WAIKATO FARMERS CLUB.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3165, 6 October 1892, Page 2

WAIKATO FARMERS CLUB.

Flit; usual monthly meeting of the above Club was held on Monday evening at Cambridge, there being uresent Messrs Jno. I'idnT (Chairman), ,J«*. Forrest, R. Reynolds, H. Buttle, E. Aller., R. C. Dyer, G. I-:. Clark, W. S /iiter, S. .Seddon, G. Comer, 1. A. Hicks, A. Sont'T, H. R. Hyatt, J, Gams, C. Hunter, T. I ticks, R. Mears, H. Clark, A. Kubis, J. Sharp, S. Howard, •J. Ferguson, W. C. .Morgan, H. Rhodes, A. Gane, and T. Hartly.—Tin minutes of the previous meeting were read anil confirmed. Quarantine Rehulatioxs a.vii D/skaskh ix Siieep. — Tho chairman reported that the executive committee had mot, and hail communicated with the Minister of Agriculture upon the above subjects, as directed at the last meeting.—Tho vice-chairman, Mr Forrest, had drafted letters which were adopted by tho committee, and copies forwarded to the Minister of Agriculture. The result had been two letters from Mr 31. D. Ritchie the chief inspector, which were then read. The first was under date 22nd September and after acknowledging the latter about '•scab" continued as follows:—"In reply I am to inform you that a final inspection is now being made, and I hope in a few weeks time to bo able to declare tho colony " clean." This will clear the way for the export of sheep to the Australian colonies."—The second letter was of September 24th, the following being a copy : " I am directed by the Hon. the Minister for Agriculture to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 10th inst. embodying resolutions pissed by your club recommending that a spries of experiments should be carried out, with a view to finding a remedy for lungworm. I have to inform yon that negotiations are now proceeding fir the securing of a suitable piece of land in the Taiiranga district for the purpose of trying to find a remedy for the disease prevalent in that district, and at the same time an opportunity will be taken to experiment in the direction indicated by you. —The Chairman thought both letters would be very satisfactory not only to the inhabitants of the Waikato, but also the colony at large. He sincerely hoped the experiments about to bo carried out would lead to a remedy being found for the "Taiiranga disease," and also to the much wider spread "lung-worm" scourge. He was pleased to find the inspector so ready to reply to the communications from the clerk, and it must bB gratifying to its members to find the Government were willing to adopt suggestions made by associations of farmers, and others interested in Agriculture.

Oats v. Whk\t.—The Club then went into committee to discuss the relative value of the above cereals as affecting succeeding crops.—Mr J as. Forrest opened the discussion by stating he found that any crop succeeding oats did much better than one succeeding wheat, and he wanted to know why? Science no doubt (lid much to help the farmers, but he did notHnd that science always agreed with practical experience, for science said oats took 52 per cent, of nitrogen and wheat only 42 per cent, out of the ground ; and yet his experience was that after oats anything did well, but after wheat, not nearly as well. He would not grow wheat under 5s per bushel, for it would not pay him below that price. At one time he had wondered if the droppings from the caterpillars in the oats —insignificant though it must be—had anything to do with the matter, but then he found succeeding crops benefitted more where the oats had been free from caterpillars. He held that oats must be able to extract nitrogen from the air to a much greater extent than wheat, for science told them they required mere. He had grown average crops of wheat with manures, and had followed with oats, without manures, and the result had been phenomenal.—Mr Clark asked what crops Mr Forrest had found do better after oats than wheat, to which that gentleman replied, "Any !"—The Chairman said his experience went entirely with Mr Forrest's. Analysts said oats took more of nearly everything out of the ground than wheat, and hay more than either ; and yet he had often found that a crop of hay being taken off the ground did it.good. He believed mineral matter had a good deal to do with the subject. Analysts slid they could return that constituent to the ground, but he had not found it to answer. Farmers differed, for Mr J. Runciman, of Tamahere, found oats invariably took more out of the ground than wheat.—Mr Clark's experience was opposed to that of Messrs Forrest and Fisher. He ploughed land that Mr Fantham had taken crops of hay off tor several years, and then grew 42 bushels of wheat to the acre, and the succeeding crops were some of the best he ever had in his life. He once tried soft turnips after oats, but they were a failure, whereas they . usually thrived after wheat, and were followed by grand crops of grass.—Mr Hyatt had but little experience, he had however, tried oats on his domain section and since then could not get any grass. The mineral matter taken out of the ground by oats and wheat was very similar and the difference in the amount insignificant, so the cause must be attributed to something else. Previous crops and manures should be taken into consideration, also the fact that wheat is a deep-rooting plant, while oats grow near the surface, so these crops should be alternated. He did not agree with Mr Forrest about science and practise not agreeing, 'lhe science of agriculture was in its infancy, and was mainly based upon the experience of practical men, the facts being collected and put in proper form by the scientists. Many doubted if plants could extract nitrogen from the atmosphere j but he believed that clover and smno leguminous plants had been proved to do so, in the shape of ammonia and nitric acid, and oats might also be able to, but he rather doubted it. Oats were gross feeders, and would grow in poorer soil and colder climates than wheat; the roots also had a mechanical influence and the power to digest food in an incomplete form. These facts had, perhaps, something to do with the cases quoted.—Mr J. Gane said that he had grown wonderful crops of clover after wheat, turnips, and oats—turnips, perhaps, even better than the phenomenal crops that used to be grown in the Waikato in the early days; but a portion of the land that had lain fallnw gave better results than where oats had been ulanted.—Mr R. Reynoldi corroborated Mr Gane as to the land growing clover, for lie found land that had been knocked about for years had recovered the quality of growing clover. —Mr E. Allen said, re the statement that hay took more out of the land than grain crops, he knew land that had hay taken off it for 18 years, and yet it was not exhausted. Tfc was volcanic land, but by what the analv sists said, it ought to be about used up by this time. He thought the best way to grow grass was to put it in after turnips, and occasionally try a crop of wheat.—The chairman said the rotation of crop and the rest given the soil was the causo of Mr Gane's success with the clover. The manure applied with wheat, oats, and turnips supplied elements suitable for clover. —Mr Buttle said it was generally supposed that wheat required stiff land and oats light soil, but pointed out that the evidence given that evening tended in the directly opposite diteation.—Mr Clark said he was trying grass after turnips, and it was doing well. He sinca-ely trusted it would prove a success, for he was nol more fond of harvesting than other farmers. He hail some grand crops of grass that had followed wheat, which he thought duo to the land having had a rest from cattle.—ln concluding the discussion, Mr Forrest said lie believed wheat took something out cf the ground that they could not find out. Mr Clark may have good long grass after the wheat, but had it the necessary feeding qualities? Self-sown oats would smother a crop of turnips, but wheat never did ; consequently they seldom tried after the former. His experience was that to grow grass after wheat would make you poor, but grow it after oata and you would get richer every year. Lime. —Mr IT. Buttle called attention to the fact that Mr Pond, the analyst, had lately delivered a lecture on "Linn;,'' It was a most important, subject to the farmers of Waikato, and he moved, "That Mr Pond be asked to deliver the lecture before the members of the Waikato Farmers' Club, and failing his being ably to comply with the request, that he lie asked if he will kindly favour the Club with the manuscript of the lecture—if such existed—to be read at one of the mooting#."—Mr Forrest seconded the motion. He thought the lime question was one that should net he allowed to drop. He was convinced the Waikato farmers should get it at Ms a lon, which he believed was the price paid for it in the South Isjand.—Mr 11, Reynolds supported tho motion, ai)d in doing so said ho should be happy to join another farmer in getting a truck load of lime to give it a thorough test. Their old friend .Mr Fair ham, of Hawera, put lime in all his water troughs, and contended that the animals got more lime by one drink than by feeding on limestone country for a month, 1-|.) also fn'ind that the lime killed a 1 i\e number of insects that wete invisible until they |~y dead in a mass at the bottom of the

trough.—The resolution was unanimously agreed to.

Tin: Foiithcomini; Show. —Mr R. Reynolds .-aid last week he met an individual who said: " I am going to exhibit an animal at the show, but. if I thought I shouldn't take lirst prize 1 wouldn't send it." He sincerely trusted there were very few of that sort about. He thought if any one had anything that he might term respectable, they should exhibit it. Personally he fe.it, it most, provoking not t) have plenty of competition, and the greater the competition Llie greater tho honour. A beaten exhibitor usually made the most dangerous opponent, for those that won were apt to rest upon their oars, and when a man thinks he is at the top of tho tree ho is content till he suddenly finds himself falling. Ho hoped everyone would do their best to make tho show a success, and that it would become an annual one. He was pleased tho show would last two days, for they should have leisure to study the judgment of the judges. He did not think they should allow any man to live and die without getting all they could out of him, and ho trusted ere many years judges would be asked to attend a meeting and submit to be questioned as to their awarding of the prizes. Such a method would weed out a lot of judges, as lie did not believe any competent judge would object to be questioned.—The Chairman supported most of Mr Reynolds' remarks, but he hardly thought the judges would like to be questioned. A man might be a competent judge, and yet not be able to state why ho made the awards.—Mr Forrest asked certain questions re certain classes in the prize schedule of the show, and the Chairman said the classes had been what lie might term " cut up''—i.e., allowing animals to contest in more than one class to encourage small proprietors.

Railway Akraxcements eok tub Show. —The Chairman said the railway authorities ivcnld allow animals to break tho journey at Hamilton ; that is, they may be sent say from Cambridge to Hamilton to be exhibited there, then go on to the Auckland show, and afterwards be returned to Cambridge at the reduced rate. Ite trusted when the next meeting of the Club was held they would be congratulating one another on the result of the show.