varieties for the latter purpose are—-Hardy Green Globe, Imperial Green Globe and Lincolnshire Red in the white fleshed, or Green Top Aberdeen and .Purple Top Aberdeen in the yellow fleshed varieties. The very -early sowings for first feeding should Devonshire Grey Stone or Pomeranian White Globe 1 . Purple Top Mammoth is also a first early and heavy cropper, but. inclined; to become leathery and tough ix not eaten off hs soon -as matured. Sowings of swedes may be continued near the coast, early in the month* while on the higher country sowing may be; carried] out until the end of the month. Superlative, Magnuim Bonum, Grandmaster, Elephant, and Up-to-date are among the best varieties. All are liable to attack of dry rot, particularly the first /mentioned, while Up-to-date and Grandmaster are probably among the most resistant. The seed bed should be firm-; in fact it is a ‘good plhn to roll the ndges after sowing, as this often ensures a better strike. From one to one and a-half pounds of swede seed with from two to three cwt. manure, according to locality, should be sufficient. Most,, of the proprietary manures give good results, but should the farmer wish to mix his own, the following will dc found very suitable —2 o,r 2| cwt. sup- - e? plus 1 or h cwt. bonedust, ephos, basic slag, or Nauru phosphate On old land J to l cwt, sulphate of potash per acre 'added to any oi tne above, may possibly be. -advantageous. Green crops; Maize or millet may still be sown.

Hay and ensilage: In the earlier districts areas intended fQ r 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 means maximum growth or bulk without impairing) quality, for if allowed to stand beyond this period the plants become woody or fibrous and much ot the fodder is not so digestible. In most instances it is preferable to err on the side of early cutting. Another advantage of early cutting is a finer aftermath. Where speciail crops, such as oats and tares, or peas have been grown for ensilage or hay, care should be taken that the oats are cut in- the dough stage for the former, and in the milk stage Tor the latter. Where ensilage is required, and the farmer has not thie advantage of a properly constructed silo, stack ensilage can be made quite simply, lhe latter method has the advantage that it can, be made close to where the crop is crown. Thie greatest disadvfintag/e in "ensilage production is_ the iabour involved in handling both, into'and out of the silo or stack, so that every endeavour should be made to lessen this cost. About 40 tons is the mjmmum quality of green-material profitable to make into stack 'ensilage. Equantity is less the farmer should try a small Pit in the side of rising ground; where 'a- cutting oan be made for cartin out at the bottom. A less amoutnt than 40 tons green gives too great a nrooo-rtion of waste round the> outsitm o-f a stack, whereas a small pit oan be covered up completely with little or no waste.

A ffood crop -of grass or roughage should yield .about 7 or 8 tons green weight, per 'acre, while „pec.al crops such as oats and tares, may yield from Bto 10 tons. A stack to contain 40 tons should be approximately li fipfit bv 14 feet; 50-to 70 tons 16 feet by 18 feet, and 100 tons about 2.0. feet by U feet. The stack should always be made as near square as Possible. In making a stack, only sufficient should be mowed to build say six or eight feet high, the first day, and then allowed to stand for a day 0 two, so that heat may be generated up to 'about 130 degrees, when a lu - ther layer of three or four feet may be added 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 nny be trimmed' down with ia hay knife and the. result thrown on top. To complete, spread a layer ol earth over the top about 15 to 18 inches in the centre tapering to 9 or 12 inches at the outside. This layer of earth excludes the air and practically prevents the temperature rising any nigtir er hut if it has not already settled well do not add the .earth until it has. Should there, be a wind Wowing continuously from, any one direction during the building, or for some time afterwards, it may send the heat to one side, consequently the whole may settle very uneven. This can be avoided by hanging a stack cover along the windy side. Should the material b poor, about five or six pounds of s&lt is an advantage, and makes it much. mOTe palatable. The best ensilage s made at & temperature of from 130 to - y i

150 degrees Fahr., and has a sweet odour, while below this is sour, and above is known a.s burnt ensilage. Tlig beginner should; use a thermometer, s^spended by a string inside, a piece of iron water pipe, sharpened at the lower end, and stabbed down into the mass after each layer has been built on. The rise in temperature can then be watched from day to day. If it heats quickly to- 130 deg. add more material; if slow, allow it to stand, befor adding a further layer. Lucerne Hay—The first cut is generally ready early in the month, and may go 'into ensilage if the weather is unsuitable for saving hay. As a rule, this cut has more or less a percentage of grass or weed growth, but is followed by good clean cuts later. It is a great advantage to any lucerne stand 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 oannot be overdone. Every endeavour should be made to save the leaf of both lucerne or clover hay, and this can only be done by' not allowing it to remain long before raking and cockng. Valuable hay, such as either lucerne or clover, should really be cured in the cock bather than in the windrow. This method tends to toughen the material, and rather lessens the risk of the leaf falling while handling. General. Barvesting machinery should have been all looked over, and oiled, and worn parts fitted where required, so that no delays occur when crops 'are ready.