Mrs. Lance Rawson

“ THIS is only farming in a common sense fashion, or rather, using your own sense and reason when putting in crops, studying the soil, its capabilities, properties and suitability for certain crops. When a practical farmer buys land for farming purposes he first examines it thoroughly, drains it if necessary, and manures the impoverished portions. ”

“ Our colonial farmers who have had no experience but what they have gained from one another, or picked up by observation, know little and understand less about the rotation of crops, or about green manuring, or if they do know they are too rich in new land to follow it out to any great extent. It is usually the man who possesses a small patch of ground, ten or twelve acres, who not only takes most care of it, but who gets most out of it. ”

“ The system of farming in vogue in many parts of Australia is a very bad one. It has, indeed, been well called slip-shod, and the sooner it is remedied the better for all those who live by the soil and what comes from it. A great reason for this loose style of working is doubtless owing to the cheapness of land, when a man has exhausted one piece of land, instead of manuring it and returning to it the salts and sodas he has taken out of it, he lets it lie fallow to recover itself in course of time, and turns his attention to a fresh patch. ”

“ It is a great mistake to imagine that silage cannot be made without an expensive silo. I believe it is this idea that prevents many small farmers from trying their hands at this very useful form of winter feed for their stock. Lately I saw a very simply made silo on a dairy farmer's small place, and though the silage did not look perhaps as appetising as it might, the cows did not notice it apparently, as they were most thoroughly enjoying it. ”

“ The rotation of crops means—taking a surface crop, such as wheat, oats, maize, &c., off the land, and then ploughing and planting a root crop, say turnips, potatoes, &c., &c. One of the best ways to manure a field impoverished by successive cropping without rest or manure is by sowing broadcast some such crop as peas, vetches, turnips, or any quick growing tender leaf plant, and when it is a few weeks old, or when the plants have leafed out well, plough it under and leave the field fallow till the following spring. ”

“ About the quantity of rape seed to sow to the acre: there is great diversity of opinion and the amount differs so widely that it is, perhaps, best for every farmer to use what his own experience has told him is sufficient for his especial piece of land, as I believe the land has a great deal to do with it. It seems hardly possible that one patch of land should yield a good crop from three pounds of seed per acre and the next equally well farmed should take eight pounds for exactly the same result. ”

“ You may be quite sure that not only the rain, but the frost, the sunshine, the dew, all affect the earth in some wonderful way and help it to produce. Some crops exhaust certain qualities or salts in the earth sooner than others, and so much so that though they may grow very well for one year they will not the next. I have noticed this particularly with tobacco, it seems to take more out of the ground than any other crop, but 1 believe the land can be renewed by "green manuring." It is a mistake to go on growing the same crop on the one piece of ground ”

“ Where a farmer keeps a small flock of sheep as merely an extra source of profit, and chiefly for his own consumption, he cannot do better than sow a small field of rape for their winter feed, as in most climates it is ready for cutting by June, and a good crop sown, as I have suggested, will feed from 25 to 35 sheep per acre. ”

“ Wood ashes mixed with coarse salt will generally keep the ground moist enough without rotting the tubers. Where the soil is well drained it is advisable to plant pretty deep, as this will start the first set of roots or tubers farthest down, and ensure them a more equal temperature than if nearer the surface. The great thing is to look after the growth of stalks and leaves, by so doing you will ensure a good root crop, as these last draw from the top their food and the qualities and ingredients that go towards their formation. If the leaves do not thrive, you may be sure the potatoes won't ”

“ But considering that it is the stems and not the leaves that hold the nourishment and fattening qualities it stands to reason that the thicker the plants the better, and therefore from six pounds to seven pounds of seed per acre is not too much to sow broadcast to ensure a good heavy crop. Believe me, the few pounds saved per acre is no economy; and when buying be careful to get the broad leaf winter rape, and not spring rape which is not nearly so good. Another thing do not be persuaded to buy cheap seed, which is, most probably, old and musty. ”

“ As a matter of fact, the tomato will grow on the very poorest of soil, but as a rule, any land that will grow potatoes or corn will grow tomatoes to perfection, and they are a crop that will stand any amount of dry weather, but frost cuts them down at once. ”

“ If you have only a little, there is no harm in trying, as in case of loss it won't be very great, and you may succeed. There is nothing like courage and enterprise.
When the leaf is ready for picking, it will be a dark deep blue, and appears as if it had swelled and become rougher, something like a cabbage leaf when it is old and getting mouldy. The tobacco leaf when ripe becomes first spotted with yellow, and the leaf itself gets a brownish yellow. ”

“ If rain should come while they are out, gather them under a tarpaulin or a shed, but they must be spread in the sun afterwards. I think the reason so many fail is because rain so often comes just at this time, and the leaves go off before treated at all. Now bring it all into a shed or outbuilding, a thatched room is the best I believe. Pack the tobacco in a heap, the larger the heap the better for sweating, but in any event pack it as closely as possible, and heap dry hay or grass upon it, sides and all ”

“ Collect a few old bones and if you have any grape vines, or indeed any growing vine or tree and bury them under one and in a year or two come and look at them, and you will find them gradually being eaten away by the roots of the vine or tree. Such crops as corn, oats, potatoes, require the crushed bone manure, bones buried beneath them would not be affected, but would take many years to decay. Possibly, like my friend the farmer, you are wondering how I, a woman, know all this. ”

“ The ignorance of some so called farmers is most comical, and, unhappily for themselves, these are the men who so often come to ruin after a few years. Just as they are beginning to know a little from experience they go under through not having enough money to carry on. It is for this reason I have in another part of this work advised the young farmer from the old country to take service with an experienced man in the first instance, and until he begins to understand the country and know the seasons. ”

“ Arrowroot grows in almost any fairly rich soil, and is a capital crop to put in after some surface crop, as oats, barley, maize. It should not be put in land too freshly manured or it grows too much to leaf. It will yield as much as 14 to 16 tons of bulbs per acre, and upon some soils more than that.
It is a very good crop for a young selector farmer to put in, particularly if no one else about has done so, as he will then have a certain market for it in town. From seven to eight months after planting the crop is ready for digging. ”

“ Very often a field will recover its productive powers if left fallow a season or two, even without any manuring, but the ground requires working or ploughing before being left, and it will be all the better for being moved again two or three times, so that the sun and air can get into it and permit the soil to draw in the carbonic acid and nitrogen from the atmosphere for use as plant food hereafter. ”

“ Ploughing, cross-ploughing and harrowing are in some instances a partial substitute for manuring, because by so stirring and opening up the earth it is rendered more fit for absorbing the chemical properties of the rain, and also the atmosphere. As both the air and the rain water effect strange and, to our eyes, quite imperceptible changes in the ground when the two are brought together, just as soda and acid will fiz, or effervesce, when put together in water. So doubtless some such change takes place in the earth when the rain falls upon it. ”

“ It stands to reason that the earth must become exhausted after a long course of cropping, just as a tree will become worn out and cease to bear after many seasons of bearing without attention. I have heard young farmers say that they did not believe manure affected the crops. I was at the moment advocating a course of bone manure, and suggesting that, as he could not buy bone dust, he should bury all the bones he could find about his fruit trees and grape vines. ”

“ During wet weather if one dry day comes it will be sufficient to get in any crop convertable into silage, so that it need not be lost entirely. Always cover the stack at night with a waterproof sheet. When completed it can be pressed or not, if the latter there is likely to be a layer on top that is mouldy and useless, but that is all, and a man loses more than that very often when making hay during a wet season. ”

“ Sow cabbage seeds rather thin, so as to have strong plants, and after sowing roll or flatten the ground with the back of the spade, till quite firm. If the beetle or bug does come, sift some fine ashes or soot over the plants.
Before transplanting, thoroughly prepare and manure a piece of land, digging it deeply and breaking up finely. It cannot be too rich, as the better the land the finer the cabbages. The great thing in selling vegetables is to be the first in the market. ”

“ If the seed is sown on a small patch where a heap of brushwood or grass has been burnt, the plants will not be so troubled with beetles. I saw this in an old newspaper, tried it, and was surprised at the result, not a cabbage plant was eaten by the bugs. The way is to prepare a small piece of ground, and then collect a heap of dry grass and undergrowth, enough to leave a good deal of ash. Burn this and then lightly rake in the ashes and sow your seed. ”

“ In damp weather there is not so much fear as the grass does not die so quickly, so may be left untouched four or five days. The grass must not be cut till the dew is quite off it and it is dry. About twelve o'clock, or even later, is the best time for cutting as then it can be carried direct to the stack if wished, or time has to be studied, otherwise it can remain on the ground a few hours. If soft it is the better for lying to wither before stacking, but if hard and over ripe it should be stacked at once. ”

“ The large or Mammoth Tomato is the best to grow for market, it should be raised on a frame, trained, in fact. The golden pear-shaped tomato is the best for jam: it requires a fairly rich soil, though it will grow on anything, but to bring to any perfection it must have a rich, loamy sand—if I can use such a term. ”

“ In preparing to grow potatoes the soil must be well drained, at the same time the ground must be sufficiently moist to keep the tops of the plants green and healthy, indeed, moisture is of more importance to potatoes than manure, provided the ground is moderately good. ”

“ Press the soil well round, and if the sun is very hot they must be shaded for a day or two. When the plant is about a foot high pull off the lower leaves to about five inches from the ground, and hill the earth up round the plant, and when at is nearly two feet high the last hoeing can be given. Directly blossom buds appear pinch off the tops so as not to leave more than eight or nine leaves on each plant, and at the same time nip out any shoots that may start from the base of the leaves and the roots. ”

“ The wonder is that some of the squatters in Queensland do not sow clover over their runs as an experiment. It would never become too prolific from the heat of the country, but it might possibly enrich the pasturage on some places. ”

“ When ripe, the tops wither, and digging the bulbs is not unlike potato-digging.
To make it. —The bulbs are first well washed and then grated into pulp, for this purpose a grater can be very easily improvised from a piece of tin or galvanised iron with a number of holes made in it. The grating must be done in a tub of water, the easiest way being to fix the grater against the side of the tub firmly, and then rub the bulb upon it until it is all torn to pieces, and a thick sediment over the bottom of the tub. ”

“ Don't turn the ashes under more than you can help. A very good plan is to give the ground a second burning after it is broken up, laying on a heap of grass for the purpose. Divide it off into beds three or four feet wide and raised some inches if dry, if not dry it must be raised higher and well drained. Allow one teaspoonful of seed to each 26 square yards, that should give nearly 3,000 good plants, and mix every spoonful of seed with half a gallon of fine wood ashes, and sow in three operations crossing directly and again at right angles. ”

“ Every young farmer would do well to subscribe to some magazine or journal and read it regularly, or have it read to him, for there he will find many things, ideas, theories, etc, etc, which he can try himself. ”

“ When all the bulbs are done stir up the sediment and get all the fibre and lumps of stuff out, then wash well in ever so many waters, letting the arrowroot settle and then pouring it off, and more on, and repeat the process till it looks as white as snow. Then leave in the sun till every drop of water is evaporated. It is a good plan when washing to use two vessels for the purpose, pouring from one into the other, and nothing is better than two large milk dishes. ”

“ There are very cheap machines for making arrowroot to be got, but unless you grow a large quantity it can be made just as well, a little at a time, with a common grater, or better still, a rough one made as I have directed. ”