CAMBRIDGE FARMERS' CLUB.

Waikato Times, Volume XI, Issue 896, 21 March 1878, Page 2

CAMBRIDGE FARMERS' CLUB.

Meeting held at 2 p.m., Saturday March 16th, 1878, present, E. Maclean, Esq., President, in the chair, Messrs Hy. Reynolds, Geo. E. C. Clarke, E. B. Walker, John Runciman, John Fisher, Richard Reynolds, John Hunt, Francis Hicks, Robt. H. D. Fergusson, Henry Buttle.

The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. There was no corres. pondence, and no new members to be balloted for.

Mr Hunt then read a paper on . ROTATION OF CROPS.

I think we have all airived at the conclusion that we must grow other crops besides grass and clover, if we wish to make the most of our farms, and do justice to our live stock during the winter months. Then, again, the day is not far distant, when the old English system of landlord and tenant will in some degree be reproduced here. The owner of some of the large estates in this neigbonrhood, will finde it, not only more profitable but more agreeable, to divide their estates into farms and, and lease them to tenants, than be worried themselves with the troubles in3eperable from farming. These gentlemen (I believe most of them are members of this Club) will naturally look to this Club for any information they may require, to enable them to make suitable terms with their tenants.

For these reasons, gentlemen, 1 have take upon myself to introduce this subject to your notice, believeing it to be one of very great importance to this district.

Every one knows that it is quite impossible to farm in a scientific way without making, and observing certain rules in the management of a farm. In the old country, the present generation of farmers have this rule already made for them, which they either follow or try to improve upon. In thicj new country we have everything to find out for ourselves. We may certainly take a great many useful hints from the system of farming persued at home, but we cannot adopt it as a whole. I have not come here prepared to state to you what are the best rules to be observed iu the mauagejasn:

of our farms. I will simply give my own ideas on the subject, and I hope everyone present will do the same. We may be very certain of this, that a number of exp'e.iments will have to be tried by some of us, before we can flatter oui\3elve3 that that we have fonnd out the most profitable systen of farming for this district.

Our attention has hitherto been directed towards getting rid of fern and ti-tree, and supplyiug their places with clover and grass. When the red elover fails, a3 we all know it does in the course of three years, the question very naturally arises; what is the best course to pursue ? Are we to wait for. two years (as some advise) until rye grass and white clover take possession of the land ? Or, are we to plough ? It certainly would not pay a tenant farmer, with a lease of five or seven years to allow his farm to remain in a comparitive state idleness for two years. He would either be compelled to plough or lose money. T cannot therefore imagine how it can be the best course for a man who farms his own land to pursue, if therefore, we must plough, the next question is; what are the most profitable crops to grow, and in what rotation should they succeed each other? In considering this question we must not forget that there are two very important objects to be kept in view. The condition of the land must not be impaired, but if possible improved, and at the same time it must be made to yield as much as it is capable of doing profitably.

On inferior land, I have found by experience that it is necessary to srw turnips after grass, as the land is not rich enough to yield a white crop, until a crop of turnips has been first eaten on it. Od good land we may safely commence with a white crop. lam well aware that this district is much overrun with thistles at present. I think the best time to attack such an enemy is when he is asleep. 1 would therefore plough in the month of July and sow spring wheat or oats, succeeded by turnips as an intermediate crop. Second year, mangolds, carrots and potatoes, the latter to be succeeded by vetches, as an intermediate crop. Third year, barley or wheat sown very thin along with grass and clover. Fourth year, seeds mown for hay. Fifth aud sixth years, pasture. I have no doubt you all know quite as well as I do, how the land should be prepared for the various crops I have mentioned. But in a paper like this it is necessary for the writer to state his views. I will therefore do so, hoping it may lead to some discussion.

In preparing grass land for wheat or oats, I ;vould, as I said before, plough in the month of July. The furrows should be six inches deep, well packed, and press rolled. I consider the use of the press roller of very great importance, as it effectually buries everything and leaves a firm bed for the seed. If either lime, chalk or marble could be procured at a reasonable cost, it ought to be applied to this crop. I will read to you two short extracts from a lecture on the " use and abuse of lime in agriculture," by Professor Nesbit, by way of proving its importance. He says, it has been found that the use of marbly substances, containing calcareous matter, is equivalent to the use of lime itself. It does not seem to make much difference, generally, whether yon use calcareous matter merely in the carbonate of lime, or use chalk disintegrated by frost, or whether you use quick lime itself, -lthough there has been a great deal of dispute on this point, yet I do not think the experience of farmers has proved that there is much difference in the result between the use of quick lime, or marble, or of soft limestone disintegrated by the action of the air. And, indeed, I do not see how there can be much difference. If hard limestone is burnt into lime, when it has absorbed moisture, it becomes a very fine powder, a finer one than could be produced by mechanical means. This powder or slaked lime, absorbs the carbonic acid of the atmosphere, and again becomes the same carbonate of lime that it was before being burnt. But its mecha nical condition is now entirely changed. Instead of being a hard solid mass, it is a white friable powder. Burning is chiefly useful in the case of hard solid limestones, because by that means they are reduced to a powder, and in this

state they will readily act upon any snbstance in the soil. Many persons have supposed that canetic lime exerts a great and peculiar action in the soil, but to me this appears very doubtful. The chief use of burning hard limestone is, iu my opinion, that it reduces them to that minute state of division in which

they act most readily on the soil. I am not Rt ail singular in this opinion. Nearly all chemists who have investigated the manner have, I believe, declared that lime in its canetic state, does not exert any peculiar action, but that it is in the state of carbonate of lime that its 1 peculiar influence is witnessed. He also says, that, if a man has worked his land down to a low state, if he has been taking crop after crop, without much manure, and then fancies that by liming the land he oan bring it back to its original state of fertilisity, he will fiud himself mistaken. It is upon land newly- broken up shatlime tells best, In such a place as lSxinaor,

where the lan.l has nor, heon turned u|> within the memory of man, and where the soil cou-'ains onlyj juts t enough lime for a chemist to certify you will 6nd the use ol auy other manure of no avail without lime. Yon may use gu.uio, you may use bones, you may use anything you please of that bind, but not a single crop will you <<et, unless you a!so apply lime. In that part of the country, you may see to an inch where lime has been used. If you take a handful of slaked lime, and inscribe your name on the soil, you would even three or four years after, be able to trace the exact spot where it was marked. I have myself observed on that moor, that in certain parts where lime has boeu used, the turnips were splendid ; but the instant you passed the point up to which the lime had been applied, the crop failed. I do not think that lime is required so much on the flats in this district, but on the downs, and on the swamps that are drained it would be found invaluable.

To return to the wheat crop. I would also apply 2 cwt of common salt per acre, that quantity, Prolessor Haywood sayg, wi H be f oand sufficient to restore all the chlorine which ror years cropping may have taken away. As soon as the wheat or oats are removed, I would go over the land with one of Bentall's or Coleman's scarifiers with the broadsare on at a depth of two inches. Three active horses will scarify five or six acres per day. It should be then well harrowed and then sown with yellow turnips as an intermediate crop. About I cwt peracreol superphospateand an equal quantity of guano should be sown along: with the turnips. It is the common pactice here to sow turnips broad-cast, a method I do nocapprove of. I would sow them in rows on a nat surface and use the horse-hoe pretty freely between the rows. I feel convinced that one acre sown in that way would produce as much as two or three broadcast. 1 think the ordinary grass seed machines might be easily converted into turnip drills. I cannot imagine anything more annoying to a farmer than to see a crop of turnips, that the very life of his sheep almost depend upon, struggling for existence among a lot of weeds, sorrell for instance, and he is powerless to assist them. The cost of horsehoeing is very small,, and would repay the outlay. I am quite aware that it would be a difficult matter to prepare clay land, where a crop of turnips had previously been consumed, for mangolds and carrots. But I feel convinced that our light lands will be all the better for the treading it receives. I would plough it about six inches deep as soon as the turnips are fed off, and, if necessary, subsoil it. Then give it two strokes with the harrows, and go over it with a cultivator at right angles to the ploughing, as deep as possible. After the usual ammount of harrowing and rolling it would be ready for the double mouldboard plough. I think it would be advisable to apply all the bone dust that is intended for the whole course, to this crop, as it will be so thoroughly mixed with the soil. A little guano should also be applied co start the young plants. The section intended for potatoes should have any farm yard manure that is free from weeds "spread over it, and the potatoes ploughed in under every third 'furrow. If the supply of farm yard manure is not sufficient, bonedust should be applied to the rate of 3 cwt per acre. The potatoes should be removed as soon as they are ripe, and the land, after being scarified should be sown with vetches and oats, they will be found very useful to consume with the mangolds. Part of each should be consumed on the land to induce the animals to tread it, as a preparation for the suceeding crop of wheat or barley. After the land is ploughed I woald sow wheat when the first course was oats, aud barley where the first was wheat. I know it is not usual here to sow grass and clover seeds along with grain crop. But from experiments I have tried; and seen tried by others, I see no reason why it should not succeed. In my own case, I sowed one bushel and a half of oats per acre along with the grass and clover seeds. The result .was very satisfactory. Even when the oats were four and five feet high the clover was not injured. I admit it would not be safe to sow the grain quite so thick aS we would otherwise do. But we all know that even half a loaf is better than no bread. And I feel sure that any deficiency in the grain crop will be more than made up in the hay crop the following year.

The mixture of grass seeds to be sown, must entirely depend upon whether the owner intends io pasture cattle or sheep. If the former I would sow red clover, cow grass', Italian rye grass, cocksfoot, and timothy. If sheep, I would prepare white clover, alsyke, Italian rve grass, timothy, and Tacey's perenneal rye grass. I believe it would be found most desirable to have a little Italian rye grass in every mixture, as it growj much earlie J r m the spring than any other grass that I kuow of.

After the grain crop is removed the seeds should -not be stecked until the month of April, and even then only very lightly. Any well rotted farm yard manure, whether tree from weeds or not, should be spread over the seeds during the winter, or they should received top dressing of superphosphate or

guauo m the spring ■ and be shut up for hay ; after the chain harrows have been passed over them. By treating your grass and clover in this way, you allow time for the formation of a go.od framework of roots, before they are pastured. By way of proving to you the great importance of doing so, I will read an extract from a lecture on the nature and application of manures ; also, by Professor Nesbit He says, after barley, as preparatory to wheat, you take a plant with large roliage, red clover, or some other clover, which is mixed with grass !.* J*° W What does $ e clover do { Every little leaflet which it shoots up mto the air sends a rootlet downwards ; so that in proportion to the upward growth of the clover is the downward growth of the root, and when you have taken the clover away you retain in the shape of roots several tons per acre of valuable vegetable matter, which by its slow decomposition, affords uutriment for the narrow ieafed So that by employing in the first instance, turnips for barley, and clover for wheat, you accumulate in the soil a large quantity of material absorbedt|<#rn. the air, for the benefits of the after crops. This may be clearly seen if you consider the difference between catting clover and feeding it off. It is generally believed that a man who feeds his clover off, with a little oilcake, &c, will get a better crop than he who takes the hay. I know I am here treading on tender ground, but, at the risk of being accused of heresy. I will aver, that the man who spends his money on oilcake, feeding it off on clover, is committing au error, unless he can realise benefit in the shape of mutton. If you cut clover at midsummer, and let it grow again, and take another cutting in the autumn, you will afterwards obtain a far better crop of whe.it than you would secure by oilcake, unless you chose to go to an enormous expense. ICvery leaflet upwards has a rootlet downwards, and if the leaflet be taken off. the rootlet will not grow, so that if the sheep be fed upon the surface, the under production is diminished. In exact proportion to the increase of the upper is the increase of the lower; and if you are always feeding of the former, with sheep, you will have but few roots below, and the small amount of nutriment you give in the sbipe of oilcake, will produce little or no effect. A friend of mine tried this in JN orthamptonshire. He had a field of clover he divided into two parts The whole was cuf. at midsummer, half was left to grow again, the other was fed off. In October he staked off two pieces as regularly as possible, and had all the roots dug up, and carefully cleaned and weighed. The result was that where the clover had been cut once, and eaten once, there were twenty-five hundred weight of roots per acre, and where it had been cut twice, there were seventy-five hundred weight per acre, being a difference of two and a half tons per acre. "Who will say, then, that two and a half tons of vegetable matter, containing so much nitrogen as these roots do, were not an exceedingly good dressing ? Of course, the result in the wheat crop was perceptable at once, and you may depend upon it, that, with one exception—namely, where soils i are so light that a mechanical treading of the feet of sheep is a matter of prime necessity —you will always get a better crop of wheat after two cuts of clover than by feeding oft. If the difference in the weight of clover roots is so great beyween mowing once and mowing twice, what must be the difference between mowing twice and not mowing at all?

The fifth and six years should be devoted to pasture. During that time our light land will be sufficiently consolidated for the succeeding wheat crop. I do not wish it to be understood that I would advise every man to manage the whole ot his farm on the system I have attempted to describe. Fov various reasons a portion of every farm must be devoted to permanent pasture. The proportion of arable and pasture must depend upon the situation of the land, its conformation and the relative prices of live stock and grain. It may be argued that the cost of subdividing alone, is sufficient to prevent such a system from being profitably carried out. I maintain that it is not For example we suppose a man wishes to subdivide 120 acres of his farm into paddocks containing only 20 acres each. The additional fencing will not amount

to more than 1 chain per acre. I believe the average cost of fensing here is about 15s per chain. Allow 20 per cent per annum, for interest on outlay, and wear and tear of fence, you will have an additional charge of three shillings per acre, each year, at the 3ost of subdividing. Of course it would be very much, less if the enclosures were larger. It is unnecessary for me to prove to you that the additional ©utlay is 'small, compared with the advantages to be derived from it. It may also be said that such a system cannot be carried out without farm yard manure, and at the present price ot beef and mutton it will not pay to stall feed animals consequently little can be made.' We all know that good farm yard* manure is composed of the urine aud dun£ ot animals and strawy

Now the chief use of straw in manure is, that it acts as a medium for absorbing the urine ot animals. Its own value, as a manure, Professor Haywood says, is only 3s 8d per ton, as compared with Peruvian guano at £ls per ton. If such is the case, it is not worth carting onto to the land, uuless mixed with urine and dung. Hence the great importance of preventing it from becoming saturated with water. We have therefore, in consuming our gieen crops on the land, the most valuable portions of farm yard manure, dropped just where we require them, thereby saving a great deal of labour. And if wo plough the land directly the green ci'op is consumed, we reduce the amount of what is often wasted to a very small percentage. The soil, of course, takes charge of the urine as soon as it falls, and, if animal physiologists are right, it, is the most valuable part of farm yard manure. They tell us. that the phospates alkalies, <fcc. taken in our food, alter being absorbed in the system, and aitei* performing a variety of useful pui> peses in the body are given off in the urine. It would appear from this, that the paincipal part of all sustances used as food, is converted into a soluabJe form, and exists in

the liquid part of the manure. It may very naturally be asked what are we to do with our surplus Straw ? I would advise, that all the pigs intended for bacon, be shut up in a shed or covered yard, anu supplied with a little every day, along with roots and refuse grain, and they will convert it into manure after they have scratched for every grain the thrashing machine ma) have left. In conclusion, gentlemen, I may state thac 1 have olten heard ihe question asked, wheie shall we find a market for our beef and mutton, -when all the enormous tracts oi country that are now in process ol

reclamation, are fmiy shocked witn cattle and sheep ? Is mining, is manufacturing, is shipbuilding or any oi the so called local industries' keeping pace with the vast preparations that are now being made for the purpose of producing beef and mutton. I admit, as I Said before, that ii is quite necessary to grow clover and grass only, for the first two 01 three years, in order to check the growth of iern. But alter that hao been accomplished, I think a niixeu system of larming, similar to tilt one I have proposed, might bt successfully carried out inauistnci like this. I feel convinced that u will prove a suier speculation than grazing alone.

DISCUSSION. Mr Hicks was sorry he had lost a portion of the paper. He was very much pleased with what he had heard. Mi Hunt appeared to know a great deal about the subject, which was one of great importance. He hoped to have the pleasure of reading it for himself in the paper. Mr E. B. Walker said, with regard to lime, he had seen a memorandum by Dr Hochstetter that the Waikato soil wanted lime. He resolved to make a trial, and got some from Auckland, put it on hib land at different parts at the rate of three cwt to the acre. He put it on dry land, and on swamp, thoroughly drained, and spread it about in vacant places, but found that it did not make the slightest difference..

Mr Henry Reynolds quite agreed with Mr Walker in' the matter of lime. He had tried one cwt to the acre, and found it had no effect on the land at all. He thought the swamp in the colony differently constituted to those. in England. With regard to sowing turnips, was it not better to sow them broad-cast? as it would save labour.

Mr Clarke thought Mr Hunt's rotation of croping very good, but there might be some improvement. He approved of mangolds and carrots after wheat, and clover would do very well for a third crop. He had sowed clover and rye grass with the crop of wheat, and found the clover do well, but not the rye grass. The best plan was to harrow it in the stubble. In sowing turnips he believed to give the land a good coat of manure, so that the weeds would grow to a size that they could be easier got rid of, would be a good plan, and the turnips would soon outgrow the weeds.- We should expend our money in manure instead of hoeing. With regard to salt for wheat, he thought two cwt too small a quantity per acre, five cwt should be given for light land. His experience with lime was that it was only of use to dissolve properties in the soil which could not be dissolved otherwise. Our land was very rich, and did not require lime. Mr Fisher was much pleased with Mr Hunt's paper. The question of rotation of crops was becoming of great importance to farmers in this district. He would like to ask when land became sicl of clover whether it would grow wheal well. At one time he thought that land which grew clover would not grow wheat. But now he had found out that the larger the crop of clover the larger the crop of wheat. The clover seemed to leave some substance in the soil peculiarly favorable for growing wheat. In the old country beans were considered a good preparation crop for wheat. One question which had been overlooked was that of climate. He thought if we had more frost it would help to pulverize the soil. As to lime, there was probably enough in the soil at present, but when it had been exhausted the application of lime would be a benefit. He did not believe in potatoes as a preparation crop for wheat. Only in one instance did he know of a crop of wheat after potatoes being successful. Mr Walker thought wheat did best after potatoes. Mr Jones, not far from here, had taken a crop of wheat off \\ acres at the rate of 50 bushels to the acre. Mr Buttle be had tried lime, but found no effe ct fr o m it- The question of a market of great importance. He wanted to prepare 50 acres for wheat. What was to be done with the .root crops necessary to prepare the land for it ? If we had a good enough market for our cattle, it would pay to put up yards and sheds, and feed them through the winter. But, as it was, what was to be done with 50 acres of root crops, which it would be desirable to put in before the wheat. Mr Maclean said he wished to speak on three points in connection with Mr Hunt's paper. Ist. The value of clover roots as manure. 2nd. A market f or our stock. 3rd. Root crops. . He believed clover roots produced a substance in the ground called humus, which was very yaluable as a manure, If the crop- ot

clover was plentiful, the crop of wheat would be good. With mutton at 2d per lb, and beef at 22s per cwt, he believed, it would pay better to grow wheat; but, if sufficient root crops were grown to keep the cattle in fat condition till the season when cattle fetched a higher prije in the market, there would not be the waste of root crops that there now is. With regard to growing grass together with grain, he believed that, if only a small quantity of wheat or oats were sown to the acre, the grass would come on very well. If half a bushel were sown to the acre, it would not choke the grass sown with it, and a quarter of a crop of grain would be reaped, which would be found valuable. With regard to beans and wheat, alternately, it had been tried in the old country fer sixteen years, and at the end of that time the crop of wheat was better than at the beginning. I Mr Hunt, in reply, said Mr Reynolds ! had advocated sowing turnips broadcast, to save labour. But, with a machine, the seed could be sown as fast as broadcast, and it would be better afterwards if the horse hoe had to be used. Two shillings an acre extra would only be the cost of hoeing, aud a man could hoe five acres a day The increase in the crop would more than pay for the extra trouble and expense. With regard to more manure to make the turnips outstrip the weeds, he had found that the more manure was applied the faster the weeds grew. Mr Buttle had said there was no market, but we imported into the district many commodities we could produce; and, if we employed more labour, we should bring more consumers into the -district, and thus create a bettermarket. A vote of thanks to Mr Hunt for his valuable paper—proposed by Mr Fergusson, and seconded by Mr Reynolds—was carried unanimously.

[ CONSIDERATION OP jsEW MEMBERS NAMES BY THE MANAGING COMMITTEE. Mr Fergusson, in accordance with notice of motion given at the last meeting, moved that the committee be relieved oi the responsibility of considering the names of new members to be proposed for election. He thought it too much power to put in the hands of the Committee, .either let the Committee take upon themselves the whole responsibility oi electing new members, or leave it to the Club. Mr John Runciman seconded. . Mr Buttle said a committee had been appointed to revise the rules. Would it not be better to leave the question for the consideration of that commiDtee ?. Mr Clarke said he believed he had originally proposed the resolutions which Mr Jb'ergusson now sought to rescind, it was done to save members the nuisance ot olack balling any one proposed as a member whom it was thought was not elegible. At that particular time there were some members of the club thought that they could not do it better service than by getting the consent of any one they hiet to be proposed as a member ot ihe club, and it was thought necessary to draw the line somewhere. He thought the measure had the desired effect.

Mr if'isher, as a member of the committee, would rather be relieved of the responsiblity. He should vote in favor of tne motion. Mr Hunt said that a quorum of the committee might not always be present to consider the names. He thought that ii an objectionable member be proposed it would be better to black ball him than that the committee should refuse to accept his name to be proposed as a member. Mr .Buttle inoved as an amendment that the question be left to the revision committee to decide.

Mr Hy. iteynolds seconded. The amendment and the motion were then put to the meeting, and the amendment carried by a majority of one. INSPECTION OP TURNIP CROPS.

In accordance with notice of motion given at last meeting, Mr Hicks proposed that there be an inspection of turnip crops, and a prize—say a £lO medal—be given for the best ten acres, of turnips grown in the district. The prize was only a secondary consideration. He wanted some encouragement to be given to the growth of turnips. Turnips would be one of the most important crops for farmers in the district for the purpose of feeding cattle and sheep in the winter. Those growing turnips, and intending their crops to be inspected, should state character of the land, how prepared, if grass land, whether feed off previous to ploughing or not, how many times ploughed, quantity of manure, &c, &c. He would gladly go round with some competent judges, and give an account to the club of results at each trial. Mr Buttle seconded. He did not think that it would be judicious on the part of the Club to give a money or other valuable prize. But he thought the growth of turnips should be encouraged. Mr Clarke suggested that a paper should be read on turnip, growing. More benefit would be derived from that than from inspecting the crops. He did not believe in farm inspection. The results of the inspection held some time ago, under the auspices of the Club, were not at all satisfactory. Mr Fergusson did not believe in farm inspection. He would not have anyone on his place to inspect his farm operations. Mr Henry Reynolds said that, if Mr Hicks would read a paper on the subject, it -\ N onld answer the purpose. Mr Hicks said he did not know enough of turnip growing to write a paper on it. He wanted to get the experiences of several farmers on the subject. He was surprised to hear that Mr Fergusson would not allow anyone on his farm to inspect it. He believed that on Mr Fergusson' s property, as well as on his own, many things were done which other farmers did in a better way. If Mr Fergusson had allowed his farm to be inspected at the time the others were, he would have found that he would not have lost by it.J Mr Hicks' motion was then put to the meeting, and lost.

NOTICES OF MOTICU. Mr Henry Reynolds gave notice that, at the next meeting 1 of the Club, he ■would move that arrangements be made for holding the annual ploughing match. Mr George E. Clarke gave notice that, at the next -meeting, he would move that, after the ordinary business of the Club was over, the Club resolve itself into a Committee to revise the rules. This was' all the business.