INTENSIVE FARMING IN TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 315, 15 June 1915, Page 6

INTENSIVE FARMING IN TARANAKI.

PAPER BY MR. MoTiJGGAKS (Second Part). Following is the second part of the adIress given by Mr. McTaggart, Government 'Agricultural Instructor, to a meeting of farmers at New Plymouth on Saturday (the first portion appeared in yesterday's issue): —-• Speaking moro directly on the subject of intense cultivation, the following might be regarded 83 the 'basic factors in the practice of this desirable system o<f farming:— (1) The judicious use of lime, 'which subject I liave already discussed. (2) The growth and free use of leguminous crops of all kinds. Clovers, peas, vetches, lucerne, etc., should figure prominently in intensive faming. Lucerne, especially, that great and most ancient forage plant, should be made the most of. It is a great enricher of the soil, especially the surface soil, and hence is a forerunner of other good crops. It is an abundant producer of rich palatable food, a crop independent of dry conditions when established, and a great pro' ducer of flesh and vital force, 'bone and milk. To grow the crop successfully a fairly open subsoil is required, such as obtains in most parts of laran&ki. Th( laud inus't be well drained, the iperma nent water-table being at least sft fron the ground surface. lime should b< applied at the rate oi at least one toi per acre of carbonate of lime. Tin ground should he green-manured. \>hci anyway deficient in 'humus. The soi should be absolutely clean, renderei thus &>' the previous growing of pota toes or root crops and by thorough cul tivation, and this followed if necessar; by smoother crops of heavy seedings o rape or mustard. Another method o fleaning the land for lucerne is to worl with a cultivator from earl: spring to late summer, killing the weed: as the weed-seeds germinate, and thei seeding the lucerne. Inoculation, witl soil that has already grown the crop sue cessfully, ia advisable. Apply at leas 2owt. of soil per acre to the land broad cast when the light is obscure or durinj a dull day and harrow in well righ away. Seed at tbc rate of 12 to 151b per acre in drills or 15 to 201b per acr broadcast. Use as manure 'iewt. basi' superphosphate and lewt sulphate o potash per acre.' Lucerne can be madi into hay or ensilage or used as a soilinj (green feed) crop. In this climate i should produce at least four cuttings ii a season. (3) Tiic frequent use of the plough—l< ctl'cet the production of 'a continuoui supply of forage crops for summer am winter feeds. Land 'has no right to lii idle, except for special soil treatmen purposes, summer or winter, in thi: country. No sooner is one crop fed of but the plough could bo used and thi land readily worked up and maimrec for another crop. Stubble fields shoulc be made use of for growing "catch" crop: and fotf conserving 'fertility that "wouli otherwise tend to leach from the soil were the soil left for long periods expos ed to continuous rains. Light porou: soils can be greatly improved in qualitj and texture by growing a succession o green crops like oats, soft turnips, "whitt mustard, rape, Cape 'barley, or emcrah rye and vetches (winter feeds}, buda oi thousand-headed Irale, and folding thesi

heavily with sheep, the droppings of tlio. sheep and the residues from tlic manorial applications and the roots of legumes enriching the land and the trampling of the sheep consolidating it. Ijght soils can be economically built up in fertility and condition in this manner. (4) Soiling crop mixtures as supplemental crops should be made more of, Augmenting a scarce pasture as they do anil yielding so much from a comparatively small area. Mixtures of legumes, such as oats and peas, Italian rye and vetches, emerald ryecom or Oape barley and black Scotc'.- winter vetches (winter feed), Italian rye and cowgrasg or prairie grass and crimson clover aro specially recommended mixtures. Clorei's (red, crimson or mammoth) could also be grown separately as soiling crops. Italian rye and cowgrass or prairie grass and cowgrass are suitable for temporary pastures, which should be made mora use of. (5) The growing of root crops, especially mangolds and swedes. More root orops should be grown oil Taranaki farms. For maximum yields swedes should lie sown in drills and inter-culti-vated periodically. In sections of this province where there is a high rainfall as a rule a good practice is to sow the swedes in ridges. A Storrier or a MacAlister ridger, which ridges, manures and seeds at the one operation, is a very useful machine and in Otago and Southland produces excellent results. Of swedes Garton's Superlative, Sutton's Champion, Monarch, Incomparable and John Bull are standard varieties. The last-named is specially suited for shallow soils. As phosphate is the dominant constituent in tho manure for swedes, of nitrogen it requires more than turnips, hence demands a slightly richer soil. Basic slag and blood and bono for clays and clay loams, basic superphosphate and blood and bone for lightish soils deficient in lime, superphosphate and a little blood and bono on good loams containing a sufficiency of lime—these are good systems of manuring for swedes. On the lightest soils an addition of anything up to Vzcwt. per acre of muriate of potash should give additional results. Where clubroot is present in turnips, swedes, raipc or other cruciferous crops, a heavy dressing of lime is required to kill the organism lurking in the soil. For the shallow or comparatively shallow soils of the province the Globe and Intermediate types of mangolds are 'best suited. Thorough cultivation of this crop pays handsomely. The mangold is deeperrooted than tho swede, hence it can search for its food. Nevertheless a phosphate is required to develop root, and potash is required to produce sugars in which the crop is rich. • A fair quantity of available nitrogen is necessary Ifor early and quick development. Under average soil conditions, the physical condition of the soil having been first attended to, the following mixture of manures per acre should givo good results for mangolds: —il to 2cwt superphosphate; lewt Christmas Island guano; lewt sulphate of potash; y 2 cwt sulphate of ammonia; or lewt blood and bone. , («) Rotation of crops.—A good rotation of crops is at tho foundation of in- " tensive w.nd progressive farming. Not

only do you provide thereby a diversity , of crops, but you conserve fertility, im-1 prora your soil, and greatly increase productiveness. Tho following rotation! ire 'worthy of consideration: — . No. 1—(1) Roots (mangolds and swede/; (2) legumes (peas, vetches, otc.) pr a legumo mixture, tho subsequent growth being turned under as green manure previous 'to sowing the cereal crop; (8) cereal crop (grass mixture sown therewith); (U) grass and clover (3 or 4 years). This is sown with the cereal crop. No. 2—'(l) Roots (mangolds and swedes); (2) cereal crop, "catch" crop of mustard, crimson clover, vetches or rape, for ploughing under; (3) legumes (.peas, vetches, etc.), or a legume mixture; (!i) grass and clover (3 or 4 years). Studying the above rotations, we find the cultivation of the root crops ameliorating the lands and the residue from the manuring thereof supplying the legumes with phosphates which they require. Tho roots of the legumes also supply nitrogen, gathered from the air, for the folowing cereal crop, which requires to be well supplied with this soil constituent. The legume mixture supplies a continuous supply of green feed, and where ryccorn or Cape barley is 'grown tho subsequent growth thereof may be turned under to supply humus to the soil. The following cereal crop benefits by tho suipply of humus and nitrogen sufficient to enable a seeding of grass and clover to be sown and sustained with the cereals. Indeed, the clovers stimulate the cereal and Vict versa. Tl'.e following three or foui years of grass crop benefits by the re sidue from the phosphates supplied tc the cereal, also from the nitrogen sup plied by the legumes and by tlia greet I manuring. Considering No. 2 rotation, wo find tin cultivation of the roots ameliorating tin lands and the residue from the manuring thereof supplying the cereal crop follow ing with a certain amount of phosphates T!ie stubble from the cereal crop is util ircd for growing a "catch" crop of mug tard, crimson clover or retches, ant this is ploughed under as green manure The legumes or legume mixtures follow ing supply to the soil nitrogen, which thi iplantj extracts from the soil air. Tin grass and clover crop after this shouh do specially well, owing to the accumu lated humus and nitrogen. After thi pasture whose clovers enrich the soil ii nitrogen, as do the droppings from thi dairy cattle, especially roots do specially well with phosphatic manuring and goo< cultivation. Where your whole farn is 'brought systematically under a rota tion of crops such as the above it wil produco infinitely more, and the man ures purchased and applied will be mori evenly, economically and effectively dis tributed and the system will obviate tin necessity of so much top-dressing o pasture. The drain of phosphates caus ed through the export of milk and mill products and young animals of al 'breeds will be met by the economic sup ply of phosphatic manures to the vari o'.is crops in the rotation. (7) The growing of supplemental pas | turc crops, especially in winter, to aug i ment the scant pasture of periods o | little growth. These crops, which ar< the salvation of many whose pasture ii scant in winter and early spring, shouh be made much more of. There is n< excuse .whatever for stock going shorl in winter when in our favorable elimati we have these soiling mixtures which even in the coldest sections of the coun

try, will make some winter growth. Tho ! following are excellent for winter and early spring feed:— Oape 'barley, 2 bushels, and blajck Scotch winter vetch, 1 bushel per acre. E»nerald ryecorn l l / 3 bushels, and 1 vetch 1 bushel per acre. Budda kajc, 101b broadcasted or 41b in drills, for early spring. 1 Western wolths, 301bs per acre, for ' strong land. IPrairio grass, for sheltered areas. (8) The making of ensilage, preferably ! by use of the silo, as with it there is no '■ waste. There is no better method of I storing feed for winter use or for con- i 3 serving surplus feed for winter use or for > conserving surplus feed for periods of * scarcity. The fact that you can eonJ ' serve every particle of green feed grown i. on the farm by means of a silo is do--9 cidedly an important factor in intensive f farming. There is on the market a 9 portable steel silo, patented by Mr. Dibble, ensilage! expert to the Depart- - ment. This can bo made in all stecs, t but a handy size for ready portago ia i the 40-ton silo. The ensilage is easily s made from any green fodder. It is - blown into the silo from the top by 3 means of a blower, and practically makes 1 itself with its own weight. Gradual filla ing, together with spreading and tramp- - ing especially around the circumference 1 of the silo excludes tho air and enY courages the proper fermentation and - prevents loss. I (9) The economic feeding of farm a crops, balancing of ratios by providing a 1 due proportion of protein (flesh and o milk-forming materials) to carbo-hy- - ; drates, or sugars and starches (heat and -1 fat-forming materials). Natural more * j or less balanced rations are contained in 0 the following mixtures of legumes and ? non-legumes: Italian rye and cowgrass, 1 peas and oats, emerald rye and vetches, c prairie grass and crimson clover, r iPractically a balanced ration consists l- of ensilage made from two iparts by 11 weight of matured maize fodder and one 'f part by weight of lucerne. This is con- '" sidered the finest naturally balanced ra--3 tion in the world for milk or beef pro- '■ duction. Lucerne fed also with prairie d grass or Italian rye or other grasses '• tend to balance the ration; the approxiB mate proportion of each can be figured 5 " readily from tables of nutritive ratios '" supplied by' myself in . bulletin form, I" entitled "Forage Plants and Animal Nu|f trition." j i- The question of labor and absence of '• capital can be overcome td florae extent 8 bv up-to-date machinery, in the purchase f - of which a few farmers might co-oper-n ate. Where the farms are large and a cannot be brought under a rotation sys- ;. tern the taking of half the farm and s subjecting it to intensive treatment * should be feasible. '■ The growing of deep-rooted grasses ; - in tflie mixtures, such as tall oat grass, ■ crested dogstail, sheep's bnrnet, lucerne, 1 together with clovers, should do a great * deal to increase the body of the soil by " the humus supplied by the roots there- ' of upon their decay. 'Seed purchased ! should be as clean as can be obtained, ' for cheap unclean seed is dear at the 1 cheapest pTice. In conclusion, intensive fanning is " needed in TafanaJu with its favorable ' soil and 'climatic conditions, to greatly ; increase tho productiveness of the proJ vince and the individual prosperity of the farmer. Properly handled, intensive cultivation, I make bold to say, will i enable the average farmer of the pro- . vince to produce from half his holding 1 as much as, if not more than, he is now 3 producing from the whole farm. Under 1 such a system it would enable him to i pell half 'his land to advantage and so 9 enable others without land to farm liko--3 wise. Think of what this would mean r to Taranaki and to New Zealand!