The Waikato Times.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 767, 17 May 1877, Page 2

The Waikato Times.

Equal and exact. justice to all m^n,..

Of. whatever state.. pupersuasion, l-^StigioTlsl or 3^Dl-c sjwil the pcsi tlie PKOi^|'d ri^ft. C*"'. iiteijitain, : - ._. \ • *'•-.'&■)?■'' '^ipaAvdd^y infli»w^B'aiul uaj^ribed bi^aiii

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1877.

The- subject of wheat* growing has had quite a revival since the breaking out of the war and the consequent .rise, in the prise of wheat at home. Although wheat is spoken of as- "'quiet," ! quotations at the same time are given at. seveuty-two sliiliings fqr ? ..JLdtilaide, aiid t seyenty shillings for '^lttew Zealand'- per qnavtor of 49 6 lbs;- oreight bushels of 621bs, tii^ b'ushfel. With Wheat

at ninel'shillingaper busliel'at bbrne, and at corresponding .prices here, it is scarcely,-, to. be . wondered ■'.;:at ; that the matter lias taken somewhat hold of bhefjirming miiid.- Our settlers are, as a'geiveral thing, unused (o >vhjßat-gro vying, so; much that, at arecent meeting of >-fti local .club, wo' noticed, with ,sqme . arnusemen fc,i the fern ark- fchatlf was satisfactory t0 find that wheat 'would grpw "to perfection in; this district.. ' The Maori, indeed, knew that^ lind proved it many . a year before these l^iud's fell intcj our handfe, t, and .^Rangioina has -jkept Auckland citizens before now. supplied with flour, when other '.sources

temporarily;- failed. There is, indeed, no reason, why we should not grow, as good wheat in JWaikatp as in any other part of the Colony. There is very little/of the land; too rich, and that is the only danger, for possibly some of the old grass land up country would be better for having a crdp of oats taken off the* ground first"; bthirwisej the -wheat is apt to fall aild; mildew. This, how- ' eyer,/we: u it).r;^puld! be a very exceptional: caße^. even in the best of our soils. The present month 'and the next are the b' ejst for wheat sowing, jand* therefore^ <we! nesd make no apology, for again 1 taking up space in urging the' advisability on , the part of our setters in turning their attention to'tHe production of this cereal, uncler the ..present.circumstance. ; Ouri Auckland -co nt'empo'rary, wesee,hasy'6f late, referred lai'gely- to the subject, and some of its remarks are not unworthy of attention. There are, however, a few broad; . principles in connection with ■ wheat-growing, to which we intend briefly to . refer, attention to which 1 is necessary to insure success. Tha question. of soil we look upon as not all-important. Wheat thrives best upon a moderately strong soil; that is, one in which clay largely predominates, but we have seen heavy crops taken from light loams when rich, and even from land which, ;at home, is classed not as wheat land a6 all, but barley land. The soil, where not naturally or artificially' drained, must be laid up in narr ( ow ridges, to get rid of the winters' . surface , water. The land should be clean, and not too finely pulverised when the seed furrow is ploughed, so that there may be a good seed bed for the grain. The seed itself must be all of one sort, If for autumn sowing, free 'from admixture with spring wheat, and vice versa. This is an important matter; which has ruined many colonial crops. The seed itself should be good heavy grain, and, before being sown, dressed, to prevent smut, in the crop, or, here again, the harvest may be ruined. Opinions differ as to the preventive mixture .to - ba used^ most people using a solution of blue-stone as a steep for the seed. The simplest and best' we have ever used, and a certain, preventive against smut vvas to put the seed wheat, into a kit and dip in and out .of boiling water,

pouring the wheat so treated into a heap upon ; the floor and sprinkling a sufficiency of quick lime through it to give each .seed a coatiug of lime. ; The lime dries the wheat, kills the minute spores of the smut fungus which may be -attached; to it, and any insect .parasite life ,as well as vegetable. Whatever specific is used, care must be taken to place the seed wheat after it has been treated, not into the old, and perhaps smut contagious bags, but into new sacks. Of the quantity of seed used, we. shall say nothing; deperiding as it. does altogether up.Qii "so many contingencies, the t&e of sowing, the cleanness and richness of the soil, and other matters. Of

the two, autumn sowing is the best —the crop more ' sure, the grain heavieiy and worth niore, # That the price of wheat will rale high, and be a remunerative crop for some time to come, there is every probability. ' Tha war, if left even to the Turks aud Russians alone, is likely to be a protracted one, as the former appear to be quite a match for the invader, and the advance . of the latter will be slow. Alluding to this matter, an auauthority, Colonel Russell, writes : -—"It must also be borne in mind that in Turkish fortresses not only is there a numerous Artillery Militia, but that every adult male may be' viewed as a fighting man. The towns in question would, no doubt, be ultimately taken, but the sieges of Turkish fortresses are generally .costly aud slow, and their resistance would not only delay an advance, but help to diminish the strength of the invaders. As to the subsequent operations, it is obvious that the passtige of the B.i!kin ; could be attempted till both t'vTU;.. autl Sohumla. had buen either

taken or blockaded. We shall, therefore, be astonished if the Russians find themselves in a position lo cross the Balkan before the commencement of the second campaign." .. •■*>■;;