FIELD NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

Shannon News, 2 December 1924, Page 4

FIELD NOTES FOR DECEMBER.

— (By W. J. McCulloch, Instructor in Agriculture). As the season advances, so the work on the farm appears to multiply daily, and of necessity the greater part cannot be safely postponed. It is imperative that adequate provision of green fodders, roots, hay, etc., should be provided to assist pastures during autumn, winter, or early spring, hence the wise farmer makes the best of his opportunities in the growing season. ; December is therefore one of the important months of the year, and every advantage must be taken when weather permits to carry out inter-cultivation of certain crops, for it must be recognised that without thorough and systematic attention to the young growing crops, expensive fertilisers, seeds/ and previous labour must be heavily .dto counted. Mangels. The earlier sown areas will now be ready for scarifying and singling. As soon as the young plants are showing in well-defined rows, the scarifier or grubber should come into action to destroy the young seedling weeds. Do not delay this operation, as each day means greater growth, and eventually more difficulty in handling, even to the extent of choking the tines of the gr.ubber. In. thinning - , it is always necessary lo remove any plants in places. The advantages of a ridged crop from this point of view will be very apparent. In every way it is preferable to deal with weed growth as soon as it germinates. Shallow horse-hoeing close up to the plants is advisable at flret, gradually deepening as the young mangels obtain a better hold. Careful weeding and cultivation is always amply repaid. Always endeavour to leave the stronger and healthier plants. Where germination has been patchy it is common practice to fill in the gaps by transplanting—ln such cases it is always wise to mix a little fresh fertiliser with the soil, as much of the failure of transplanting mangels in a growing crop would appear to occur by neglecting to observe this precaution. Many instances have come under notice where good crops have resulted from a whole field being transplanted.Thin the crop to about 12 inches. Swedes. Swedes may be sown during the whole of December, and in many localities the best results are obtained from sowings made m the last week of the month. The same remarks with reference to the cultivation and thinning of mangels apply equally to the swede crop. Thin to about TO inches. Seed and manure .as advised last month. Carrots. This crop wil also require thinning and intercultivation during the month, and also, like the mangel crop, repays for good cultivation. Short varieties, such as the Guerande, which are principally grown for sheep feed, do not require thinning, but the usual intercultivation with the horse-hoe is necessary. Thin out to about six inches. Potatoes. The main crop should be kept free from weeds, and moulded up. The earlier varieties will now be ready for digging. Millet. This useful fodder can still be sown in localities likely to suffer from drought. Mixed with peas, it becomes more valuable and provides good sheep feed where rape is not successful, or it may be grazed by the dairy herd. Sow in successions. Fertilisers and seeding as advised last month. Maize. In order to provide a succession of this fodder it should be sown at. intervals of a fortnight to three weeks. Fertilisers and seeding with peas, or preferably tares, as advised last month.

Lucerne. Lucerne may sfill be sown, during December. As it may still be too early to make hay, " in certain localities, the first cuts should be turned into ensilage. Lucerne hay is at times rather difficult to save in good condition if the weather is inclined to be showery. Alternate wetting and drying soon make the leaf, which is the most valuable part of the plant, very crisp, in which condition it is easily separated from the stem, and lost in handling. On the other hand, if stacked too soon before the natural moisture has been properly dried out of the. stems, it results in heating, and produces musty hay. Under reasonably good weather condi-tions-it is advisable to get the material into small cocks to cure as early as possible, rather than allow it to remain bleaching in- the swath, and eventually putting up into large cocks or straight iftto the stack.

Stack Ensilage. This material can be made from any of the g'reen cereal fodders, or cereals and tares or peas, maize, lucerne, surplus grass, etc., not required for green feed, or owing’ to weather conditions not possible to make into hay. There is no doubt that ensilage has a definite value not fully recognised yet by many farmers in this Dominion. It is undoubtedly a substitute for roots, ggeen fodders or pasture, in case of a failure of these crops, and is therefore a useful standby. Ensilage is simple to make, and! the stack method is convenient. Select a site with good drainage, and j cut and cart sufficient material to I build 6 or 8 feet the first day. Allow this to stand until it attains a temperature of at least 130 degrees F. but at no time more than 150 degrees F. The building of more material is then continued from, time to time, as heat is again generated in each successive layer, which, after the first layer, should be only a few feet, until the stack is completed, which may be eventually about 18 or 20 feet high. The stack should be as nearly square as possible—the smallest size not less than I.4ft. x 14ft., which would provide about 40 tons of material. Salt' shpuld be used—about 61bs. per ton of green material. Cover finally, when

the last layer has reached the required temperature, with soil 18in. thick. This prevents a further rise in temperature. The stack will settle down very considerably from day to day while being built. If a wind on one side should cause uneven settling, hang a tarpaulin on the windy side. Keep the sides as tight as possible in building, and perpendicular, and the heart level or slightly below the outer tiers. 40 to 45 lbs. is a sufficient ration for an average cow per day, and a cubic foot weighs from 40 to 501bs„ according to quality.