RURAL TOPICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9120, 20 June 1908, Page 5

RURAL TOPICS.

(By "Agricola.")

THE WEATHER

The mild spring-like weather of late has this week given place to cold, rain, and snow —the latter has fallen in many parts of the district, the Tararuas receiving a heavy coating down to the foothills. Te Rungitumau has received its winter baptism, and rain has been general throughout the Wairarapa. The country roads are becoming very sloppy, and will soon cut up badly I should the present climatic conditions | continue. Outdoor occupations have been almost at a standstill during the week. Sheep have recovered so much from the drought, and are in such excellent condition that farmers are satisfied that no great loss will accrue through the winter. The weather wise predict that the remainder of the winter will be cold and dry, followed by an early spring. NEW FORAGE PLANTS. Anything that will tend to a greater production of food stuff for our ilocka and herds is worthy of attention. , There are several plants new to the Dominion which are very Utile known, and which would fulfill this desirable end. So far they have not been brought prominently before the public and under the notice of settlers. Two of these include the Meiilot clovers. Melilotus Oflicenalis, a pea clover, and the Bok Karra, a Melilotus Alba—both these clovers are allied to one another, and have many of the same valuable ohara. teristics—both enrich the ssil by tixing and storing up nitrogenious matter in it, and converting even pure sand into rich loamy soil. They make good hay and excellent ensilage, and aie estimated as producing more nutriment than lucerne, and even the best of our clovers at present cultivated. The pea clover is an annual, with a small yellow flower, and bears se°d liberally ami propogates- itself. It yields from five tj six toi.s of green food to the acre. The Bok Karra clover is perennial, and grows yearly a large amount of fodder, arid should be kept well-sto.-ke:! and not allowed to grow too rank, or it may become bitter to the laste.. {t comes in profit at an early age, is easily cultivated, it being only requisite to pi'.ugh and barrow the ground well and sow the seed at the rate of 2Clb ner acre. One merit it has which should be taken note of by the dairyman is that it produces a very lareje amount of feed which becomes available "earlier" than any other fodder plant ordinarily cultivated; another point in its f?.vour is that t it- does not in- , part an unpleasant flavour to either milk, butter or cheese. Another valuable grass is !he Phelau's Commatata, which is reputed ss being the ideal one for the dairyman to cultivate, it i.s claime.) for it that it grojvs withuut cessation throughout the winter season, and is not afftcied injuriously by either "drought" or "frost." It is easily grown, and can be e.ither surface sown on burnt ground or on ploughed land—the best time to sow is before the autumn rains set in. The seed should be sown thinl>, as th« plants stool out widely. The fodder is like maize, sweet in flavour, and is as nutritious as our bast i nown grass's.

The last variety that I have at iresent to deal with is known as ran?. - him Virgatum, for which ii claimed all the advantages of Paspalium uililatum, and is said to be much relished by stock. Paspalium Dililatum has been sown on several properties in ihe Wairarapa, but so far it is rot known with what success, if this meets the eyes of anyone who has experimented with it I should be pleased to know the result, and would give publicity to it. As probably most of the seeds of the fodder plants above mentioned cannot be procured in quantity, and some perhaps not at all, our progressive seed merchants might accept the bint and import them so that settlers could be in a position to experiment wiiih them. FIRES ON WOOL AND FLAX SHIPS.

The recent enquiry into the cause of the outbreak of fire on the "lonic"' has elicited very little, and nothing satisfactory has resulted,! Several theories were suggested and put forward, one of which was that the flax came in contact with something extraneous and inflammable, e.g. matches —and upon this I presume to makj a few comments. That matches being mixed with either wool or flax may become a means of ignition at a certain atage of temperature is quite within the region of possibility, and it is also pretty well known that matches do become so mixed. In nearly every woolshed in the Dominion, at shearing time, smoking is indulged in within the building, on the shearing board, wool room and elsewhere, and it is no uncommon occurrence to find matches dropped here "and there on the floor, eventually to be swept up among the wool and pressed in the bales. Instances have been of a whole box of matches being found among wool. It is well-known that phosphorojs. of which match heads are largely composed, ignite at a very moderate temperature, and if they are mixed with damp wool it is quite on the cards that when such wool becomes heated to a certain extent that the matches would take lire and supply the vita! spark which would be the means of setting 'tire to the whole mass. WOOL CLASSING. It was mooted that the Managers of the Technical School proposed to have this very necessary subject taught. One or two meetings have tgken place since, but no steps have been taken to further the question. Ic is really open to argument if so much good would result from such teaching, as by competent men being appointed to visit the farmers' shearing sheds and give practical demonstration of what is required to be done to get up wool for the market.