On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 20 March 1913, Page 59

On the Land

GENERAL. For 1001 b digestible matter consumed the cow yields about 1391 b milk, containing 181 b solids. A curing pickle recommended in the transactions of the H. and A. Society of Scotland —l4lb of salt, l£lb of saltpetre, boracic acid powder, 1-ilb cane sugar, and 321 b water (3 l-sgal.). The Kentucky Experiment Station recommends ground limestone at the rate of three or four tons per acre at the beginning, and one ton per acre every four or five years afterwards, to correct soil acidity.

There are now thirty-seven freezing works in Australia, thirty in New Zealand, and eleven in South America, and their combined output last year is estimated to have reached an aggregate of 678,658 tons, as compared with the corrected totals of 651,810 tons in 1911, and 601,261 tons in 1910. Of last year's total, 642,091 tons frozen and chilled were delivered in the United Kingdom, and 36.567 tons frozen were directed to other markets, the corresponding figures for 1911 being 619,814 tons and 31,996 tons respectively.

Experience has shown that the full results of an experiment cannot always be demonstrated within the period of a year, and tnat better or more definite results can be obtained if the experiments are continuous over a number of years. At tlie Ruakura State Farm fifteen acres of land have been divided into half-acre plots, each of which is to receive a dressing of manure and is then to be cropped. The treatment of manure is to be continued year after year; that is to say, a plot that received an initial dressing of basic slag will receive the same treatment throughout the period.

At Burnside last week there were only moderate yardings of fat sheep and lambs, whilst the fat cattle forward showed an improvement in number and quality over the previous week's entry. The fat sheep penned totalled 2796. The bulk of the yarding was made up of ewes of varying degrees of quality. The proportion of really good wethers was small, and there appeared to be an easier tendency in the market, probably owing to the somewhat unfavorable reports from London, and freezing buyers evidently having had their limits reduced. There were no particularly heavy weight wethers forward, and the best of them realised up to 23s 3d. Good heavy ewes made from 22s 9d to 24s 9d, one small pen bringing as much as 26s 9d. There were 1606 lambs penned, the bulk of them going to freezing buyers, as the demand is slackening off so far as butchers are concerned. Prices were practically equal to those ruling lately. The fat cattle forward totalled 185. ButcherV stocks on hand were small, and the result was a good sale, although prices eased a little towards the finish. Best bullocks made up to £l4, and heifers up to .£lO 15s. Forty-eight porkers and baconers, and 105 store pigs were penned. Pigs suitable for killing sold under good competition, prices Tunning from sid to 6d per lb.

At the Addington market last week there were large entries of stock, and a good attendance. Fat cattle sold at the previous week's rates. Fat lambs were easier in consequence of the rush of stock at the freezing works. Store sheep sold well, especially ewes, lambs, except forward lots, being a little easier. Fat sheep were irregular. Fat cattle were without change in prices. There was a large entry of fat lambs, totalling 7749, the bulk being well-grown and of prime quality. Best lambs made 16s to 19s 7d; a few extra, to 21s. There were about 4000 fat sheep penned, made up chiefly of ewes, with a few pens of prime wethers and several lines of merino wethers. The range of prices was: —Prime wethers, 18s to 21s lid; merino wethers, 12s to 15s ; extra prime ewes, to 245; prime 16s to 21s. There was an entry of 252 fat cattle. Steers made £8 to £l3 7s 6d; heifers, £6 to £lO ss. There was a medium entry of fat pigs, but a good demand. Choppers ran from £3 10s to £5; baconers,

50s to 555; heavy pigs, 57s 6d to 70s. Porkers brought: Heavy, 42s to 475; lighter kinds, 36s to 40s. ; J ~ " -

, POTATOES -AT REAKURA. This season’s potato crop at Ruakura Farm of Instruction is the most even and the healthiest crop yet grown (reports Mr. A. W. Green),. This success, I believe, is mainly due to selection of seed, while the better-constructed potato-shed, for storing tubers during winter, has no doubt assisted in improving the crop. With the object of securing the best seed for planting, the following methods were adopted for storing, sprouting, and selecting the tubers. The tubers were placed in shallow boxes, so that a current of air could pass between them, and all be exposed to light, The light had the effect of turning the tubers green, thereby keeping them firm, and preventing untimely sprouting. Finally, with good seed, it produced strong, sturdy sprouts. A good opportunity for selection was afforded when these sprouts were developing, for at this period weak sets can be detected by their weak eyes; and weak-eyed sets should never reach the potatofield. It is often due to these that a light- crop is obtained, and the seed sample for next year is thereby ruined. A few of the varieties which are showing up above the average at Ruakura are Gamekeeper, Irish Queen, Commercial, Up-to-Date, Northern Star, Sutton’s Bountiful, Conquest, Daniel’s Sensation, and Gold Coin. The last-named variety was the first to come into flower, and, although it cannot be called a first early, it has the advantage of quickly maturing its crop. One spraying has been applied, and the crop is free from blight. • ' SOIL CULTURES. ' C It is well known that there are certain microbes in the soil whose mission it is so to prepare the elements of fertility that the roots of plants, can take them up, and it has been further found that every class of plant has, as it were, its own set of microbes for this purpose. A specific example occurs in the case of lucerne which is comparatively a new crop in many cases, and which does not grow perfectly until the soil has been inoculated with the culture suited to it. The theory is, of course, that every plant has its own culture, and that if we want the plant to grow as perfectly as possible we must supply the soil beforehand with this culture or scatter some soil over it which does contain it. There have been some experiments recently carried on in Ontario, however, which show us that for ordinary purposes cultures are not needed. In this set of experiments it was found that in one half the application of culture had no effect whatever, and it was only in the other half that any influence whatever could be detected. Looking at the matter broadly, one can perfectly well understand why this is so. The facts are that the soil is already permeated with all sorts of culture; and the special cultures-of each crop have got into the soil somehow, and have developed there ; sufficiently already. Further, where we have been using farmyard manure for ages, we have already been inoculating the soil, because manure of this sort is really a mass -of microbes of all kinds, and a dressing of this put. over the soil does far more good from the microbes contained in it than from its manurial contents. On the whole, it is worth while trying some of these cultures, more especially when new plants are being introduced, such as lucerne, as above explained, and in these days, when various other plants are being heard of, and proposed for use, it is just as well to give them a chance. It is more than likely that in by-gone days when new plants were introduced and failed that the failure was due- to the want of the specific microbe or microbes in the soil, and if these had been present the plants might have grown.