EXPERIMENTS IN AGRICULTURE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 91, 7 October 1911, Page 8

EXPERIMENTS IN AGRICULTURE

NORTH TARANAKI INTERESTED. Mr. 0. do S. Baylis, fields instructor in the Agricultural Department, last night met a number of farmers at the rooms of the Agricultural Society to discuss the matter of conducting experiments in cropping, subsoiling, etc. Mr. J. S. Ccnnett presided. Mr. Baylis had a very interesting conversation with thorn on the value of experiments generally, and also dropped some useful and interesting remarks on the science of agriculture. In answer to a question as to the usu:-.l depth ploughed for root crops. Mr. Baylis said the question was difficult to

answer. lint every farmer should endsavor every year to make his roots grow deeper. If they were down eight inches this year thev should be encour-

aged to go down W/., or 10 inches next year. This could be done by ploughing a little deeper each year, and ploughing in the crop residue. The Taranaki soil was loose, but it was not such as to encourage deep growth, and efforts should be made to get more humus into the soil. The subsoil here was not a clay, but a stiff sandy soil which could be mad', as black as the present few inches of topsoil. Mr. Baylis said an experiment was being made in another part of Taranaki in maize-growing. An acre was being sown broadcast, and another one in drills, with a certain amount of inter-cultiva-tjoji, running the horse-hoe once or twice down the drills during the growing season, and when the maize reached its feeding stage samples would be submitted to the Government Analyst to ascertain the feeding values. He would like to see nn experiment of that kind here. Another useful experiment would be in! growing different varieties of maize, for there vore very many of them, early

and lute. The farmer who sowed a late variety of maize, which took a long time to mature, and fed it to stork at the time the early varieties were ready for feeding, was wasting his money. An eariy and a late variety should be grown, one for early feeding and one fqr late feeding. He would like to see an experiment taken up here to ascertain which varieties suited the soil. Soya beans might be grown with advantage. Peas were a pi ( .fjtable crop to grow, not only Ixcanse the peas themselves paid well, but because peas were the finest crop that (ou!d be grown as far as the soil was cnm-enied. Tt gathered nitrogen from the soil and enriched it. Where maize and peas were grown together it would be well to have the maize up fust. Mr. Baylis mentioned the experiments now being made in the Manawatu district to compare the feeding values of rape, thousand-headed kale, Buda kale, and silver beet. The matter of blight bad to be considered in this connection, too, and sheep farmers were watching the experiments with great interest. He advised ploughing some time before sowing. Plant food was made available to the plant by the soil being stirred up. exposed to'sun. wind and rain in turn. Where seed was sown just after ploughing the food was not ready for the plant. Mr. Cliff referred to the farm of Mr. Taylor, near Onaero, which had vastly improved owing to his system of green manuring, and said that probably Mr. Taylor would carry out experiments of this nature. ,

It was arranged tliat Mr. R. Kilpatrick should 'experiment in carrots and four varieties of mangolds at Waiongona; Mr. T. Hawkins, drilled maize and broadcasted maize at Smart road; Mr. W. ,T. Connett, varieties of maize, aud comparison between, drilled and broadcast maize, at Bell Block: Mr. B. S. Long-staff, six varieties of mangolds.*at Bell Block; Mr. XV. Stanley, carrots, at Hillsborough; Mr. A. Clillf. special experiment in numerous varieties of mangolds. Mr. Kilpatrick also offered to sow Italian rye. prairie grass, and red clover as a temporary pasture in the autumn. ' H should be explained that in ascertaining the weight of the crops per acre it was not necessary to weigh up the whole crop, but merely a specified area typical of the whole crop, and get an average from that. |