THE JOURNAL 



OF THE 



MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE 



Vol. XXVII. No. 2. 



MAY. 1920. 



NOTES. 



The month of April has played a prominent part in this 

 year s agricultural history. Coming after two fine months, 

 in which farmers had gone well ahead 

 with their work, the succession of wet and 

 sunless days threw them, in many parts of the country, out 

 of their stride. With the coming of I\Iay, large areas set aside 

 for potatoes remained unplanted, fields prepared for oats and 

 barley were left undrilled, while to make matters worse there 

 has been a remarkable outburst of weed life, stimulated na 

 doubt by the mild winter, the warmth of the land in the 

 beginning of spring, and the subsequent heavy rains. Weeds 

 have proved a serious factor, not only in the fields, where the 

 cost of labour does not invite hoeing, but in the market gardens, 

 where their presence among young seedlings compels am 

 expenditure of effort that is needed badly in other directions.. 

 The question of the effect of rains upon fruit blossom is not yet 

 settled. In all probability the early plums, damsons and open- 

 air peaches and nectarines suffered little hart, but a certaia 

 proportion of the later fruit will have failed to set. 



Certainly the farmers' prospects at the end of April were 

 not as good as they appeared to be at the end of March, 

 even although a bountiful hay crop would appear to be 

 assured. 



(918). Wt. p. 6— 19S. 12,250. s'so J.T. &S., Ltd. 



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