92 FARMING ON FACTORY LINES 



about our farming operations, some conjoint effort 

 will be made amongst farmers to reduce the pest. 



WINTER-PROUD CORN 



In certain areas, generally in the southern districts, 

 quite a large acreage of the oat crop is sown in early 

 winter — October and November — in addition to 

 wheat. Without going so far as the writer has done, 

 many farmers in other parts of the country could 

 undoubtedly extend the area under winter oats to 

 advantage. 



In districts where the practice is common, and in 

 most districts where any variety of winter cereals are 

 sown, farmers often, in spite of ideal weather 

 conditions, purposely delay the sowing of winter 

 cereal crops until what is recognised in the district 

 as the suitable date. 



The writer has often discussed this question with 

 such farmers, and learned that the reason for delayed 

 sowings is to avoid the corn becoming " winter 

 proud," i.e., advanced in growth before bad weather 

 sets in, or, in the case of an open winter, to prevent 

 the foliage becoming very dense in spring-time, and, 

 in consequence, more likely to produce straw than 

 grain. 



If there be one thing more than another in our 

 agriculture that can be described asa" bogey," it is 

 this fear of . 'winter-proud" corn. For one acre of 

 autumn or winter- sown corn which suffers from 

 becoming l * winter proud," there are twenty acres 

 which suffer from being sown too late, and, in 

 consequence of bad weather happening when the crop 

 is in a weak state, it is wholly or partially lost. 



