ON THE LAND

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3628, 14 September 1912, Page 3

ON THE LAND

FARM AND STATION.

THE BOUNTY ON TOPS. ✓ (Special Correspondent.) SYDNEY, September 2. Wo were rejoicing the otlieiv day that the payment of a bounty oil •‘tops” had established another promising industry in the State. For the benefit of the uninitiated I may say that “tops” are combed wool, ready for spinning into yarn. There seems to be no doubt about the establishment of th© industry, for the sum of £II,OOO is said to have been paid to the firm engaged in the business. This is a big sum, and it is now being found that it carries with it certain consequences which were not contemplated at the time the bonus was authorised, it enables the receivers to outbid competitors in the purchase of raw material, and it also enables them to undersell foreign wool combers who arc not in receipt o'f the bonus. Taking the last first, it i,s asked why Australian money should be lavished in this manner in order to make the .1 a pane so a present of cheap tops. To the extent that other purveyors of tlie commodity are undersold. the bonus is paid, in reality, to the Japanese buyer. This is not at all what was contemplated; but tlijai, the. actual results of arbitrary interference with the natural course of enterprise and industry always differ widely from those which were intended and expected. If the “little brown men” would only reciprocate, by paying a bonus, say, to ships carrying Australian coal to foreign ports, it would not be so bad. But his a-ltrxi-ism has not yet reached that point. Then, on the other side, it is found that the big State-aided concern is able to outbid the smaller men who formerly bought skins for felhnongering anil oddments of wool scouring. The unions of men employed at these establishments are now complaining that their employers have been compelled to discontinue operations, and the men have had to look out for other work. It is all very well'to “encourage native industry” : hut if the alleged encouragement to Peter results in crushing Paul, who previously had been remuneratively employed, it takes a groat deal of special pleading to show that anything has boon gained.

A FARM WHICH LEADS THE WORLD.

In stinking contrast to the wasteful methods of the Canadian farmers oil their virgin fields is the careful husbandry on Blounts Farm, Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, which tin’s year celebrates the jubilee of what Mr Marcus "Woodward, in the ‘'Contemporary Review,” calls “the most remarkable and significant experiment in scientific farming ever conducted in this country.” ,

A REMARKABLE EXPERIMENT.

“For fifty years past corn, and nothing hut corn, has been grown continuously, on a certain definite system, on a Hertfordshire farm of 450 acres. There lias been no rotation of crops,

and no keeping of stock: year after year, for half a century, the same land has keen made to yield corn crops only. A record kept fo.r the past twenty-five years shows that this land has yielded, of wheat, 35 bushels per acre, as against the United Kingdom’s 30 bushels per acre as a whole, and Canada’s 18 bushels per acre. The experiment has been proved a sound one, its success has been established beyond any question. It has paid, and the land has not been impoverished, rather it lias been improved, and seems good for at least another fifty years of continuous corngrowing. “So the year marks an epoch, not onlv in the history of Blounts Farm, Sawbridgeworth. Hertfordshire, but in the age-old story of British farming, possibly—who knows?—in the history of England. If corn can he grown, at a profit continuously, ill one small area of Hertfordshire, on ordinary heavy clay, it can he grown profitably as a continuous crop, not everywhere, perhaps, but certainly elsewhere on millions of other acres of ordinary heavy clay. And if this is realised and if the experiment (though it is no longer an experiment, but a proved plan of farming) is tried and re-tried elsewhere, who knows that this .may not mean a, turn for the better in the desperate sickness and decline of agriculture ?—a brake nut on to stay the appallingly rapid downhill progress? - and a deserted land re-peopled with laborers —to the immeasurable benefit of tile community.

A FARMING IDEAL. “ ‘The object of the practical farmer should be to raise from a given extent of land the largest quantity of the most valuable produce, at the least cost, ill the shortest period of time, and with the least permanent injury to the soil.’

“Those words may well serve as preface to the story of Founts Farm ; they opened the story as it was told to me by Mr W. A. Front, who h -s lived to see the system inaugurated bv bis father in 1801 canned on to its jubilee. Mr AY.yA. Prout suc tvdo :

las father, the late Mr John Front, in IS9-I; is a graduate of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, a - solicitor, a member of the Council of the Itoyal Agricultural Society of England, and was Chairman of the London FarmeVs’ Club in 1905. It is’ nofc without a pardonable pride, though with all modesty and without seeking to prove anything from his experiment, beyond its success, that

lie tells of his share in what he considers to he ‘the grandest achievement of British agriculture—tho subduing of the stubborn clays, and their conversion into the richest corn and green crops bearing lands in the Kingdom. The words quoted are tho keynote to the continuous system.”

AN EXTRAORDINARY YIELD. To-day Blounts Farm leads the world, and how that came about is fully told in this striking article in the ‘‘Contemporary.’ ’ “For twenty-five years there has been a yield of thirty-five bushels per acre for wheat and thirty-nine bushels for barley. I have mentioned that the average yield in the United Kingdom is only thirty bushels per acre, and in Canada only eighteen. For further eomparisoipwitli the results of Blounts Farm I give here a few more figures : Blounts Farm ... 35 bushels per acre Germany ... 25 ~ ~ France ... 18 ~ ~ United States... 13-J ~ ~ Argentine ... 13 ~ ~ India ... 22 ~ ~ Australia ... 9 ~ ~ Russia ... 8 ~ ~ MORE THOROUGHBRED CLYDESDALES. PCRCHASES IN SCOTLAND.

Further purchases of thoroughbred Clydesdale blood in Scotland for New Zealand arc reported as having been mad© recently. Mr James Pickcn, Kircudbridght, lias consigned to Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Co., Dunedin, two good clvdesdales selected by Mr Robert Allen, Howell, Kircudbright. One of them, Momentum (16908) was bred by the Earl of Stair, Balkeir House Farm, Locliineli, Costly Kennedy, and is by the Cawdor Cup champion Memento (13100) out of Nell .11. of Locliineli (228-18), by the stallion Mains of Aires (10379). His grand-dam is Nell of Locliineli (4138), by Lord Lyon (-189). Momentum is a two-year-old, described as being of outstanding merit, with lots of size, first-rate legs and feet. The other horse is also a two-year-old named Burgic Lad (16907), bred by Mr John Wallace, Havclosc, Galthvaite, Carlisle. He was got by Baron of Burgie (13315), and is out of Daisy 'of Ua.yelo.se (16413), by Lord Lothian (5998). while his grand-dam Lady (1.3315) is by the Cawdor Cup champion Prince of Carruehan (8151). Burgic Lad is said to bo a typical Clydesdale of the best sort, with plenty of ilat, flinty bone, nice sloping pasterns, good wide, open feet, and an all-round straight mover. The sales which have been effected on behalf of Now Zealand stud-owners are:—To Mr J. A. Dunbar, of Studholme Junction, a well-bred two-year-old colt, by vie Count (16599), lias been sold by Messrs A. and W. Montgomery. Netherall and- Banks, Ivircud- ; bright. He is by the champion Hiaj watha out of Daisy Bell (26227), by i the Highland and Agricultural Society, champion Everlasting (11331); while his grand-dam is Eveline (9504) by Garnet Cross (1662). He is reported to have a grand well-set frame and the best of quarters, with a capital depth of rib, carried upon the best of legs. Messrs Montgomery have sold to Mr William Dunbar, of Waimate, South Canterbury, a two-year-old colt called Da-1 more (16542), bred by Mr Andrew Mackenzie, of Dalinoro, Alness, Rossshircr. The sire of this young horse is the. champion Marcellas (11110), ynd his dam is Albertina (17927), by the Highland and Agricultural Society prize horse, Prince Albert of Roseliaugh (9357).

PIG REARING. ITS VALUE TO THE FARMER. Says the “Dominion”:—The price paid for bacon pigs during the past season .touched the high mark of Gd per lb, which price was maintained for over six weeks hv the AYoodville Bacon Co., Ltd. When this factory was established by the Christchurch Meat Company thirteen years ago, the ruling price for pigs ranged from - to 2.81 per lb. Practical farmers in those days expressed the opinion that if the price ever reached 3d, and remained at that, pig rearing would he the most profitable part of farming. At the present period if the price falls below -Id per lb farmers go out of the pig-rearing business as being unprofitable. "This, however, is attributed to the fact- that abnormally high rates are being paid for other classes of produce. Chatting to the manager of the Woodville Bacon Factory, a representative of an exchange noted some interesting points made by him, which should prove of interest to farmers. The opinion was expressed that prices for some years to come for bacon pigs of tli-o right class would he maintained at a good paying standard. Notwithstanding the vast quantity of bacon placed upon the market throughout the Dominion, the whole had been required for local consumption, and in addition a fair quantity had boon imported from Australia. Farmers were beginning to recognise the importance of rearing pigs, particularly suited for bacon purposes, ’and as a result were getting the very best returns. 1 ho ideal breed of pigs for bacon purposes, and one that matured more rapidly than any other known breed, was the Berkshire - Tamworth cross. This

breed produces a long side and light shoulder, -while the lean is well distributed. “Our business is of a mercurial character,” remarked the manager, “and it is- surprising how npiterially it is affected hv circumstances. For instance/ immediately there is an increase in the j>rico paid for calves, there is a marked depreciation in the number of pigs forthcoming. The farmer, shifts his ground frequently, and chases the up-going prices, often to his disadvantage. If a farmer fed to a pig the same quantity of milk that lie would feed to a calf, for which lie would get the sum of 30s, the pig would, at the prices ruling now, net him 50s. . The farmer, however, often took the course of least resistance, and as the pig required a little more attention than the calf, he was_contcnt to make the loss.” NOTES.

■Xo farmer will venture to say that there are .any two cows identical in their captivity for producing milk, hut there are a great many who scarcely realise the groat amount of variation which may exist between their milking propensities.

Nitrogen as ammonia is obtained chieily ’ from the destructive distillation of coal in gas manufacture. It combines with an acid radicle forming sulphate of ammonia, and in this form it is more readily soluble than organic nitrogen.

According to a French journal, two Frenchmen in Cochin China have managed to get wine out ot bananas, and we are told that the perfume is very pungent. The wine is the product of the fermentation of banana juice with yeast made direct irom tmi fruit.

Jkniedusts contain phosphoric acids and nltorgen, the phosphoric acid content being insoluble in water; but, in a finely-divided state, the particles -leave more surface exposure, and consequently decay quicker and become available, to the plant. The fineness cl- i, houedust has, therefore, an important bearing on its availability. .

To some extent the speed at winch cream is churned affects the resulting butter. Churning too quickly brings the butter in a very short time, hut it is soft and .difficult to work and make up. Inferior butter is sometimes coined by churning too slowly. The butter then takes a long time to come, and the cream generally goes sleepy in the churn.

Phosphoric acid is derived from phosphates, the. chief source of which i:s phosphate of lime. It occurs in fertilisers in three forms, which are distinguishable by their solubility (watersoluble, citrate-soluble and insoluble), and these terms express the forms in which phosphoric acid is readily available, moderately so. or difficultly so. respectively.

Ground phosphates and guanos dil-fc-r from the organic phosphates such as bonediK-ts and animal fertilisers. They contain practically no organic matter, are denser in structure, and, except in extreme cases, they are not used to any extent without treatmeid with acid. They are used as raw material ior the manufacture of superphosphates.

Milk from newly-calved cows should not be sent to the market or used for the manufacture of dairy products until it has passed the colostrum stage. The simplest test to find when it i s safe to mix colostrum with the rest of the milk is that of heating the colostrum to 180 deg. F. If the mi Hr does not coagulate on being heated it is quite safe to mix it with the market milk.