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On the Land

GENERAL. ' „ • Beds of carrots, parsnips, and beet-root, on light land -at Ruakura Farm of Instruction, grown for winter use resulted in failure, owing to the grass-grub. On heavier soil the grub was absent, and good crops of these vegetables resulted. In order to encourage the production of wool in Canada, the Dominion Department of Agriculture has appointed a sheep specialist and two expert wool-sorters (whd will take charge of the sorting of wool at shearingsheds), while for the current year it will pay 25 per cent, of the freight-charges on wool from port of shipment to the London market.

The hen is simply the manufacturer of the raw material food— the finished product— egg. The food serves various purposes. Part of it is to furnish energy to carry on the various activities of the body, and to keep the body warm. Other purposes are that of building up the tissues and organs, and keeping them in repair, and supplying material for egg production. For these various purposes different classes of nutrients are demanded. The heat and energy required by the fowl are (says an exchange) derived mainly from the fat and a number of other carbonaceous materials in the food termed carbohydrates.

At Addington last week there were fairly large entries of stock and a good attendance of buyers. Store sheep, except lambs, were rather easier. Fat lambs, except prime sorts, were easier, and fat sheep opened firmly. Fat cattle showed some improvement, and fat pigs sold well. In fat lambs tegs made 20s to 255; medium, 17s to 19s 6d; and lighter and unfinished, 13s 4d to 16s 6d. Extra prime wethers made 32s 6d; prime, 21s 6d to 275; others, 16s lOd to 21s; prime lines, 19s to 245; medium, 16s 6d to 18s 6d; aged and light, 8s 9d to 16s. Steers made £7 10s to £ll 2s 6d; and extra, to £l6 15s; heifers, £5 17s 6d to £lO 10s; cows, £5 10s to £10; and extra, to £12 —equal to 26s to 31s per 1001 b. There was a small entry of pigs, and fats sold well, choppers making £3 10s to £4 10s; large baconers, £3 5s to £3 15s; lighter, 52s 6d to £3— equal to s£d per lb. Large porkers made 46s to 50s; smaller, 38s to —equal to 6d to 6|d per lb. A correspondent writes as follows to the Journal of Agriculture : —‘ I have a couple of acres, and intend putting potatoes in for early spring. Would you tell me how much and what kind of manure is best per acre; what is the best way to apply it; what kind of potatoes are best for early market; and how many hundredweight of seed potatoes per acre If you will kindly answer these questions, with any hints that would be of value, I should be very much obliged. The soil is a light one.’ To the query the Fields and Experimental Farms Division’ replies:—‘Well-rotted farmyard manure is a good fertiliser where humus is deficient. If heavy amounts are not available, small amounts used in connection with artificial fertilisers will be found very beneficial. The following mixed fertiliser can be recommended per acre: 2cwt to 4cwt superphosphate, lewt to 2cwt sulphate of potash, and lewt to sulphate of ammonia. This should be applied before planting the potatoes. The following are good varieties for light soils: Early Vermont, American Early Rose, Henderson Improved Early Puritan, Robin Adair, and British Queen. Twelve cwt to 15cwt of cut sets per acre should be planted.’ At Burnside last week there were medium entries in all departments, and a good attendance of buyers. The entry of fat lambs totalled 3885. The usual export buyers were operating, but prices were slightly easier, and may be quoted Is to 9d per head lower than previous week’s rates. Quotations: Extra heavy, to 23s 3d; good, 17s 6d to 19s 6d; medium 15s 6d to 17s. There was an entry of 203, head of fat cattle. The yarding consisted of about 50 good bullocks, the balance of the yarding being made up of cows and heifers, a great number of which were of medium quality. Prices

were slightly easier than at previous week's sale. Quotations: Extra heavy! bullocks, to £ls, 12s 6d; good bullocks, £ll 10s to £l3; medium, £8 10s to £9 10s; extra heavy heifers, to £l2 17s 6d; good cows and heifers, £7 10s to £9 10s; medium, £5 10s to £6 15s. Of the 3360 fat sheep offered, there were several pens of prime quality. Prices were a shade easier than those of previous week. Freezing buyers were operating, keenly for suitable sheep. Quotations: Extra heavy wethers, to 31s; heavy wethers, 25s to 27s 6d; good wethers, 21s 6d to 23s 6d; lighter sorts, 18s 6d; good ewes, 18s to 225; medium, 12s 6d to 15s. There was. a small yarding (72) of pigs, and prices were firm. Quotations: Heavy baconers, to £3 15s; light baconers, £2 15s to £3 ss; porkers, £2 5s to £2 12s 6d. SUPPLYING HUMUS. The vegetable matter in the soil goes under the general name of humus, and when a farmer puts on a dressing of farmyard manure he is adding very largely to the store of humus in the soil, and, in fact, it is from this very point of view that ordinary dung is of the greatest value, because the actual amount of fertilising ingredients in it is comparatively small. This humus or farmyard manure, as the case may be, tends to open up stiff soils, and, on the other hand, to light soils it tends to give body or 'staple' and improves the texture as well as fertilising it.

. SILVER-BEET AS A FORAGE PLANT. The phenomenal success which has attended the introduction of silver-beet is naturally attracting the attention of farmers in all parts of the Dominion (says the Journal of Agriculture). Its freedom so far from insect pests and fungoid diseases, its great prolificacy in producing a wealth of stem and leaf (giving quite six feeding-off with sheep in twelve months' time from date of first feeding), its resistance to drought and severe frosts, its apparent freedom from causing scour or bloat in sheep, the appreciation of all classes of farm stock for it (trials having proved that it is relished before rape, kale, or roots), the enormous tonnage of succulent forage it produces, and its fairly high feedingvalue place it in the forefront of all other forage or root crops grown for stock in this country at the present time. The remarkable results obtained last year in the growing and feeding capabilities of silver-beet with sheep at the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company's experimental farm at Belfast, and at other farms in the South Island where co-operative field experiments have been conducted, prove in a practical way its possibilities for the feeding and fattening of all farm-animals. At Belfast a quarter of an acre was sown with silver-beet on the 9th October, 1911, and was ready to feed off in the last week in February, 1912. Owing, however, to a flush of other feed, the silver-beet was not stocked until the 12th March, 1912, from which date till the Ist March, 1913, it was stocked at intervals with sheep, and fed off six times. The results from this quarter-acre show that one acre would approximately carry 1014 sheep for eighty-four days. The weight of stems and leaves was 218 tons per acre, this weight of forage being produced within twelve months from the date of first stocking. It should be emphasised that the plants were by no means exhausted after the sixth feeding, and would have continued to give further feedings but for the fact that too long a period had been allowed to elapse between one or two of the foldings. Some of the plants had thereby thrown out seed-stalks, with the result that their feeding-value for subsequent growth was impaired. It was therefore decided not to keep further records.

This article text was automatically generated and may include errors. View the full page to see article in its original form.I whakaputaina aunoatia ēnei kuputuhi tuhinga, e kitea ai pea ētahi hapa i roto. Tirohia te whārangi katoa kia kitea te āhuatanga taketake o te tuhinga.
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZT19130710.2.98

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Tablet, 10 July 1913, Page 59

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,338

On the Land New Zealand Tablet, 10 July 1913, Page 59

On the Land New Zealand Tablet, 10 July 1913, Page 59

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