S August, 1907.] Expcrimoiial Farms. 455 



He sowed 8 lbs. lucerne seed to the acre in the autumn, towards 

 the end of April being the best time. He sowed broadcast, using the 

 drill with the tubes taken off. Mangolds should be planted in September, 

 the best varieties being the Long Red and Yellow Globe. The seed 

 should not be sown deep and it was better to steep it in water for 24 

 hours allowing it to dry enough to run freely through the drill before 

 sowing. It would show up in a week but would require watering three 

 times in a season or oftener on a small patch. Land for mangolds should 

 be well cultivated, the disc harrows being the best for the purpose. The 

 width between the drills should be 2 ft. 6 in. (or 2 ft. 8 in. sowed with 

 the drill, the sowing to be as light as possible). As to the best autumn 

 or winter grass for dairying, he favoured prairie grass, although the 

 results would not be great. A better plan was to put in Cape barley. 

 If sO'Wn in March, it would be ready in June, and it suited cows better 

 than anything else. Lucerne hay made a good winter feed. For small 

 holdings, he advocated feeding by hand. It took work, but it paid. 

 He advocated a cross between Ayrshires and either Shorthorns or Here- 

 fords. Better calves were obtained from the fattening breeds. Lucerne 

 should not be sown on the waterlogged parts of the plains, but on the 

 red light land it was safe enough. Lucerne could be cut three or four 

 times in a season. He had heard of six. It grew very quicklv ; three 

 weeks after being eaten down and then watered, it was ready for another 

 •cutting. There was a risk in feeding cows on lucerne when it was too 

 young. It should be in full bloom before the cattle were turned in, but 

 for small holdings he urged cutting. Maize should be sown in October 

 in drills 2 ft. 6 in. apart, as it had to be cultivated." 



Settlement of the Wvuna Estate under the provisions of the Closer 

 Settlement Act commenced on the ist of March, 1906, and the work of 

 the farm commenced forthwith, and is being developed simultaneously 

 with that of the settlors. With few exceptions the original purchasers 

 are still in possession of their holdings and have made great progress in 

 reducing them to good farming condition and effecting permanent and 

 substantial improvements and are enthusiastically and intelligently striv- 

 ing after success. The community as a whole will be one of contentment 

 provided that there is an ample supplv of water, a generous treatment 

 in the matter of instalments of payments for the first few years and 

 ample school facilities. No statistics of areas cultivated or permanent 

 impro\ements made, have been collected, but upon their completion there 

 will be room for general satisfaction. Owing to the lateness of the 

 season when operations began and to the abnormal rains the areas sown 

 were small and the results poor. This season the rains have been very 

 light, causing considerable difficulty in breaking up and preparing the 

 land ; nevertheless a much larger area is under crop and showing good 

 growth and a soaking rainfall now would leave little to be desired as 

 regards the prospects of the coming season. 



While the farm mav have been admirably adapted for working from 

 a sheep farming point of view, it required and still requires a great 

 deal of remodelling to make it suitable for the purposes of an Experi- 

 mental Farm. It was amply provided with buildings with the exception 

 of those pertaining to dairying ; this defect is being remedied as fast as 

 convenient. A number of existing buildings and fences have been dis- 

 mantled or removed and utilized in other places and a system of sub- 

 dividing into small working paddocks commenced. As far as possible 

 the fences are being made square to the farm boundaries. All the 



