THE YEOMAN.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume I, Issue 23, 8 June 1867, Page 3

THE YEOMAN.

The weather during the whole of last week was exceedingly unfavorable to the sowing of wheat crops, and but few’ farmers have at present been able to do more than .prepare the ground for this important operation. The low prices which at present rule for this grain have naturally the effect of preventing its extensive cultivation here, and however unfortunate it may be to have to consume flour in this inland and fertile district, which is the produce of crops grown in Chili or South Australia, we shall continue to do this, while it can be sold in Wellington at £l2 per ton, and labor-saving machines are not more extensively employed 1 than they have hitherto been in the Wairarapa.

The following seasonable hints taken from a recent number of the u Australasian,” may prove useful or interesting to on ragricultural readers, though they may be more applicable to the soil and climate of Australia than to those of this country.

Sowing Wheat —In proportion to the earlincss of the sowing a small reduction may be made from the accustomed quantity of seed, as upon good soils two bushels sown in the early part of the season are equal to three sown later. Sift over your samples of seed ccrn to free them from the seeds of drake, charlock, sorrel, &c. Steep the seeds as usual before sowing. Lucerne.—The earlier this forage crop is sown the better, if the land is moist enough to germinate the seed; sow in drills twenty-one or twenty-four inches apart to allow of horsehoeing. Lucerne produces but indifferently in most localities (especially upon a dry soil), when treated as an ordinary grass pasture, periodical cultivation seems essential to its success.

In laying down land in pasture, supposing that it has been used for corn or hay growing, it should be properly cleaned, tilled and manured, thus ensuringa good start tor the young plant, for it may be depended upon, that should not the first growth come evenly and strong, there will be but little chance of the after success of the grasses or clovers. On this account, if for no other reason, corn crops should be dispensed with, when the land is laid down, as the corn is certain to cause a weakly growth in the young grasses, besides extracting so much of the fertility from the soil.' Proportionate quantities of seeds per acre of various crops.—Some farmers sow the same weight of ; seed per acre be the land clay or light loam ; this is a great mistake especially .as regards grasses and.other light seeds; stiff lands should be allowed one-third more seed. Lucerne about ten pounds per acre in drills. Five, seven, and three pounds per acre respectively of carrots, mangold, and turnip seed may be allowed the extent of land on which you grow each. Some farmers intend sowing upwards of sixty pounds of prairie grasees seed per acre, alleging that they do not get a close sward under the usual thin sowing. We • are indebted to the “ Bruce Herald,” an excellent Journal published at Tokomairiro, for the following-: Straw is of little monetary value, except in the immediate neighbourhood of large towns, where a generally ready market can be obtained for it,, at a price which is supposed to pay the farmer better than by its conversion into manure. In such localities, manure can easily be obtained, and we believe, in most cases, the results warrant the practice ; although, from the bulky nature of the material, and its expensiv cartage, jwe should think the actual profit very small; and to derive the most profitable result, the growth and sale of root crops on a large scale would require to be carried on. In situations far removed from a market, and facilities for procuring town-made manure, it would be absurd to estimate the intrinsic value of straw by its market price; and, in fact, its sale is still, in some old leases in Scotland, expressly forbidden. We must, therefore, calculate its value from its qualities ofkeeeping

stock, and as litter for purposes of manure. Manure made by cattle consuming staw alone, is of very inconsiderable value; but when used in conjunction with other feeding substances, its manurial properties are greatly augmented —indeed, so much so, that from its being such an excellent medium for retaining and applying the richer portions of these substances, straw may be approximately valued as nearly equivalent with the money value obtained in town. The price obtained in Dunedin is now quoted at £2 per ton. Let us enquire whether its conversion into manure by the farmers of Tokomairiro, would not be more profitable than its sale at such price. In making this enquiry, it will be necessary to bear in mind the expenses connected with the loading, carting, &c., of straw for town, at, say, a distance of five miles, which will materially reduce the actual receipts. The quantity of straw produced per acre, differs according to circumstances —Ist, the kind of grain; 2nd, the seasons, for in dry seasons, the quantity is less than in moist; 3rd, the soil, for in fertile soils, the straw is more abundant than in poor ones; 4th, and the manner in which the straw is cut, for an inch or two at the root end of the straw makes a great addition to the dunghill. We have seen some very elaborate tables as to the produce of straw, over a series years, and of different crops; and we have ourselves, daring nineteen yeaas experiance in East Lothian, noted such facts, and from all these data, we judge that on an average of all crops, the produce of straw may be assumed to be I ton 5 cwt per acre.