FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 241, 29 January 1898, Page 6 (Supplement)

FARM & GARDEN NOTES.

Tub Weather and The Farm. — There is still no change in the weather, and the bad effects of the drought are daily becoming intensified. Grass is exceedingly scarce, there being little or no growth ; it is a wonder, indeed that there is any, as the land is baked stone dry. Should rain not come before long, the prospect for autumn and winter feed is not bright. The dry spring and summer has made a serious monetary difference to dairymen. Turnip seed, except on specially well tilled land, is not germinating as well as could be desired, owing to the lack of moisture in the soil. We hear that in some instances where a fairly good plant was obtained it was promptly appropriated by " the fly."

Ensilaok. —We commend the article on " Ensilage-making in the Wanganui District " appearing elsewhere in these columns, to the attention of Waikato dairymen.

London Butter Markkt.—The London butter market continues dull, from 9'2s. to 965. being the latest cabled quotations for colonial ; Danish 106 s to 108 s. The supply is excessive. + + + Wheat.—Locally 4s 6d a bushel is obtainable for wheat. Mark Lane prices are from 36s 6d to 40s a quarter — 4s 4Ad to us a bushel.

Wool.—There is a good demand for wool at the present scries of sales in London, and prices are firm.

Entraping the Codlin Moth.—An orchardist at Kyneton, Victoria, has a simple method of entrapping the codlin math. Procure one of the common slicky fly papers, and tie it round a lantern with a lighted candle inside, and at night hang the lamp up among the fiuit trees. The light attracts the moths, and they get stuck on the paper.

Coding with the Small Bird Nuisance.—The Temuka Road Board yard on a recent afternoon presented a very animated appearance for several hours while numbers of boys were delivering up their “ takings ” of small birds’ heads and eggs. The Temuka Leader says that 1000 dozen were delivered by the youngsters, and it was feared for a time that they would “ break the bank.” + + + The Superiority of Channel Island Cattle as Butter Makers.— As some doubt has been expressed among the dairying faculty of the district as to the exceptional richness claimed by Mr A. Gaw, Wyndham’s new statioumaster, for the milk produced by bis herd of Alderney cattle, we (Wyndham Farmer) may say we aro in a position to give some authentic information on that point. Last Thursday morning Jersey and Nancy, two of Mr Gaw’s cows, were milked, and the produce recorded under the supervision of Mr A. Cunningham, oheeaemakcr to Wyndham Dairy Factory. Jersey, which has been seven weeks calved, gave 171 b milk, testing 4 4, and Nancy, four months calved, 151 b milk, testing 5’6. As 4 0 is considered an exceptionally high test for the best strain of dairy cow in general vogue in these parts, it will be seen that the milk of Mr Gaw’s Alderneys is all that is claimed for it in point of richness. Nancy, judging by Thursday morning’s yield of mi'k, must bo giving sufficient to make 131 b butt r weekly.

Raising Crops in Droughty Seasons. —What is known as the “ Campbell system ” of agriculture is (we learn from the Rural New Yorker) being introduced into Kansas and Nebraska, and there are now twelve large experimental farms conducted by the railroads, and the same thing is being tried iu North and South Dakota and Minnesota. The Burlington, Reck Island, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, the Northern Pacific and Great Northern companies are engaged in it, and farmers in the different States are watching the experiments with much interest. The system is for raising field crops without much rain. The soil is first thoroughly pulverised Sin. or 4in. w ith a disc plough or harrow. Then the land is ploughed Sin. or lOin. deep, turning the fine top soil into the bottom of the furrow, and a surface-packer packs the substratum firmly, leaving the top soil loose Sin, deep. Iu the spring the ground is thoroughly harrowed, and the wheat drilled in 24in. or 30in. apart for cultivation during the summer. A wide machine is used, so that a man and two horses can go over 20 to 25 acres a day. The idea is that constant cultivation retains moisture and enables the roots of the plants to make the most of what rain and dew fall, the “ dust blanket ” forming a mulch for the growing grain. + + + Does Feeding Increase Butter fat ? —The question whether tho percentage of butter fat in tho supply of milk depends entirely on the physical character of tho cow, and not to any appreciable extent on the nutritive quality or quantity of the food, is of the greatest importance to the dairy farmer. In the United Kingdom the point was quite recently regarded os settled in favour of the cow. There are some cow-keepers who still believe that food does improve quality, and exchanges show that the subject is being revived again, and later opinions from experts were forthcoming as the results of experiments. A renowned German, Professor Soschlet, has declared that fat can bo fed into the milk if the feeding is properly regulated. The professor holds that cream is part of the body-fat of the cow, and the animal can be assisted iu tho production of this fat. It is contended that experiments which failed to demonstrate this were not properly conducted, hi cause the food was not given in a digestible form. It is a well-known fact that when remarkable yields have been obtained in America from’te-ts the cows have been trained to digest large quantities of rich food. A special diet is algo adopted by exhibitors in tho tests at the great London Dairy Show, and instances in which poorly-fed cows have produced good yields either in quantify or quality, are extremely rare. It is always worth the dairy farmeris while to grow feed for his cows, and it can bo proved that the percentage of butter-fat can bo increased by feeding the case for properly keeping up the cow will be materially strengthened.

Sugar-beet in England.—Sugar-beet growing in Great Britian Biibmiis an experiment of an interesting nature just concluded by an Essex farmer. Having rtceived beet seeds (German and French) from the secretary of the Greenock Beet root Sugar Association, he planted them in a field along side mangel wurzel (which he raises for feeding purposes), giving them the same treatment in every respect. " A sample of the roots, which have now matured, was exhibited iD the Greenock Sugar Exchange a few days ago," writes the Glasgow Herald, 15th November, " and the roots were much admired by the refiners and dealers for their size and quality. Afterwards they weroput to the usual analytical tests by Messrs M'Cowan and Biggart, Greenock, who had certified the saccharine in the roots grown from the Geiman seed ,to be 14-01 per cent. This compares most favourably with the analysis of this year's German crop, 13*97 per cent., and that is looked upon as a record cr.->p. Considering that the Essex crop weighs over 16 tons per acre, at a cost of .I*7 10s., including manures, labour and rent, £gain6t an average of 13 tons for GeiuiaJ-y, it would appear that, give

tho British farmer a fair field, anJ he would be abloto compete successfully with the best beet-growing country in the world—Germany. When it is considered that the quantity of bounty-fed beet sugar consumed in this country is equal to at least 8,000,000 tons of roots per Annum, it need not bo wondered that our British farmers are itching after a share of what would effectually banish their old enemy agricultural depression, from the door. T) + + + Oats AS Feed.—The exciting influence of onts in the feedtrg of horses has been at'ribnted to the presence of an alkaloid, the latter being accept'd as ri siding in the pellicle which covers the kernel of the graim. At best the m itter has never been reliably autheptioate.l, though not unfrequently discussed. M. Ballaud now brings the question to an issue ; he is perhaps the highest fcientfic authority upon organic, or rather alimentary, chemistry in France. He is the head of the pharmaceutical department of the army, and so has to control all products intended either as foods or medicaments for the troops. He has just informed the Academy of Soic-nots that having made 1000 analyses of several varieties of oals grown on different soils and in several regions he has not found a trace of any alkaloid that some scientists asserted imparted the fiery stimulus to horses rationed on that graiD. On the contraiy, he has discovered the prejence of an essential oil in small quantties that could well explain the exciting influence of oats on the internal conomy. M Ballandinsistsod the factthatoatsconstitute a complete food ; their fatty matter never descends below 3, and can rise as high as 7, percent. The saccharii e or staichy matter varies from 60 to 64 per cent., and the nitrogenous substances from 7 to 14. The weight of 100 grains of the cereal ranged from 1 4-5 to 4& grammes. There are 30 grammes in an ounce. The weight of the kernel or amande of the grain constitutes from 61 to 74 par cent, of the total weight of the oat. So long as oats remain encased in their shell they can be conserved for an indefinite period, but once shelled •and giound tho output rapidly undergoes change, due to the decomposition of the f,tty matters. The outside husk is very adherent, and enables the cereal to becorserved, although it resists mastication. The chemical composition of oits is very fluctuating, and to obtain a fixed resu't the output of a well-defined but not extensive region should furnish sampln3 for analysis, It would be an error to rely too much on the colour of oats as indicative of quality ; thus the white oats of Russia are more nutritive, but in France the percentage of kernel would be less in white than in black oats,

Lucerne as a Fodder Crop.—Mr M. Murphy, secretary of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, has writen the following interesting letter to the Weekly Press:-"I have always been a great advocate for growing lucerne in suitable soil, believing it to be superior to any other forage plant, especially in dry seasons. To test the soundness of this theory I had an eighth of an acre trenched two feet deep in August, 189 G. The soil is of fairly good quality resting in a sauily clay loam and dry (lucerne will not thrive 0:1 cold wet soils). The seed was sown in September, 1896, in drills 9in apart. 2J,lb of seed was sown, which mean 3 at the ra'e of 20lb per acre. The first crop was cut in November, just ten weeks after sowing. With a visw to ascertaining the weight of green stuff per acre at each cutting, a square perch was accurately measured ofF, cut and weighed. The exact weight was 1781 b, or tons of green soiling each cutting. This was then made into hay and again carefully weighed, when it was found to turn the scale at 421 b, equal to 3 tons per acre, or 12 tons of hay at four cuttings. I am now (January !sth) cutting the third crop, equally as good a 9 the two preceding ones, and I have little doubt but that I shall get two more crops. The fouith crop following is 9to 12 inches high. I consider that one acre treated as above would furnish an ample supply of green fodder morning and evening dining the hottest months of the year for at least s'x dairy cows. My plot of 20 perches kept a pony in'half-niade hay from the middle of October till the middle of April list year. The value of lucerne as a fodder plant is amply illustrated on the Asylum Farm at Sunnyside, where it is grown systematical'y and Mr W. White sent'.-', p'oton the Lincoln road, wi liiti the city, is also another striking object lesson. Surely the exigencies of this present season, when'da'ry farmers are at their wits' end to supply feed to their dairy stock, should set them thinking. I will guarantee that anyone who will take the trouble and spend a little cash iu preparing a paddock of suitable soil for lucerne will have no cause to regret the expenditure. In conclusion my advice is, do it well or let it alone. I may add that my crop has not been artificially watered."

Small Fabms Well Tilled.—ln a country like ours, with a sparse population and rolling acres almost wholly di voted to pastoral uses, the need for small farms has not yet arisen ; but as the area of agricultural land of the first quality is limited, there wculd be a great gain to the community at largo if the best land were cut up into small farms. I kuow tbe Government have, in their varied settlement schemes, placed families on areas of land from 20 to 50 acres in extent, and that in a great number of cases where the land is not even third-rate In quality. These people have a hopeless struggle before them ; but many a family could live in comfort upon 50 acres of first-class land within easy distance of a market, while from 100 acres they could quietly obtain an independent competency. But on these small farms the methods of cultivation must be varied. It would not do to glow wheat and oats to any great extent, and very often milking cows are found tobe tbe best investment. If agriculture is to be the chief business of the small farmer, then he must introduce variety into his husbandry. High culture and variety must be his keynote. If be grows a small field of wheat, then he wants that field to yield him 50 bushels to the acre, or if oats he should aspire to not less than 70 bushels to tbe acre. If he has a fitld of potatoes, he wants to dig not less than 15 to 20 tons to the acre, and so on all along the line. The small farmer can afford to do this if he will faym according to well-known principles, and base bis yield upon the amount and quality of tbe manure he uses. The small farmer can better afford deep cultivation than the man with broad acres, who has to depend upon the aggregate rather than the yield of each separate field. Proper drainage, deep tillage, and ample manuring are the tbrce main considerations that should occupy the attention of the smallfarmer. There should beno waste land on a small form—-every corner should be uti]issdforsomepurpoße,andnotonesquare yard allowed to lie unproductive. Variety of product is another valuable consideration, especially where a market is obtainable. To the "small, farmer, if to any man, the advice " never "put all your eggs in one basket" ought to bo given. Never depei.d upon one harvest, for wind and weather are treacherous, and a single storm may beggar you. It is wiser, therefore, to combine mixed agriculture and grazing. Grow sufficient cereals to mcut tbe requirements of tbe home, the stable, the dairy, and the fowl run. Hero a small field of wheat, there another of oats, yonder a field of p jtatocs, round tho home stead a well-kept kitchen garden and orchard, and here and there rich fields of grass. All this may seem difficult of attainment, but it is possible and, what is more, profitable if gone about in the right way. A thousand farms of 100 acres each cultivated up to the very highest stago of productiveness would be worth a great deal more than 100 farms of 1000 acres each not uti ised up to half their capacity. —Wituesa.