FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1917, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

NE-WS- AND NOTSS. Colder and wetter days to which we have now come suggest tree-plan ting, although Arbor Day is still a long way off. Mr. W. H. Taylor, in the Journal of Agriculture, reminds farmers of what they can do on their own places. He admits that ''reafforestation in its larger aspects is beyond the scope of the farmer, but. there is much in tree-planting that it is reasonable for him to undertake. The example in more extensive planting set by some largo landholders might also be followed with advantage by othersin sin.ilar circumstances. While good work has been done by many farmers, there appears to be wanting among them generally a due appreciation of the Importance of planting trees and of the possibilities afforded in this direction even by a small farm Cattle appreciate the shade of trees in hot sunßhihe, and shelf or from the wind. The yield of pastures is increased by moderate shelter, crops generally thrive better. The country is beautified by planting trees, and the climate improved. Incidentally, values are increased by judicious planting. A well-sheltered farm is more productive than a similar place full exposed to the wind." Mr. Taylor shows how, after all, treejplanting on the farms is a paving proposition.

Referring to a bacterial outbreak in the potato crops in the Pukekohe (Auckland) district, Mr. E. Waters, of the biological section of the Agricultural Department writes thus in this month's issue of the Journal of Agriculture:— "In 1910 the attention of cortain PukeRone poTafo-BBed' growers' Was attracted to damp portions of their land where the plants had wilted and the tubers had been damaged. Such portions, so far as they could judge, however, were discarded. Thug for several years at least the disease has been distributed in the seed, and has recurred in subsequent crops over in increasing area, but only in small propsrtions. Not until about the olose of the last potato season just concluded did the trouble come to assume the iorm" <Sf a serious epidemic. The season was an exceptionally wet one, and accompanied by considerable heat. The conditions evidently favored the disease,' wftch pforiltply exceeded its- usui airy limited bounds, and .destroyed _& number of crops to the extent of from 70 to 76 per ce'ht, according to the wetness of the land, the proportion of disep-»d timers in- the seed, and the time at. v,'. >li. 'the resultant crop's *ere harvested. The area affected probably exceeds 300 acres: The cost of raising this area according to local practice would doubtless be not less %!•> £IO,OOO, while the value" of its yield, estimated- at 2400 tons, would at recent rates be £28,000." "Agr"ic"out," the writer of South Island notes in the farmers' Union Advocate, aays: "A number of applications arc being made far the supply of both seed and manure by the Government. "When, however, farmers come to fix up their they are surprised to find that the GoverhmeM is net finding the money to pay for the seed and the

manure.at once. All that is being done is. to guarantee to a firm or a vendor o? any sort that the money will be" paid after harvest.. That means in reality that someone has to find the motley With the Government guarantee. That may be all right, but it restricts the sale of eecd to a firm. In inariy cases the persons putting in the whou,t would prefer to procure the seed from a neighbour, because it would be known as good seed from a crop that turned out well , The kind of grain had perhaps proved itself to be suitable to the locality, and it would he' a simply matter/ to cart the grain a mile or two or probably less from one holding to another. The arrangement made by the Government would appear to malce deals of that sort impossible unless the' vendor were prepared to stand out of his money till after harvest. That is. not what most farmers, particularly wheat growers, can afford to Perhaps the fields supervisor's may Mve power to alter the conili'.inns to tiiit individual cases, but at firatb lush it looks as if there is a bit of red tape about tho matter, and farmers ..are a .hit disappointed when they find that they cannot' get the seed without having to make arrangements for payment after harvest. However, I believe that a good area will go in with the Government guarantee behind the purchase of the seed and manure."

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