ERGOT IN RYE AND OTHER GRASSES.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 665, 16 September 1876, Page 2

ERGOT IN RYE AND OTHER GRASSES.

TiißCsn'crbury Agiii-ulturaland Pas'or*l Association latoly offcied a prize f>t the best cs?ay on Jirgot la Kyo and otiier Grassed, and to ihe couruay of Mr Making, iheiecvetaiy of the Association, wo ure indebted for an ear y copy of the prsze essay from the pen of Alp Thojna* Muun. Many of our settlers have tipeiienced and compl nnwl of t,u port, und some little corre-.pondeno« rvla*i <q thereto hm taken pluce. Wo ]>ub *h therefore in to-day* is<aie the latter portion of the essay winch, the whole b*i 14 loi lengthy for cur co'iimus, will be tin most interesting portion of it to our Waikato readers :—: — " Knowiiij;, as we do. thai er»oted f od is unwliolfboiua und poi-o.ious, und t'mt took rarrly pai it un em dnren to it for want of better, or nccishnally as it were by mistake, we moist eoniequontli, in order to remedy Iho er\\ .s fir »» possible, remove th • eati c. This will best bo done by providing tln-in with inoro suitable food, <fee, which muy be done in a variety of wayi, soino of whi h I will proiently mention. Al*o, by <.aieful>y guarding ug.iiHSt OTcr-.»tocking, and where pracMuabli*, by reniovi »q them to hi^h and diy situations in xrt>b weather, &.C. I »in now more part cularly Bpcaking of fheep (especially young ones), wliijli are inoro lial le to receive injury; »J>d Huch need and ctesorvo onr brsl aiicniioi), and will, I beheVL-, give a better isturn for aoi>d trentinent tlmn of any other kind or s.ock. In»t <il (f expecting and endeavouring to force them 10 improve and make the land for u§, ai I beliere u sometimes Iho ca«e, we choulda^ farai |jos*iblo i nprovu the pastures, &•, for ihoinj Fortunately, the soil and china l c of .Newt Zealand are well adapted to the growth cf a great variety of plnnta suitable for tin* purpiir, which are uiufTected by evgnt, suoh as every variety of clover, including cow graa«, trefoil, sainfoin, Lucerne, ami the lik'', the belt noed obtainable being used. At the present lime a vist quaulity of inferior and dumiged gran i* sown, and this nny poidibly have some* thing to do with the tpiead of ergot We all know that a tingle imut ball it sufficient to affect a sack of wh^at, and that grass iceds are I able to be similarly affected from that, and many other dneaies. Hence, too moth care CJiiDot be taken in selecting such feeds for sowing. And I would hero call Iha attei.tiou of Etockowners generally to a in st vtiliirtble paper on the erasers and forage ptunts brit adapted to New Z aland, read by Mr Mr R Wilkin at a mt^ling of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association a short time tiuoe, which is tow m irint. I am aituro that I «iit drifting soraenrhat from the central point; of mquiry, but I have done so considering preventio 1 is better thin cure, and believing, as I do, that i' u to the former that we must principally look tor relief, alt hough. 1 do not think it probable that ho bug us present exitti q eaus ■ mm in operation we can reasonably hon|W bo eutiroly free from ergot or our BloSk from its t'lTfds Still a great deal tuny doubtless be done to check its progr«-s« ; for the more pastures thataro lenderod free frtin dne.i«e by judicious management the Ins likely are other* io beCjm* affect -d. lh» la 1 c remark wi.l auplj to stock. As every organ isod tiructure boc)nitB ni)ra exposed to dintuicd i^duenc s, it lojos the condition necessary to bt-aitliy giowth aid paLi-w uutntiju, thy wpudti-ju ut'

the disease J Iroua tho kienllhy h ulw.iyd advisable, let the ailment be what it iv w. Frequent mowings would greiifly c!u«ck Jhe spread of ergot, tho pasture should be imorovei and dry food provided f,r the ■toik ; the later at cc tsin seasons of tho Ve»r they greatly n e<l, especially m tin* Province lustancui hive octurrocl hero, where a HouL of -h-Hti hud tho run to -\ •tack of straw, Mid co.iaun.uil the greater poilion of it, aud dented gr-«\t bcu tit from mt iloiu>{ S tit it al-o hi^lilv ionduoive to their h^nlth, miui iuui u should bo pUoed within their retuh, w> that th.-y ould lmvo a lick whru tiny r-qunc 1 . 2'Lo uxpeiue would bo but tnlinig, and thj bon«lit would be gvcat. li would be found that occasionally iljpv would travel mill's to get to a lump of rook s ilt, and liMvi.ig it, they would be less liable to bo injured by er^ot. some pastures would be greatly improved by thi appli ution of a little lime, O h r« by a dretsing of eruihed bones ; and though I h.we only been a short time in the oolouy, I have learned (hat fool crops ot iljver are now grown on Inn 1 that had bean completely cropped out by r»|jeatedly sowing i f with wheat and ryegrits*. it wm afterwards sown with turnip and rape, followed with cloter, whu-k Ii8« been oocasijnally mown. The soil ii now greatly enriched, free from w««ds, nodcirrici four times tho stock thitit formerly did, while the weight of v« >l h»* increased tfixfold, and ergot has ceaied to be injurious. To mm op . Er^ot is a disease occ - sionily found in ail kinds ol grasses and many sorts of grain i» most countries. Ornsses m this country <New Zealand) hare been more ot loss affect e I by ergot since the importation of seed from abroad. It* spreid may bo chocked by tho growing of suou plauts as ar« froe from tho «lii«ait."