Farming Notes for August.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2665, 10 August 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

Farming Notes for August.

St'iUNG Whkat.—The vaiietin.s of wheat known as winter wheat, such as the pearl, red and white chaffed, and velvet wheat, should now bo followed by the spring varieties, embracing the Tuscans. As tho season advances, a little more seed must be used ; in the be<:innin2 of August, one and α-hulf bushels may suffice, but as the month advances, two bushels will not be too much, and even two and a-half may be used in light soils.

Cakrots may be sown this and next month. The land should be well pulverised and iu fine tilth, to a greater depth than for any other crop, and the mnnnve previously well incorporated with Uk soil. In case the manure lias yet to h>?. supplied, it should be well decomposed and in the state of rich compost. Four pounds of seed will be required to sow a , ! acre. The seed should be well rubbed and mixed with dry sand or ashes, to ensure an even distribution of the sued.

Clover and Grass Sbkds.—lf the land is under wheat, harrow it well, to raise enough of loose earth to give the seeds a good bed to vegetate in ; bush harrow and roll immediately after. Most good farmers, however, disapprove of sowing grass and clover seed and winter wheat, barley beige; tho most suitable crop for this. If the land is sown, or to be sown, with oata or barley, sow the clovers or grass seeds immediately after the grain is covered ; harrow them lightly iu, and roll heavily. Farmers cannot be too careful in the buying of grass and clover seeds. Get the best quality available. You thus, iu as far as it is possible to do so by tho selection of seeds, ensure a good growth of meadow or pasture, aad run less risk of introducing weeds into the land than by using cheap seed. Colonial grown clover seeds should be preferred even at a higher price than the imported article. Give a liberal allowance of good grass seed, perhaps two bushels per statute acre, along with clover seeds.

Lucerne may bo sown by the mid of the month or beginning of September. The land should be rich, deeply tilled and thoroughly clean. By keeping it clean and manuring it, luxuriant crops are produced for many year?. It should bo sown in drills from l'i'to 18 inches apart, with or without a corn crop ; but sowing without a corn crop will be much tho best, aa it can bo kept thoroughly clean the first seasou by tho horse-hoe. Sow 7 to Slbs in drills ; broadcast, from 15 to 291bd of seed per acre. Spring Vetches.—Suocessional eowings of spring vetches should be made this month, one at the beginning, and the other at the latter end. The land should be rich or manured. Two, or two and ahalf bushels of vetches with a bushel of oat", sow the statute acre. Planting should bo finished this mouth. Trees of all kiuds are now plentiful aud catalogues of which may bo had from any nurseryman, with full instructions as to planting , , and the best kinds for each district. Gum seed may be sown broadcast at tho r.ito of 21ozs. per aero, and harrowed in, bat in addition to the ordinary blue gu:n, we would strongly reooommend the stringy bark gum

(Eucalyptus obliqu:i), it is an infinitely more useful tree than the former, it, splits freely into palinjrs and shingles, posts nufl mils, ami is quite as linnly us the bluo jjum. Fur a .shelter tree wo prefer tho Cuprosans Mncroearpn, it is a r.ipid grower, aiul its conical form of ptnivih renders it well suited to stand against the high winds. Pinus lusiicnis is also ii valuable shelter tree, thriving in snmn local-

ities better than the former. It is however more liable to injury from high winds than the Cupressus Macrocarpii.

Flax,—fho best time for sowing thi.» crop is from the 15th to the end of August; but if the weather should not suit curlier, it may bo sown up to thn first week in September. Its proper plaoo in the rotation is after oaU or other corn sown on good rich lea. Flax does not do so well after turnips. The hest bod for it is land after oats on lea. The beat seed bed is what farmers call a " winter faec ;" that is, hind ploughed early in the winter and not cro o .*- ploughed. The finer and firmer the bod is the better. The stubble should lie deeply ploughed, iia soon ai the corn is off, to ensure the ameliorating effect, of the winter frosts and thaws. Good harrowing and cross-grubbing, with repeated harrowintrs and rollings, should complete Uio work in reducing , the land to a fine and clean tilth. Sow tho best procurable seed at tho rate of about 1-J bushels to the statute acre. Cover by a fine grass or oh.Min harrow, and roll the land immediately. If required for seed only, sow in drills four inches apart, from 30 to 601b. of seed may be used. To prevent tho ravaees of birds it will bo better to sow in drills I.J- to 2 inches deep.

Youxg Cattle and Stores should be carefully tended and well fed. A little extra food given now, and up to the period when the sjra-s begins to grow, will bo well repaid, in the full development of bone, muscle, and flush, befo-e the end of the season. Great care is necessary when young stock are changed from poor keep to luxuriant grass, as it is apt to brinsr on inflammatory fever, determination of blood to the head, diarrhiea, &c.

SliKKP.—Ewes will now be coming forward for early lambing, and should bo kept as much as possible out of wet paddocks, and supplied with a little sweet hay or oatoti straw, and a few roots thrown on the grass, or have access for a few hours daily to where the roots are growing, half a pound of o.its per head per day till lambing, would ensure a good dropping of strong vigorous lambs ; it is advisable to leave a few lumps of rocksalt about the paddocks for the sheep to lick. To have good early lambs fit for the butcher, it is indispensable to have a paddock of rape or turnips, or rape and swedes, ready to turn the ewes into as they lamb. Sliecp kept in paddocks will require to have their feet carefully looked after and pared, the neglect of which is frequently the parent of foot-rot, and much ultimate loss. It is a good plan to drive the sheep across a bed of fresh slaked lime, but the less, ewes in lamb, or with lambs at foot, are driven about, the better will be the result.

Ewks and Lambs should iuive a good bito of sweet, sneculent, herbage, rye, clover mid ryegrass, or good aftergrass, kept over for that purpose, to enable the lambs to have a full supply of milk. If the I.imbs get fituuted in growth now iiom poverty of keep no after care will restore them. Mif.CK Cows should bavo a moderate supply of roots, with hay, to keep them up to their full milking properties, if possible, uutil u supply of rye, winter vetches, or lucerne comes up. Winter Whkat should be harrowed this month, and heavily rolled both previous to and after harrowinir ; the ground must of course be dry. This is an operation which should not be neglected; it usually has a most bi-neficial effect upon the young corn. Watch carefully the time when the wheat plant begins to show

auy attempt to spindle up into the seed culm, after which it will be highly injurious to use either harrow or roller. This applies ouly to heavy soils, which aro apt to cake after the winter rains. A dense flock of sheep driven across parly sown wheat in light soil will answer better than the harrows.

" Ye fostering breezes blow! Yc softening dews, ye tender showers, descend And temper all, thro' world-reviving sun, Into the perfect year!"