AGRICULTURAL& PASTORAL

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 183, 10 August 1871, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL& PASTORAL

GRASS LANDS. We can scarcely overrate the importance of a thorough and liberal topdressing for all land laid down in English grasses. No time should, therefore, be lost (weather permitting) in applying to ail such land a heavy dose of good compost, being particular to break well the clods before spreading the heaps with the shovel. After a top-dressing has been well brushharrowed, grass-seed for renovating may 1 be sown in ooen, dry weather, as the rain will wash it in, and, in a measure cover the seed. Very heavy topdressings should be well chain-har-rowed as soon as spread, and when heavy doses of compo.st are not washed in properly to the roots of the grass, it may be advisable to harrow a second time ; but much will, of couise, depend upon the weather. The large quantities of artificial fertilisers, superphosphates, ect., containing calcareous matter, now used upon arable land, supply limo to the different crops grown in rotation, but laud laid for'; I uennanent pasture also requires lime' i to supply what is, annually taken from jii in the grass and hay consumed by I Cattle, If .lime, therefore, be naturally : deficient in the laud it must be supI plied . artificially j and ,tbis, in ,the'i inajprity of easefyis best, done in jthe | •farm of life compost. In forming such composts, all sorts of refuse and earth j ! Containing vegetable matter is collected ( iuto heaps and mixed wib'.i lime, parings of road*, and refuse generally, the" Whole" of' waich should' receive one or .two turnings. There id^no exact rule as to the qu mttty of liine'requiredijbr a cubic yarJ of earth, much depends upon the nature of-the ground and the effect wished for.-. A: bushel .to a cart load is, generally, usetj, but some use more, an 1 others less.- In the form of compost, a small -quantity of lime pro^ duc-s a very favourable effect, when, applied to grass, land in need'thereof

and well harrowed in. In cases where previous liming has been neglected, and where regetable matter accumulates above, and; below, with bottom sourness, theVpompost may require to consist of. considerable lime- This kind of dressing is often very beneficial in keeping down both insects and W weeds, as well as promoting early growth. We particularly noticed eight acres of English grass and clovsrs that had been thoroughly top-dressed last season at Mr. S. Hunt's farm, LancenVld. It was a grand crop, almost entirely free from weeds, was cut on the i4th of December, 1870, and averaged nearly three tons of splendid hay to the acre. There was also a small breadth adjoining, which did not receive a dressing, and the difference was something wonderful. It is proper to add that grass seeds are very easily buried. The covering should on no account exceed half an inch, even though the soil be friable and well softened. English grasses do not succeed on ground very wet: therefore drainage on such land is absolutely necessary. The seeds chosen vary, of course, with the character of the soil, the quantity required generally amounting in all to some two bushels of light seeds and 121 b. of heavy seeds to the acre. — Melbourne " Weekly Times." Most farmers are in the habit of turning their stock into the newlyseeded clover immediately after the grain which covered the land, and acted as a mulch to protect the young plants from the scorching sun of summer, has been cut and removed. This is one of the great causes of failure. The younjr plants at this "time want to have every chance given them to increase in size and cover the ground, so as to act as a mulch to their own roots. It is better to leave such fields entirely shut up from stock until at least the end of September, when, if there is a good growth of strong plants with a heavy top, it will do no harm to feed down with stock to only a moderate extant, that is, just so much as will still leave the plants .strong and vigorous to resist the winter frosts. With a very weak thin grchvth of plants, it would be better to keep stock out altogether and try what can be done to increase the grass «*rop by seeding timothy on the land in September, giving aiight harrowing * immediately after sowing the timothy, % and a dressing of superphosphate, which will greatly stimulate the young", clover. The young timothy can stand ' the winter well, and will commence to' tiller out at oneo after .starting,*' so that, with a favourable autumn season, we should expect, the following year's grass crop to be a fair one so far as covering the ground goes.— " Canada Farmer." ' 4 At a late agricultural meeting in England, Lord Lytton said : — " We cannot conceal from ourselves that for * several years past a transition state of agriculture has been in operation, and that it must continue in increased activity and force. There is a growiug persuision that a much larger amount of capital than was formerly needed is now required for the due cultivation of the soil. Small farms are being somewhat rapidly melted into large ones, and that old class -of farmers whom we may fairly call worJc-invr-farrnera, who had little other capital tl.an their own bodily labour and the scanty savings of their own careful thrift — that class is either rapidly disappearing, or, where it exists to any great extent, is engaged in a life-and-death struggle against the competition of neighbouring tenants, with i all" the costly advantages of machinery and science at their command, perhaps with some resources at their banks* which enable them to resist the pressure of adverse seas ms and fluctuating markets? That change began long before the repeal of the Corn-laws — (Hear, hear) — but that repeal gave to the change an irresistible impulse. The change, is inevitable, and jf it is for the good of the community I cannot say that it is not Whatever brings to any .description of business a higher degree of education and a larger amount of capital is ntxt<a change which any sound reasoner can depreoate or "lament."

In* Holland machinery is a good deal used on the larger farms for thrashing winnowing} crushing, and suchlike purposes, but rarely for ploughing and reaping, though some machines for this have lately been introduced here and j'there. Hitherto agricultural maohinery hus l>een imported from England and ■'Americo,. but recently the Dutch have .begun' to make it f»>r themselves. Ma- , oh^nerjp ' has hitherto been but little introduced on to the Hamburg farms althVouah some thrashing machines, . woi&'etl by hoise-power and steanv renpe^tlvely, are t*> be" seen. , Thermal! sige^of the farms would in many cases reiider the use of machinery an unnecesiwjy f expense. - In the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein some machinery has been introduced of late years, and ; thmshih?, sowing, and mowing mai chines are now to be seen on tbe pro* >.perties of both Che faiirers and of tka peasants. In the- Dncbiea of 3&xe-Cohurg-Go&ba no machinery ia employed" on sta ill properties, as there is no wont . of labourers. In the grand Duohy of Baden machines for cutting hay and .roots as well as thrashing machines are used inlaid of manual labour. Geneis ally mowing machines havj been jntrod nc§d 7n trial, but have" m yet macte - ( but lifctje progress,