AGRICULTURAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1061, 30 January 1883, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL.

(By our Special Reporter.) Continued.

Unforseen circumstances prevented my supplying a letter on my tour through the c umtry districts to the last issue ‘ The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft aglee,’ says the poet, it was eo with me. I was not able to carry out my intentions, but I hope to do so in the future. I have already referred to my horse ‘ Jumbo.’ I have parted with him. He wasjtoo intelligent, his hide was too thick, too insensible to whipping, and I let him go. I have in his stead a mare of the best of her kind, as the following anecdote will show. The mare I have now was observed by a man in this town tied up at a certain 1 ! place, and as she had been a long time standing there he took pity on her, untied her, and turned her towards her home. He drove her a good part of the road homewards, flinging stones after her as she appeared reluctant <0 go, but no sooner had he turned his back to her than she returned back to where she was tied, and remained standing there until her master returned. I have never heard an instance of faithfulness on the part of horse or mare equal to this, and as it is well deserving of mention I give it to my readers. EPWOETH. And now to proceed with an account of my jonrneyings. The first place I came to was Mr Daniel McCallum’s bacon-curing establishment, which is near Mr John Meyers’ place at Ep worth. Mr McCallnm’s place is built under the shadow of tall trees, and is very wbll adapted for the line of business in which he is engaged . I have mentioned in a previous article that I believed pigs to be a very lucrative industry, and I could find here further evidence of it, as Mr McCallum appeared to have a good deal of work in hand, and to do a roaring trade. He kills the pigs at ahieighbouriog slaughterhouse, and cures the bacon here, after which ho despatches it away to Wellington, where there is a good market for as much as he can send.

Adjoining is Mr John Meyers’ farm of 100 acres. Mr Meyers has a very snug place, and evidence of industry is everywhere apparent. At either side of the avenue leading into the house from the Epworth road are all kinds of flowers growing, and arrongst them are rare plant?, as sugar cane, maple, water lillies, and manyjother plants, of which I did not aijcertain the name. From this avenue one proceeds to the house through a grove, which is deserving of mention, The trees are planted in circular rows around the house, and between rows of forest trees are rows of apple, pear, plum, and other fruit trees. The forest trees protect tho

fruic trees from the inclemency of the weather, and consequently are not so liable to I light. Inside the inner circle of trees is a piece of laud laid out, around which runs a carriage drive, and on a raised mound, well sheltered amongst the trees, is Mr Meyers’ residence. All kinds of ornamental and forest trees, and also fruit trees, are growing all round, and there are two running creeks teaming with trout. Mr Meyers lias lived here 20 years, and has made a very snug nest for himself.

Mr Eli Mitchell’s farm on the Waitohi Plains was the next I visited. It contains 320 acres, which is divided into II paddocks by gorse fences. The land is excellent for wheat growing, and 80 acres of it produced a splendid crop this year. In the winter time Mr Mitchell has a good supply of water in a couple of creeks which run through his land, but these are dry for the most part of the year, and the necsssity for sinking wells arises. Water is obtained by sinking to a depth of about 26ft, and Mr Mitchell has several pumps sunk on his farm. Mr Mitchell was the first to call my attention to the grub of which farmers complain so much. It is a diminutive but destructive creature, being, if I am informed rightly, a worm about an inch in length, and the way it gets its living is by eating the roots of the grass. In this way it prevents the grass from growing, and whenever one goes he meets with acres of land rendered barren by the grub. The only remedy which, so far as I know, farmers have found to demolish the grub , is to Ft pigs loose in the paddocks where it is doing harm. The pigs, as a rule, have good digestive organs—they are not very particular about what they eat.andit is not very easy to put their gastronomical machinery out of order by any kind of food—and so they root into the ground and fare sumptuously on the grub. Oxe could moralise upon this. There is the poor grub trying to get its living calmly and quietly underneath the ground, and here is the pig digging for it just to appropriate it to its own use and benefit, and then the farmer confiscates the pig to his own profit, in turn. I could just deliver a good sermon on thD, but as I have no license to preach I will pass it by. I have a notion of my own concerning the grub. I am told that if strong grasses are sown the grub cannot affect them and if chat be true, that is one way of diminishing its destructive capabilities But to ray mind more than this can bo done. It strikes me that the only way to get rid of the grub is to use lime on the land. If lime is thrown into a river it will kill all the fish in it for several miles distance, and consequently I have come to the conclusion that lime would kill the grub also. Beside this lime would improve the immensely. There is no other manure so good. I have seen farmers buying the limestone in a quarry, carting it a distance of from 10 to 15 miles, burning it in a kiln, and then turning it out on their land. It is known to be one of the most active chemical agents for breaking up old compounds in the soil nndjforming new ones. It disintegrates some substances which in their compound state are detrimental to growth, decomposes various matters which it finds in the soil, quickens action, and thus stimulates the chemical properties of the soil in the direction of promoting growth. It also improves the quality of the crops. Potatoes grown cn lime-manured land are far superior in quality to those grown on land on which no lime has been used, and so on with other crops. I believe that lime would change the character of the Waitohi district completely. So far as I saw, in tliat district the soil is composed in a large measure of stiff yellow clay, when one goes a little down from the surface. It is very dense and cold, and there is nothing that can open it up and bring its chemical properties into action but lime. A coat of lime ploughed into the soil would make it yield a good deal more grass, and I am sure destroj the grub. It would break up the solid clay, make it more friable, and double its facilities for absorbing heat and moisture, two elements so desirable to vegetation. Now I do not suppose that my advice will be taken. Like all other people, farmers set very little value on the advice of persons who do not happen to be engaged in the occupation of tilling (he soil. Still I feel convinced that there is something in the suggestion 1 am about to make, and consequently, although I have very little hope tliat it will bo adopted, I shall make it. In the immediate vicinity of Waitohi there is, I am toll, an inexhaustible supof limestone and coal, just all that is necessary for the production of lime. My suggestion is that the farmers of Waitohi should put their heads together and form a company' for burning lime. I have spoken to some on the sub jset already, but I was told that it would not pay. It may 7 be so, but I think it would be worth while inquiring into the matter. If land could be properly manured with lime at therate of £1 per acre it would be cheap, and if the fanners would form themselves into a co-opera-tive association for the production of lime I believe it could be done much cheaper than that. Of course I cannot furnish details as to cost, that could be easily ascertained, and I may yet be able to give fuller information on the subject. But one thing I know, and that is this : that if it pays farmers at Homo who pay

heavy rents fur their lands to buy limestone and carl it a distance of from 10 to 15 miles, cut and save peat, for burning it, then turn it and cart it on the land, it ought to pa}' here, where coal and limestone can be had for very little. The quantity of lime which is required to manure land varies according to quality. 1 fancy that from three to five tons of lime would amply manure land in the Waitohi district, and that no more would be necessary for perhaps ten years, so tilts if the benefit which is to be derived fi om it during those years is taken into consideration it will be found cheap. My suggestion may not bo adopted just yet. but u day will come when farmers will open their eyes to the necessity of it. (To he continued.)