I'Vhruury, 1914 



THE CAJiUEN AND FIELD. 



415 



lias ohservetl the cracks that ap- 

 pear in land after a severe drought 

 and which close np ao^ain after 

 rain, will understand that in a 

 drained soil there nmst be an al- 

 ternate contraction and expansion 

 imliicxxl throujjhont the soil. Not 

 only will there he larije cracks 

 >rined, hnt small ones, and the 

 iitire soil will he fissured in every 

 I'.irection. As a consequence, the 

 soil becotnes pulverised to a con- 

 siderable depth, and both soil and 

 subsoil are benefited. This pnlver- 

 isinpr actipn proceeds slowl}', and 

 accounts for the fact that land 

 drainage does not ojierate fully 

 the first season, but recpiires se- 

 veral years before its advairtages 

 are realised. 



Under these favourable condi- 

 tions the roots of crops '^o down- 

 ward more readily into the sub- 

 soil, bringinsT- plant food to the 

 stirface which would otherwise not 

 be obtainable ; the roots serve the 

 purpose of disintegrating the im- 

 dersoil. ^ 



Some of the benefits of drainage 

 may be thus summarised : — 



(j) An earlier and more abund- 

 ant harvest. These results follow 

 from the foregoing considerations, 

 viz., earlier cultivation, increased 

 warmth of the soil, and from the 

 fact that the plant food existing 

 in the soil is rendered more avail- 

 able, and access is provided to 

 larger quantities of it. 



(•2) A better quality of produce 

 naturally follows the growing of 

 crops on a well-drained soil. As 

 the result of healthier conditions 

 there is a better development of all 

 parts of the plant, which becomes 

 more resistant of rust, mildew, and 

 other fungoid pests. 



COOPER'S 



STOUT. 



Full-bodied and Nourishing-, is 

 taking the place of Imported Stout 



Recommended by Doctors, 



Write to — 



Thos. COOPER & SONS 

 Upper Kensington. 



(.\^ A greater variety of crops 

 can be grown upon well-drained 

 land. This is distinctly cidvan- 

 ta<;eous to the farmer, as it ad- 

 mits of a more extended rotation 

 of crops, whereby there is less 

 drain upon the plant food resonrcesi 

 of the soil. 



(4) It is easier and much less ex- 

 ])ensive to cultivate a well-drained 

 soil than one in a contrary condi- 

 tion :\ moreover, access to the land 

 is less restricted. 



Cs) Fertilisers are more or less 

 ineffective when applied to un. 

 drained land, and are in that case 

 generally quite wasted. 



(6) The health of iDOth human 

 beings and livewStock is improved 

 where extensive draining operations 

 are carried out — rheumatism, ca- 

 tarrhal affections, and tuberculosis 

 being rendered non-existent or less 

 harmful in their effects. 



♦ 



The Soil our Heritage. 



We must cease looking upon our 

 land as an object which has us as 

 transient masters. Instead, the 

 passing years must teach us to 

 love our soiF as the European 

 landowner does the few acres that 

 he has inherited from his father, 

 and in which lie all the past tra- 

 ditions of his family. In the soil 

 we must see our great and perman- 

 ent possession that is to be pre- 

 served, built up, and made more 

 fruitful for our children in coming 

 years. If we accept as a national 

 ideal the demand that we live by 

 the labour power of our people, we 

 must quickly become a nation of 

 skilled workers in the city and 

 upon the farm, for crude and un- 

 skilled effort will not support us 

 in our present standard of living. 

 It is comparatively a simple thing 

 to farm by machinery on virein 

 srround : but to carry on extensive 

 ao-riculture in accordance witli 

 scientific principles under a system 

 of crop rotation, usine a !?reat 

 equipment of tools, wnth large 

 stocks of well-bred cittl-, irrowine 

 a crreat variety 1^'its and 



fruits, supplvincr from year to year 

 the needed fertilizer to the soil, 

 requires special skill and very 

 much technical knowledee. The 

 routine of tradition will no longer 

 suffice. The sciences of chemistry 

 and physics, acquaintance with bot- 

 any and some of the other elemen- 

 tal laws of plant life, mechanical 

 skill in handling tools and rua- 



chinery, are the necessary part of 

 the equipment for successful farm- 

 ing. The knowledjrc that underlies 

 this is of recent dcvelo]imient, hut 

 is not yet a coinmon jjossession 

 of the farniers of this country ; 

 hence, not knowing himself, the 

 farmer cannot impart training to 

 his son. — " Country Life in Can- 

 ada." 



♦ 



Why Land "Becomes (Unpro- 

 ductive. 



After a time the lean years 

 come, and the farmer wonders why 

 his land is growT^ng less and less 

 productive. The soil that was 

 once dark in colour, and mellow to 

 the touch, as if instinct with life, 

 has become lighter in colour and 

 lifeless to the touch. 



Why this chancce ; and what of 

 the bacteria that were so flener- 

 ously fed in the new-establislied 

 fields ? An answer to these ques- 

 tions may be foimd in the history 

 of every agricultural country. It 

 is the storv of young soils, and 

 later of soils all but dead, and 

 of soils in their decline. It is the 

 storv of vepretable matter decay- 

 ing rapidly at first, and then more 

 and more slowly, until the residues 

 finally become so inert, so resist- 

 ant to decay, that the bacteria 

 fail to secure enoup^h food, and 

 come unon a period of starvation. 

 For, after all, it is not so much 

 the iqnantity of humus in the soil, 

 but the qualitv of it, that regu- 

 lates the growth and activity of 

 the bacteria. 



It is surprisinsr what enormous 

 quantities' of v\-Avt food are present 

 in many so-called " nm-down " or 

 " worn-out " soils. Yet, notwith- 

 standmo- the abundance plant food, 

 the crops * do not orrow rabidly 

 enoutrh and do not vbi'd profitable 

 returns. There is not enoiigh 

 fermentation in these soils, the 

 perfect bacterial machinery is lack- 

 ino-, and the acids and other chem- 

 ical products of fermentation are 

 not abundant enou"-h to provide 

 for a rapid brpal<inT down of the 

 rock Pfrticles. and the formation 

 of available phosphoric -^'"id and 

 potash.— New Zealand Farmer. 



♦ 



In driving cow'S, never hurry 

 them when their udders are f'ill of 

 milk or when they are heavy in 

 calf, as .serious injiiry may result. 



