AGRICULTURAL. PUTTING UP FENCES BY MACHINERY.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 223, 9 May 1872, Page 8

AGRICULTURAL. PUTTING UP FENCES BY MACHINERY.

A correspondent in the "Toronto Globe " writes : — " I was lately much amused at a novel way of putting up fence posts. The implement employed was a ' pile-driver,' made as ordinarily used, with about twelve feet drop for the* ram, and constructed of much lighter materials. The scantling was only 2x6 inches, with the exception of the sills, which "were stronger, and made of hard wood to facilitate moving about, an operation which was performed by the same oxen that raised the ram. The ram itself was composed of the butt of an oak log, six feet long, headed with iron at its lower end, and about sixteen inches in diameter. Grooves were ploughed on it at each side, so as to admit of it readily moving in the guides. It was hoisted by a yoke of oxen attached to a rope. About three blows drove the post nearly four ieet in the earth, and almost all went quite straight. A few — one here and there — were crooked, but these, T was told, would be pulled straight with the cattle, or dug out at the foot?s» as to allow of their being pressed over, until they all came in a direct line. I was informed that this course was a great saving of labour, and where quickly handled, . the time that each post required to be driven was only a few minutes." By adopting this plan of putting in the posts, and using galvanised wire instead of wooden rails, the cost of fencing would be reduced to a minimum. We recommend our country settlers to give the plan a trial.

The following quotation is from that useful little volume, " How Crops Grow " :—": — " While it is the almost universal result of experience in temperate regions that agricultural seeds germinate most surely when sown at a depth, not exceeding lin. to 3in., there are circumstances under which a widely different practice is admissible or even essential. In the light porous soil of the gardens of Newhaven (U.S.) peas may be sown Gin. or Bin. deep without detriment, and are thereby better secured from the ravages of the domestic pigeon. H. Hoffmann, experimenting in » light, loamy sand upon twentyfour agricultural and market garden seeds, found that all perished when buried 12in. When planted lOin. deep, peas, vetches, beans, and maize alone came up ; at Bin. there appeared, besides the above, wheat, millet, oats, and barley ; at 6in., those already mentioned, together with sugar beet ; at 4in. in depth, the above, and mustard, white clover, hemp, and turnips ; finally, at 3in., lucerne also appeared. Hoffmann states that the deep-planted seeds generally sprouted the most quickly, and all early differences in development disappeared before the plant blossomed."

The rule for ploughing in* England is regulated according to the nature of the soil and the kind of crop intended to be grown. For instance, for wheat crop the deptb. v varies from five to six inches ; barley and oats four to five inches ; beans and peas, six to eight inches ; and for mangold wurtzel, turnips, carrots", parsnips, and cabbages, the- soil should be ploughed from ten fe fourteen inches. But once in four years it is undoubtedly essential to thoroughly plough/ or smash up the soil to the depth of two or more feet, where the'depth of the soil will allow the implement to penetrate. 'The best instance known of this kind of farming is the Britannia Farm, the property of Messrs. J,_and F. Howard, the emi-

neat manufacturers of all kinds of agricultural implements at Bedford, England. Previous to .the Messrs. Howard purchasing their farm, it had been occupied for many years by a very respectable tenant, who used to drain shallow and. plough shallow;. The consequence was, his crops were upon an average fair crops, but in indifferent seasons the crops were quite inferior. * The Messrs. Howard purchased this farm for about £4<O per acre, and after the purchase drained the whole of the farm four feet deep, and about thirty- % three feet apart from drain to drain. They then smashed the whole tract of land up to the depth of twelve to eighteen inches. They still continue to cultivate very deep, and as to their crops, upon an average during the past eight years no better or finer are produced in England. If the same property was to be .sold it would now bring £100 an acre. All this vast improvement was entirely brought about by thorough deep cultivation with the celebrated steam ploughs. It is very plain that much of the soil of this country could be improved in like manner, if the steam plough or smasher were introduced and used freely.