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FIELD AND FARM. I

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FIELD AND FARM. I (From The Agricultural Gazette.") THE CLOVER HAY CROP. Lovely as the weather has been of late, we have not seemed able to get rid of the north-westerly winds. The sun has been hot, but the winds and the nights cold. Growth is not rapid, and the rains were not sufficient to secure continuous development. Now that the season is so far advanced -*e must come to the conclusion that heavy crops of ulover are not to be expected. It is too early to maku any forecast as to meadow grass, but the start was late, and has not been vigorous, and a few more dry days will injuriously affect the yield. THE TURNIP FLY. The fly ia usually particularly busy before June is in, and hence early-sown crops are sometimes swept off almost before they are well up. The methods pro- posed for combating the turnip fly are very numerous, and no plan appears more promising than dusting with lime from a Strawsonizer. Having witnessed this plan in operation over a dozen years ago, one can only wonder that it has not come into general use. Now the Strawsonizer seems to have left the turnip ily, and turned its efforts on charlock spray- ing. Last year (remarks Prof. John Wrightson) I drew attention to a very good system, namely, that of drawing a piece of old carpet or any cheap fabric, saturated with paraffin over the surface. The material was rendered rigid by stretchers across one end, and in the middle, and was drawn over the affected field by a horse. It seemed to stupify the fly, and to do a great deal of good. When the fly comes in strength again, I hope to bring out this weapon of offence. As yet this year there has been no fly, and early-sown rape has come through its most critical stages without a check. Any method of dealing with the turnip fly must be thoroughly practical, that is, it must blend with the usual methods of farming. The enemy does not always appear, and he is often vanquished by a timely change in the weather without more ado. At other times the young plants struggle through, although hardly beset while in less fortunate case? the best plan is to take the bull by the horns and re-sow, without further tinkering. The means for evading or circumventing the fly, which have found the most favour with practical men are those which form part of a good cultivation generally. Thus a fine and moist seed-bed, drilled not too shallow, and with plenty of seed. The plants are carefully watched, and are rolled upon the first appearance of the fly. Rolling is a very good thing, as it disturbs the fiv and raises a dust which falls again upon the young leaves and powders them over in a manner distasteful to the fly. Brush harrowing serves the same purpose. So also does the carpet or old mat- ing steeped in paraffin and water (1 to 4). Such means as these are often successful in bringing the crop through its infant troubles. As a means of distracting the attention of the fly from swedes, a larger quantity of seed, say, 41b. per acre, is useful, or better still, 21b. of turnip seed and 21b. of swede seed. Mustard has also been recom- mended to be wheeled over the entire area at the time of drilling, with a view to afterwards destroy- ing it by horse and hand hoeing, but this is less prac- tical, being expensive and troublesome. The fly" is an annoying contingency, answer- able for very heavy losses to farmers, but as yet no prevention method has been discovered which has come into general use. The labour arrangements on farms are of such a nature that the farmer will not tolerate any recommendation which interferes with the routine of his work, and hence fly-traps have never become popular. What we want is to cultivate so as to avoid the evil, or to use such simple means as may be applied at once without preparation, or the purpose of costly implements. THE LACK OF LABOUR. I Lady Warwick (writes "ASufferer") was appeal- ing the other day for subscriptions in aid of her hostels for the training of educated ladies for dairy work and poultry management. The real difficulty which farmers experience, how- ever, is in obtaining servants, male and female, who will consent to milk. I have been informed of farmers who have been compelled to abandon dairy business, and to reduce their stock of milch cows to the number necessary to provide milk and butter for their own consumption, entirely because of this difficulty. If you mention to a lad or lass in the "hirings" that you want a milker, he or she declines to engage. What large dairy-farmers will have to do is perplexing. I have from 60 to 80 cows, and recently (con- tinues the complaining correspondent, who is a Yorkshireman) I advertised in papers at Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, York, Leeds, Norwich, and else- where, but could only obtain an offer from one family who could supply the requisite number of milkers, and these are from Scotland. To my astonishment I am told that, although I have engaged four good milkers," it is not the intention of the father to milk, only to superintend and strip the cows. Then father and son, who can finish the work in tho byre, now that cows are turned on grass, about half-past ten, will not assist until milk- ing time comes round with other work, but retire home to rest, and claim the time as their own. One man could easily do the work, and the other might help with the farm work. But this is not their way, and they decline positively to help. Then the can washing has been done cheerfully hitherto by one English woman, married, but the Scotch lassie, over 21 and strong and healthy, rebels and considers that there is too much to do, and re- fuses to keep the dairy floor clean. That must be done by the servant of the house. This can wash- ing, to be done well, will not occupy more than an hour in the forenoon. The question is, What are dairy farmers to do ? Female milkers are the mo-st efficient, when they take to the work. Their hands are more supple, and their delicacy of touch and handling of the cows being more gentle, induce the cow to yield their milk more freely than male milkers with larger and harder hands. Then there is the cottage difficulty. It is possible to get a married man and his wife, because the wages are higher than for ordinary farm labourers, hut cottages will have to be multiplied, an 1 all landlords cannot afford to build them. And then the kind of cottage that would satisfy in the days gone by will not do so now. This extra accommodation and com- fort, I quite think they are justified in demanding, but it is an expense to the landlord and farmer. If some Lady Warwick would introduce a system of training the rising generation to milk, it w^uld be a boon to dairy farmers and help them to meet the demands of the country for milk and dairy produce. Is it surprising that Denmark and other countries I can send their dairy produce to this country and dispose of the large and increasing quantities year after year ? Agricultural experts who write to the newspapers insist that dairy farming is the only branch that is really profitable now but how is it to be cultivated or maintained with this growing dis- inclination of farm labourers to engage for the work ? And then, if a farmer has to keep double the men on his farm that would be necessary if the time of the labourers was fully occupied with one kind of work or another, the expenses will absorb all the profit. The census returns show a diminishing rural population, and I know that the desires of the children of farm labourers are to get into the towns, where more enjoyment and freedom are obtainable, and, unlesa it can be stopped, how are the older labourers to be replaced. ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. ) The report of the Council of the Royal Agricul- tural Society states that the general result of the past year's working ia that the total assets of the Society on December 31, 1900, including in- vested capital ( £ 17,823) fixtures, furniture, I machinery, country meeting plant, &c., were £ 31,324 as against E37,419 at the end of 1899, a diminution of nearly JE6100, accounted for as follows £ 708 for depreciation, E3516 deficits of the income aud expen- diture accounts, and E1871 difference between the amount added to and-that taken from the reserve fund under the system explained ia the report. These items of course include the loss of £ 3464 on the York Show. The members now number 10,0.33, a notxinal reduction of 633 from the total of 10.666 reported to the anniversary general meeting held on May 22 last year. The diminution it accounted for by the deaths of 2Q4 membeus; voluntary resigna- tions, 314; and by the action of the Council under the bye-'aws as to arrears or absence of addresses. 159. There were two new Governors and 86 new members during the half-year.

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