DESTROYING SORREL.

Waipukurau Press, Issue 283, 16 July 1908, Page 6

DESTROYING SORREL.

A contributor to the “ Cape Agricultural Journal ’’ says: —“ I had a 60-acre piece of land which was fallowed in August, 1906. By November this land was literally covered with sorrel from side to side as thick as any crop could ever grow on it, and it was flourishing beautifully. Of course, the weed was on the ground before it was fallowed. People asked me what I expected to reap off this laud, and I really did not know. However, in December, 1906, and January, 1907, I constantly kept the sheep on it, and they ate it off, and trod it down, so that it could not run to seed. The last week in January, 1907, I put the cultivators over the land twice in succession, lengthwise and across. The cultivators loosened the soil and dragged out the roots of the weeds in heaps, which 1 collected and burnt. I then allowed six weeks to]pass, And again put the cultivators on, this time once- and followed by the harrow. I thus collected all roots, etc., brought out by the cultivate), and again burnt. You could now search the land from side to side, and would hardly find a single living plant, except under the fence, where the cultivators could not reach. L may mention that between the times of cultivation no rain fell and 1 largely attribute to that my success in killing the weed to such an extent. On four acres of that land I sowed six bushels of oats and three bushels of rye mixed for ensilage and cut off'4o,ooolb. On the remaining extent I put 27 bushels of Rieti wheat, and reaped a return of 25 bushels from one, which I consider good enough.”

MILK SUPPLY INCREASED' BY MANURING.

A unique and valuable experiment in Taranaki is reported in the “New Zealand Farmer.” It. is the top dressing of pasture lands to produce milk. Manuring for roots is a well established success, but manuring heavy grass land to increase the milk supply is a new venture. The object of the experiment was to determine how far the milk yield was effected by the manuring of the pasture For this purpose, a block of fairly uniform land of first class quality (its present value is about £55 an acre) was selected and two plots, each four acres in extent, carefully measured off side by side. In July, 1907, the following mixture was applied to one plot:—lewt 50 per cent, potash manure, and 5 cwt basic slag per acre. Later in the year four cows, known to be about equal, when treated alike were put on the land. Commencing on 15th October, the milk of each cow was carefully measured morning and evening for six weeks. At the end of that time the cows were interchanged on their pasture, and the yield again weighed for six weeks. By thus changing the cows’ pasture, it was hoped to eliminate any difference due to the individuality of one or 1 other of the two lots of cows. The average daily yield per coav on manured land was 45.51 b. and of the cows on unmanured land 41.91 b. Assuming that the ratio of manured to unmanured land would have remained the same throughout the milking season, as it was during the 12 weeks recorded, the difference would be in round numbers 2041 b. increased yield of milk per acre, which at the price paid by the factory to which the milk was* sent,, represents an increased monetary return of 7s per acre for the first season.

inarian of Victoria, has tested the transmissibility of sidebone, an unsoundness which has caused most of the refusals of draught horses under the system of Government certification in vogue in Victoria. He finds that sidebone runs in Here are the results in two cases : — Family A.—s sons and 4 grandchildren examined, all rejected ; 3 grandsons examined, 2 rejected, 1 sound. Total: 13 examined, 11 rejected, 1 sound. Family 8.—5 sons, 4 rejected, 1 sound ; 4 grandsons, 2 rejected, 1 sound ; 3 grand-daughers, all rejected ; 1 g. grand-daughters, rejected. Total: 13 examined, 11 rejected, 2 sound.

MANURING THE OAT CROP.

According to a leaflet issued by the Department of Agriculture and Technical instruction in Ireland, a series of field trials have been conducted in different parts of the country during the past year to test the efficiency of various dressings of artificial manui e for the oat crop. Four dressings were used, including one complete dressing. A plot to which no manure was applied was used for comparative purposes. The individual results were somewhat unequal, but averaging up the yields it appears that the most profit was derived from the use of lewt sulphate of ammonia, 3cwt superphosphate, and 3cwt kainit. The average yield per statute acre was 25cwt 2qr of grain, 48cwt of straw —an increase due to the manures representing in value £3 Ils 4d, as against a manurial cost of £1 12s 3d. The second best results came from lewt of sulphate of ammonia and 3cwt superphosphate, which gave a rather smaller yield and cost less. The use of single dressings, such as 3cwt superphosphate or lewt sulphate of ammonia both showed a profit, but they arc not recommended.