FARMING NOTES F0R FEBRUARY.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1341, 3 February 1881, Page 3

FARMING NOTES FOR FEBRUARY.

All green cropi will now have covered .the ground, wWber in drill or broadcast t and nitwt 1» loft to take care of themselves jfhjje^hft more preeticgr work of harvest* ing, will no?r haTeooiamenoed, demanding drery available band. The careful farmer will hare had all things in readtnew. Hash of the anxiety attending harvest operation* has been removed fay the introduction ,to£' <: labour-saving machines, notably reapers and binders. There seems to be every pft»p»ot v that the long 1 wished for desideratum will at la«t be f applied, namely a string binder, the Johnston Harvester Compnny, Messrs Walter A. r Wood, and Mr W. Deering (all American) have each sent a machine to their Ghristchurch agents, to bn followed by others, which from what we have seto of them, have every appearance of being^v,hat,,bavhfo long been wifhtd for. The prejudice against wire binders u rery strong with pom«, and yet we aave never had a single well authenticated oaee of injury to either cattle or horses having resulted from the use of wire-tied Straw. , . When is wh<»at fit to cut ?— (a question frequently asked).— As Boon as the milk in the grain is dried up and the grain can with a little difficulty be bruised between the thumb and forefinger; It i found to produce more flour and {em bran

wncn Harvested in this state, than « left tell dead ripe, besides the los caused by shedding in high winds is not nearly so great, and the straw makes better fodder. Ca&mno is and Stacking. — The proper building of corn stacks is an important operation, a well-built stack will turn a large quantity of ram ; the middle should be Kept well up, each sheaf dipping outwards. How often have we seen large stacks of grain hurriedly thrown together, with the idea of having the steamer at work in a few days, and the whole threshed out, when wet weather set in, and a large quantity of grain was lost and spoilt ! It will pay better in the end to build each stack as if it were to stand for six or eight months, the difference in time and cost is insignificant as compared with the possible advantage. It ia a good plan to plough a wide " land " round the stacks as a safeguard against fire. Insuring corn and hay stacks is a good investment. Grass Lands should not be eaten to bare during the dry hot weather, the surface soil when exposed becomes baked, to the great detriment of many of the finer grasses. Da not allow newly laid out grass to mature its seeds the first year ; feed it off, and if necessary, run the mowing machine over it, taking care that the knives are set from three" to four inches off the ground. "Hark l where the sweeping scjthc now rips along, Each sturdy mower emulous and strong". Whose writhing form meridian heat defies, Bends o'er his work and every sinew tries." JV.if. Country Journal.