FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 228, 5 March 1915, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

LUCERNE FOR MILK. Farmers" arc rapidly becoming eon verted to the merits of lucerne as a milk-producing fodder for dairy cattle, and as the fact becomes .known that it is possible to grow it under ordinary conditions in almost every part of Tara;naki, it is certain to become very widely used. Mr Neilson, of the Royal O.u: ! cheese factory, Puniho, had an exhibit at the Warea show on Wednesday, which ; attracted much attention from farmers. It consisted of a _pot containing some growing 1 lucerne, aoout 18 inches high, and looking remarkably green and succulent. It had been lifted from a pat :h of about an eighth of an acre that Mr Neilson had grown near his factory, about two and a half miles up the Puniho road'from-the-main South road, and it represents the average of the patch. It whs grown on newly stumped ground, which had been ploughed and harrowed, but not disced. After ploughing, the ground was well limed, and allowed to remain for- three weeks. On December 17th, 1914, Marlborough grown lucerne seed was sown with manure consisting oi basic slag and' ground burnt to-.'.edust. Some inoculated soil from the IJonm-t----haki State Farm was sown at the same time. After ten weeks it is now ready to cut.

POTATO GROWING IN TARANAKI. That good potatoes can still be grown in Taranaki was evidenced by the l?n-i specimens shown in the various clasios at the Warea show on Wednesday. Tlmy such an eve n lot that the judges were some time in allotting the prizes. Mr J. Burgess showed two new potatoes that he had raised from the potato apple. He has named them respective ly "Progress" and "The Last Bid." Both are of the same type, being pebble shaped, and firm, and are beautiful eating potatoes. The former is pink and the latter white. The "Progress" potato yielded at the rate of 15 tons 7cwt :o the acre* and the "Last Bid" at the rate of 174 tons to the acre. So far, they have shown no tendency to blight. Mr' Burgess has raised nine or ten diffrent varieties for seed in the past fei< years, using principally the. Northern Star or Irish Rock to propagate from. He struck a new breed that yielded at the rate of 24 tons to the acre, but as lie considered they were too coarse, he did not continue with them. It takes about five years from solving the potati. apple before a new type can be guaranteed.

CALIFORNIAN THISTLE. The Board of Agriculture circular re Californian thistle has aroused a good deal of interest, among the farming community in the Wanganui district. At the Waitotara County Council meceting one member remarked-that he cut the thistle on his land for fifteen years and cutting seemed to do no good. Other settlers, he said, were of opinion that cutting only strengthened the roots, and that it decreased quicker by leaving it alone. Another councillor said the thistle had had some value during the dry season, as cattle and sheep had fallen back on it for feed. The Wanganui Agricultural Association is arranging a conference with the delegates from tin County Council on tlie thistle question with a view of reporting to the Department the best way of dealing with it. The association's idea, so far as Wanganui is concerned, is to declare all but an area of agricultural land along the coast exempt from the provisions of the Noxious Weeds Act, thus leaving rough sheep and cattle country inland exempt, though it is pointed out on the other hand that this may mean a good deal, for while one settler may have to cut Hie thistle, his neighbor on the other side of the fence may he permitted to allow it to grow unchecked.

NOTES. Settlors in the Masterton district state that the drought will have the effect of clearing the country of noxious weeds. Stock have readily devoured gorge, California]) thistle, and other vegetation which lias hitherto been regarded as "noxious." Although the Opotiki district has suffered through the dry weather experienced in the spring months, the maize output this season will probably quite equal the crops of previous years (says the Guardian.) The recent scanty rains came just in time to ensure good'cobbing, and the crops of the flat are looking re markably well, in view of the generally unfavorable weather experienced.

Writing to the Department on the subject of the export of dairy produce the secretary of the South Island Dairy Association made this comment on the (iovernment's action: ''l ?'>ngratulate the Government and the shipping companies on the splendid way our butter and cheese have been got away —far better than we ever expected. Even if

we do suffer a little now we can't com plain."

The oat crops have been a general failure in the Auckland district, owing to the continual dry weather throughout spring and summer. A$ a rule chaff goes up to it3t\ maximum price about Christmas time, because the old crop is then getting scarce, but it then recedes as the new chaff comes forward. The failure of the oat crop has caused the price of chaff to remain high right up to the present—as high as from £8 10s to £:>. At this time of the year it is usually half that price. The rabbit nuisance is unusually pronounced at present on account of the lengthy spell of dry weather. "In the Daitemata, Franklin, and Manukau counties the settlers have risen to the occasion by forming vigilance committees to assist the inspectors. These committees are arranging simultaneous campaigns of poisoning. The present is considered a most favorable time for such operation, inasmuch" as feed is scarce and the rabbits are more likely to attack the poison. One reason why the pest is more in evidence this year is that the usual numbr of young rabbits have not bee n drowned in the swamps, etc., after heavy rainfalls. Instead the swamps have dried up in many districts, and left the young rabbits free.

A desire lias been expressed by settlers in the Auckland district to iuld to the Dominion's acreage of wheat next season. They law suggested that tliv (iovernment should be approached with a request to assist ill the purchase of seed, or, more plainly Stated, to buy the seed and take repayment when the crop matures. It is pointed out that some years ago fptite a lot of wheat was grow,, ill the .Auckland district liv the Maoris and settlers: also that it secured a wml name anion}; millers. As dairying and grazing became more popular this cr >ppiii'; of wheat gradually decreased until in recent years (lie acreage has been com. I'luaii.-elv insignificant as compared with (he output, of the South island. Tli-' i;:!i may at hast be wori'iy ■■ f submission t.i {lie Oovcrnnieiil:, more I I S the rri:>!;- 'Miviisler has l J i"s'- .1 <he wisdom of increasing' lite I ■ • :••• in New Zealand as wwli | - ! in order to minimise J h'' j lu> v !!';».• vMch b:!i rcci'nvi! since ihc mst'>n>n!< of war.