Planting Bare Root Roses

The following article was written by David G. Hallstrom for and originally published byNational Realtors Directory.com.

Before planting, the plants must be prepared. The following suggestions will help insure that your roses grow into healthy bushes, trees, etc.:1. Your new roses have probably dried out during shipping or storage, therefore before planting, either bury the roots in wet saw dust or peat moss for several days or soak them overnight in water. Keep the roots wet when planting, do not let them dry out.2. Prune damaged and broken roots.

Smart Composting Tips for Urban Gardeners & Apartment Dwellers

With the economy in dire straits and many people losing their jobs, everyone’s looking for ways to save money and become more self-sufficient. Growing your own food – even if you live in an apartment or urban setting – is a low-cost and easy first step towards saving a lot of money. Composting is another great activity that can help both your gardening and the planet. But doing it in a small space can be tricky. Here’s how to compost even in a small apartment.

The Container

(Images via Planet Natural, Always Brilliant and Arbico Organics)

First, the right container is important. You don’t want to operate a large, standard compost system in a small space, not only because square footage is at a premium but because of cost. A small unit is best. There are plenty of great options, including countertop models that are attractive and usually under $30. If you’re really concerned about odor, invest in one with a charcoal filter, such as the one pictured above, left. There are plenty of stylish choices, such as the attractive ceramic style shown above, middle, and it, too, comes with a filter so you don’t have to worry about smell. Whatever you do, don’t DIY – no tupperwares or old pots. You’ll have unwanted odor and infestation before you know what’s happened.

What to Compost

(Image via matsuyuki)

You can compost a lot more than you may realize. Any food scraps and leftovers you would normally throw away or put in the garbage disposal can be composted, from pizza crusts to takeout noodles to the popcorn bits at the bottom of the bag.

- Pasta, beans, rice, bread, cereal

- Vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, leaves, flowers

- Egg shells, orange rinds, grapefruit halves, nut shells, seed hulls

Anything of organic origin is fine, from pits and cores to seeds and skins to liquids and moldy cheese. But you can also compost some unusual things like latex condoms, small paper scraps and receipts, matches, hair, hamster cage sawdust, old beer, the contents of your vacuum cleaner, and other organic but inedible items. Just make sure it’s something that has a reasonable chance of breaking down.

What not to Compost

(Image via Yomi955)

Besides bacon, which is obviously not allowed (and why would you let bacon go to waste?), don’t ever compost the following:

- anything that can’t break down reasonably fast in a small container, like old magazines, t-shirts, or (obviously) plastic.

- anything with toxic chemicals, like detergent, paint, or hair dye (you should be using eco-friendly versions of these products anyway, for your own health and the benefit of the planet).

- meat and animal byproducts other than milk or cheese. Butter, being fat, takes a long time to break down, and meat will just attract rodents and insect infestation. The breakdown process going on in your compost bucket can also be hampered by the introduction of meat. Avoid fish, bones, chicken skin – anything that you wouldn’t want your cat getting into probably should not go in the compost. If you’re tossing soup that has chicken broth in it, that’s OK to compost, but no bones. There are plenty of other uses for chicken bones, some good, some bad.

Tips for Composting

(Image via Lachlan Hardy)

As great as it is getting rid of food scraps, you’ll need more than that for successful composting. Nitrogen is necessary to break down the foods into more than a sludge of smelly scariness, and nitrogen comes from grass clippings and dead leaves. The easiest thing to do is add in a half-inch layer of dead, relatively dry matter for every two or three inches of food compost. This usually means about once a week you’ll need to add in some of mother nature’s sheddings. Pine needles are fine, too. The key is balance – don’t think of this as a slimy food free for all. You want to keep it damp but not wet. It’s as easy as grabbing some dead leaves from the sidewalk out front and tossing them in. Newspaper works, too.

If you’re adding in things like paper, shred it! Otherwise it takes forever to break down.

Coffee grounds help create an acidic environment, and worms love them.

Add in the occasional layer of carbon-containing organic matter to balance the nitrogen – leaves are great.

Avoid ashes – they make the mixture alkaline, which means it will take a lot longer to turn into compost.

Don’t forget worms!

Keep your compost near an area with decent ventilation, but out of the sun. Compost will be warm anyway because of the breakdown mechanism going on, so you don’t want it getting too hot.

Don’t freak out if you see some bugs in your compost. They’re helping. What you don’t want are cockroaches and potato bugs or flies and other large scavenger insects. But worms and all those tiny, hard-working soil critters are OK.

What to Do with Your Compost

(Image via timsamoff)

You’ve followed the tips for what to compost, you’ve patiently waited for about 45 days, you’ve kept the mixture appropriately moist – but not too much – and now you’re seeing some decidedly awesome compost develop in your compost bucket. What to do with it? If you’re not gardening yourself, give it away! Compost is gardening’s more nutrient-rich treasure; think of it like a vitamin bomb for your little shoots and seeds. Someone will surely appreciate all your composting efforts, even if it’s not your pals. Try Freecycle orCraigslist – you might be surprised by all the urban gardeners out there! If you are gardening yourself, you’ll only need about an inch-thick layer of compost for plants (you don’t want to smother them). If it’s still winter when you’re planting, give the seeds a little more for comfort, but make sure there is still plenty of ventilation. Don’t pack the compost in, or you’ll stifle the plants.

Most common diseases in the cotton plant

Most common diseases in the cotton plant

• Bacterial blight of cotton, also called angular leaf spot (Xanthomonas malvacearum) is favoured by wet weather (temperature above 25°C and relative humidity exceeding 85%). Disease incidence is higher in plants with injured tissues (due to insect pests or cold temperatures). The disease causes stunting and yellowing of the leaves (mainly lower leaves). As diseases progresses, it may result in defoliation. Affected bolls are smaller than normal and exhibit small black spots on their surface. Bolls may fail to open or produce bad quality lint.

• Boll rot (Diplodia gossyina, Colletotrichum spp., Fusarium spp.) attacks lower bolls near maturity. Warm, humid conditions favour the disease. Affected bolls are dark brown, with a white to salmon-pink overgrowth. The fungus is capable of giving a brownish tint to the lint. This disease is a stress-related one, in the sense that it infects plants that have been previously damaged by insect pests. Management practices include seed treatment, as well as the use of resistant varieties.

• The Verticillium dahliae, a common soil inhabitant, penetrates though roots and grow up along the stem tissue. The fungus is favoured by cooler temperatures, excessive soil moisture and excessive soil nitrogen levels. Symptoms first appear on the lower leaves, which turn yellow. Larger plants are stunted (as diseases progresses, defoliation may occur), whereas younger seedlings may die.
Management strategies include proper management of irrigation and the selection of resistant varieties. Under conditions favourable to the development of the disease, yield reductions of up to 30% are possible.

• Seedling diseases (fungi Rhizoctonia solani, Pythium spp.) cause seed and root rotting. In the case of Rhizoctonia solani, girdling of the stem at ground level is observed. Pythium spp. is characterised by the similar symptom patterns, with a water soaked lesion at the soil line.

• Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum, F. vasinfectum) was first discovered in the United States in 1892, in Egypt ten years later. Wet weather conditions (temperature above 23°C and relative humidity exceeding 85%) are particularly conducive to disease development. Disease incidence can be higher in plants with injured tissues (for example, plants damaged by nematodes). Plants can be affected by the disease at any stage during the season. The vascular tissue of infected plants exhibits a brown/chocolate discolouration through the main stem. Infected water-conducting stem tissues become inactive, causing wilted foliage. Plant death, wilting, yellowing and defoliation are typical of disease symptoms. Leaves turn yellow between veins and eventually shed to leave bare stems. Once the fungus has colonised the plant (diagnosis is confirmed by splitting the stem to reveal dark brown), it most likely causes the death of the host. There is no commercially viable way to eradicate the disease once established (apart from soil fumigation, which is excessively expensive). The impact of the disease may nonetheless be reduced by the use of varieties with high levels of resistance to Fusarium wilt, or by avoiding crop stresses such as over-irrigation and over-application of nitrogen. Fusarium wilt is now an important constraint to sustainable cotton production, especially in Australia.

• Of all diseases known to occur in cotton, cotton root rot (Phymatotrichum omnivorum) is one of the most destructive and difficult to control. The fungus lives in alkaline soils low in organic matter. It occurs only at elevations below 1500m. The fungus has unique biological characteristics that contribute to management difficulties. First of all, Phymatotrichum omnivorum has a remarkably wide host range (infecting over 2300 species alongside cotton), although it attacks only mature plants and does not easily spread from field to field. Second, the fungus survives for long periods of time in the soil (much of the fungus is found as deep as 60cm to 2m in soils). This explains why fungicides are not effective treatment. The fungus is only active when air and soil temperatures are high (respectively above 40°C and 27°C). When environmental conditions are conducive to its development, the fungus invades the pants through their root system. Infected plants can die in two weeks. The first disease symptom is slight yellowing of the leaves, which then quickly turn to a bronze colour and begin to wilt.

For further information on diseases in cotton, please refer to:

- Pest management in cotton: The State of Queensland (Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries)

- Cotton Home Page: University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

- Cotton - Gossypium hirsutum: Texas A&M University, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology

- How to Manage Pests (Cotton): University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC IPM - Statewide integrated pest management guidelines)

- Cotton facts: International Cotton Advisory Committee and Common Fund for Commodities (2003)

- Cotton with special reference to Africa (A. N. Prentice): chapter 12 - Cotton pests and diseases, 1972.

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Signs of a Goat in Heat

Understanding a goat's heat cycle can help prevent pregnancy in pets, or signal it's time to breed livestock.

Goats are considered as seasonally polyestrous animals, meaning that the vast majority of goat breeds traditionally go into heat several times during the autumn months. Understanding the signs of a goat in heat can help owners take measures to either prevent pregnancy or to provide breeding opportunities with a male goat or “buck.”
During the autumn months, the period of daylight becomes shorter and shorter and it’s this that signals the start of the goat’s breeding season. Throughout the fall, it’s not uncommon to see a female or “doe” go into heat on several occasions – three is average. Alpine goat breeds and goats commonly used for milk production usually exhibit this seasonal heat pattern.
Notably, goats living in warmer equatorial regions may not exhibit this seasonal heat pattern. In warm climates where there is little seasonal variation, it’s not uncommon to see heat cycles occurring throughout the year. Nubian goats are one breed where this is commonly observed.

What Are the Signs of Heat?

When a doe goes into heat, this is a sign that her body is ready to breed, therefore, females exhibit certain behaviors that signal males. This heat episode can last anywhere from a few hours up to four days. It’s more typical to see these briefer heats in younger does.
According to Virginia Hadley, longtime goat breeder and enthusiast, the following are among the most common signals that a doe’s heat cycle is underway:

• Vocalization: Increased vocalization is among the most common behaviors exhibited by a doe in heat. “Calling” and “bleating” is common, meaning that the doe will vocalize for no apparent reason.
• Tail Flagging: Goats do not commonly wag their tail, as a dog would. But frequent tail wagging or “flagging” is common in a doe in heat. The tail may also start wagging in response to petting of her neck and back.
• Mounting: Does may be seen mounting other does when they’re in heat. And it’s also not uncommon for a doe in heat to allow others to mount her.
• Aggression: A submissive and easy-going doe can be transformed by hormones, leading to fights with other goats. The opposite can also occur during heat, when a normally assertive doe will allow others to act in an aggressive manner toward her, without defending herself.
• Unusual Feeding Patterns: A doe in heat will commonly change her eating habits, exhibiting a distinct lack of interest in food. Notably, unwillingness to eat can also be a sign of illness, so when other signs of heat are not present, it’s good practice to consult a veterinarian concerning the doe in question.
• Physical Changes: Vaginal discharge, along with redness and swelling in the hind quarters is often seen in a doe in heat. The discharge can also lead to damp or clumped fur on the tail. In a goat who produces milk, milk production tapers off significantly during the heat cycle.

Original Post Here

Raw Invested Millions to Stop Construction of Kalabagh Dam

’’را‘‘ نے کالا باغ ڈیم کی تعمیر رکوانے کیلئے سندھ اور سرحد میں اربوں روپے خرچ کئے

لاہور ( نیوز رپورٹر) بھارت کی خفیہ ایجنسی نے سندھ طاس واٹر کونسل کو غیر فعال کرنے کے بدلے بھاری رشوت کی پیشکش کی جسے ٹھکرا دیا۔ آبی جارحیت کی وجہ سے آئندہ تین سال بعد پاکستان کو بھوک‘ پیاس اور قحط سے کوئی نہیں بچا سکے گا جبکہ اقوام متحدہ کی ایک رپورٹ کے مطابق پاکستان پانی کی کمی کے حوالے سے متاثرہ ترین ملک ہے اور آنیوالے دنوں میں یہ مسئلہ ایک خوفناک شکل اختیار کرسکتا ہے

Guinea fowl farming becomes popular in Botswana

Livestock growers in the Southern African country of Botswana have taken guinea fowl production as a sideline to their core farming activity. These birds can, compared to other poultry species, be kept at a low cost and require minimum labour and management.

By Alfred Sayila, Lusaka, Zambia

In recent years there has been a steady increase in the number of young farmers who have ventured into guinea fowl growing in Botswana. Throughout the arid, desert country their number is estimated at about 580. The rise in this type of poultry has been predominantly noted in rural areas where most of the peasant and small-scale livestock farmers live.

Most of these guinea fowl producers are already involved in other farming activities, notably cattle rearing. This is also the case in the rural district of Ghanzi. Here, most of the youthful cattle farmers have entered into guinea fowl production.

A poultry sector with potential

The Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Animal Production in Botswana believes that guinea fowl farming, although it is still in its infancy in the country, is promising to become an important poultry sector within the coming years. Statistics obtained at the Ministry of Agriculture in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, show that guinea fowl production throughout the country is estimated at about 20,000 breeding stock. This number, however, is expected to rise as more farmers join this parallel poultry sector. Based on this trend, experts estimate that guinea fowl production may reach more than 600,000 birds annually within the next five years.

Government experts in Botswana encourage youthful farmers to venture into guinea fowl growing as a major livestock farming occupation. They also promise financial and logistical support. Here, planners in the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Youth and Culture deliberately target young farmers in pilot districts where some form of livestock farming already exists.

Grants for young farmers

“It may take some time, but guinea fowl farming will soon become an important poultry sector and has a bright future in this country,” says Kebabope Laletsang, Director of statistics and planning at the Ministry of Agriculture. She says that efforts are being made to encourage people of all ages, both male and female, to venture into this type of livestock farming. Laletsang highly praised the Department of Youth and Culture for taking the initiative to support young people in the livestock and veterinary rural districts of the country to go into guinea fowl growing. The Department has already provided about 50,000 Botswana Pula (local currency, which is equivalent to about US$7,600) in grants to more than 200 young farmers. It is believed that others will also soon access financial support from the government.

Marketing a bottleneck

The Botswana guinea fowl sector is currently facing the problem of marketing. Neither guinea fowl meat nor eggs are a favourite menu item for the majority of people living in the country and it will take some time before it appeals totheir appetites. Consumption statistics show that out of 100 poultry consumers, only five may be readily inclined to guinea fowl meat and eggs. This is certainly not to say that there is a cultural apathy towards guinea fowl meat and eggs. It is simply a result of the people not being exposed to wildlife meat products due to the country’s tough and punitive laws. “I did not know that marketing of guinea fowl in this country is so difficult,” confessed upcoming young farmer Lynn Camm in Ghanzi. He explained that while guinea fowl meat is in fact a delicacy to many people in the country, most people exercise a lot of caution when buying these products for fear of contravening wildlife laws and risking prosecution. “Most consumers insist on seeing the wildlife permit first before buying any guinea fowl product,” he complained. Though, at the local market price of $4.00 per bird, they sell slightly lower than ordinary chicken.

Many other young farmers also expressed concern over difficulties they face in marketing their guinea fowl. They all agreed that while guinea fowl farming may be lucrative, those who want to venture into it should exercise patience, resilience and foresight before they can think of kick-starting their poultry projects. They have to think about their marketing options.

Governmental Support

While marketing continues to be an affront to this type of poultry farming, some guinea fowl growers seek sales outlets in other nearby countries like Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe. This initiative is not without difficulties since most of these countries have their own wildlife and huge stocks of domesticated guinea fowl in small household poultry joints. Upcoming guinea fowl farmers have pleaded with various government agencies to help in securing markets in other countries for their products because of the internal limitations.

“We need government support to find markets for our guinea fowl products,” said Hipo Dikgang, a farmer in Jwaneng district. He did not have to wait long for a response. An official at the Ministry of Agriculture advised the young farmers to take advantage of the recently the launched Support Programme for Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD). The multi-million Pula programme presented by President Ian Khama during the opening of the 5th Session of the 9th parliament in Gaborone is meant to provide rural infrastructure and support to rural farmers. It also includes all crop and livestock marketing issues. Pilot projects have already begun in the veterinary districts of Kgalagadi and Ghanzi where there is a good number of guinea fowl growers.

Free-range or housed?

Free Ranged Chicken have better taste

Some of the serious livestock farmers who want to venture into commercial guinea fowl breeding have expressed the need to procure modern hatching and incubating equipment to produce quality birds. They deplore natural methods of incubation where chicken parents are used to hatch guinea fowl eggs. This kind of incubation method means that a lot of eggs are lost, which makes it difficult for the farmers to brake even for their newly found livestock business. Given the high reproduction rate, where a single guinea fowl lays up to 150 eggs per year, modern incubation methods and equipment would greatly help rural farmers to increase production. When doing so, however, the next problem arises: only very few livestock farmers have the capacity to invest in modern (but expensive) breeding units as the majority of them depend on free-range production methods.

Since most if not all rural guinea fowl growers are small-scale farmers they prefer to breed and keep their birds free-range rather than in fenced pens. Prohibitive feed prices and other inputs made these farmers to perpetually rear their birds in the countryside and on free-range mode where the birds struggle on their own to strut for food. “This makes these free-range guinea fowl tasty,” says a local farmer in Serowe district.

Easy to manage bird

The Ministry of Agriculture suggest that guinea fowl keepers seek technical advice from the wildlife department for correct specifications of the incubating, hatching, and feeding equipment for their birds. Alternatively, the Ministry recommends the use of normal poultry methods and equipment to commercially rear guinea fowl. Compared to chickens, guinea fowl are not difficult to raise, says an official in the livestock department, adding that these wildlife birds are resistant to common poultry diseases such as Gumboro, Newcastle and salmonella, and also require less labour and management. In Botswana the off-take rate and mortality for guinea fowl is only 3.4% and 2.2%, respectively, whereas chicken have scores of 10.6% and 6.8%. This gives guinea fowl, considering the local conditions, a better chance of becoming a favourite in future.

World Poultry Vol. 25 No. 10, 2009

How to Use Chicken Manure as a Garden Fertilizer

Gardening is a hobby that millions of people around the world call their own. There is something intensely satisfying about growing your own lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and vegetables for fresh, organic salads. The idea of having your own fruit tree for delicious, organic apple pies or summer-licious fruit smoothies is exciting. And there's nothing greater than cutting a bouquet of fresh flowers for Valentine's Day or to brighten your living room all day and every day of the year!

Sometimes, a true "green thumb" requires, well, a "brown thumb." I'm talking about fertilizer. In this day and age, the soil in your backyard just isn't what it used to be. After decades of development, chemical sprays, lawn, pavement, and God-knows what else, much of the soil that we have to use for our gardening is rather dead and devoid of nutrients. That's why fertilizer is so important. Fertilizer helps add organic elements back to the ground, giving it a boost of nutrients and making it more plant-friendly.

Think of fertilizer as soil's own multivitamin. The best thing is that fertilizer comes in many different forms and it doesn't have to be that caustic chemical fertilizer that you buy in giant plastic bags at Costco. In fact, many people make their own fertilizer using compost and animal manure!

One of the best animal manures for fertilizer is chicken manure. Whether you're raising your own chickens, or buying chicken manure from a local farmer (who often gives it away because he has so much of it), chicken manure is a great addition to your garden for bigger vegetables, lusher plants and brighter, more vibrant plants.

According to chicken expert website poultryone.com, the average percentages (per total weight) of chicken manure is as follows: 1.8 nitrogen, 1.5 phosphate, and 0.8 for potash.

An annual "dose" of 45 pounds of chicken manure, or even more, is all you need for every 100 square feet of your garden. But don't just spread "raw," fresh chicken manure on your garden! "Fresh" chicken manure is very high in nitrogen which plants don't like; this will result in nitrogen "burning." You will need to age your chicken manure first before using it as a plant fertilizer. To "age" your chicken manure (i.e. reduce its internal nitrogen levels), spread it out on the ground and let it sit for a while.

Also, using chicken manure in your compost pile is a GREAT idea. Composting, already an excellent idea as a way to "recycle" green waste from your kitchen like old scraps and vegetable peelings, benefits from the boost in fertilizer. The combination of nutrients in chicken manure and organic material in the compost makes a super-combination that will greatly accelerate the growth of your garden and flowers.

All in all, chicken manure is the best natural fertilizer to make your garden grow.

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Buying Your First Tractor

by Darrell Sims – Cavalier International

(Tera Hub) Your back is tired and your hands are sore. You know your life would be easier if you had a tractor but youre not sure where to start or what you need. The first thing that many people do these days is to look on the Internet. After several hours of searching, clicking, and reading, youre probably more confused than when you started. All these tractor terms, models, and sizes have your head spinning. What does all this stuff mean: live PTO, hydraulic independent PTO, mechanical independent PTO, constant mesh transmission, FST, GST, HST, compact, sub-compact, and utility? How can I possibly pick the right tractor?

At Cavalier International we help our customers find the right tractor by removing the confusion about the terms, then fitting the equipment to their needs. The first step toward finding the right equipment is to take a good look at your property. When it comes to tractors, bigger is not always better. If you have a lot of tight maneuvering, a smaller machine can save you more time than a larger one.

A Typical Scenario

Lets start with a typical scenario. You have 8 acres of land that is mostly flat with a small pond. There is one acre of lawn around the house that you want to keep well groomed. You also have a couple of acres that you want to keep in field/pasture, but you would like to keep that cut down and looking neat. You have about 300-400 yards of gravel drive that you want to keep maintained, and the remaining land is wooded with small undergrowth and saplings. We can now take each area one at a time and determine the equipment that works best to maintain it.

Lawn

Since we want to keep the acre around the house well mowed, we need to look at some mowing options. The main thing to consider is the amount of maneuvering that is required. Is the acre around the house open, or does it have a lot of shrubs and flowers? If the area is open we can go with a 5′ or 6′ wide cut. On the other hand, if we need to do a lot of maneuvering, we would want to stay with a 4′ or 5′ wide cut. If the area has a lot of tight maneuvering a mid-mount mower will make the task easier because it is more compact. But, if the area has some ditch banks, ponds, creeks, or low trees/shrubs, the rear mount will work better. The rear mount enables you to back the mower under low vegetation or out over a pond to keep those areas neat with less hand-work.

If a rear-mount mower is chosen, there is also an option of side discharge or rear discharge. Side discharge gives you a cleaner, more vacuumed cut and allows you to move leaves in the fall. Rear discharge gives you clean sides to trim from, and will cut taller grass without leaving a windrow. For our scenario we will choose a 5′ rear discharge grooming mower because we have the edge of the pond to mow, and the flower and shrubs are well spaced out in the yard.

Field

Next, we need to look at the 2-acre field/pasture. How nice of a cut do you want on this land? Most people will use a rotary cutter to keep a field cut down, but if you are looking for a more groomed appearance, you can use a rear discharge, grooming mower. If you set the wheels up high on the mower it will give you the same height cut as the rotary cutter, but a lot cleaner cut. The rear discharge will also spread the grass out evenly and not windrow. However, the grooming mower cannot handle tall grass as well as the rotary cutter, so you need to mow more frequently. For our scenario, we will use the 5 grooming mower chosen earlier to keep the field cut.

Driveway

Now lets look at the driveway. If the driveway is flat, a rear blade will do a good job keeping the gravel shaped up, and it can also be used to move snow. If the driveway is on a hill, a grader box will work better for pulling the gravel back up the driveway when it washes off. In this example, we have a flat driveway, so we are going to use a rear blade. To determine the proper blade size, we will measure the width of the tractors rear tires and add a foot to get proper length. By adding a foot to the tire width, you will be able to cover your tire tracks when the blade is angled.

Woodland

The final area of our property is the 5 wooded acres. A lot of people like to keep the underbrush down in an area like this. To handle the underbrush, we need to use a rotary cutter. Rotary cutters come in different grades; standard, medium, and heavy. A standard duty cutter will handle material up to 1″ in diameter. This is usually enough for most peoples needs. You also have a choice of shear bolt or slip clutch drive shaft. A shear bolt works well when youre cutting mostly grassy material, but if you are going to cut heavier material, a slip clutch is preferable. If the blade on a shear bolt rotary cutter hits a large object, the shear bolt will break to protect the PTO and tractor from damage. When the bolt breaks, you need to replace it to continue mowing. So, if you use the cutter in an area where there are a lot of large objects, a slip clutch will prevent you from having to replace the shear bolt frequently. In our scenario, we will choose a 5′ rotary cutter with a slip clutch to keep the wooded area clean. The rotary cutter will also help in the pasture if the grass gets up and too heavy for the grooming mower.

Consider PTO Requirements

The implements we have chosen for our scenario are a 5′ rear discharge grooming mower, a 5′ rotary cutter, and a 6′ blade. Now we can choose the tractor that will make all of this work.

A lot of implement manufactures will list horsepower requirements for implements, but you need to make sure they are referring to PTO horsepower, not engine horsepower. PTO horsepower is the amount of horsepower available at the rear of the tractor where you hook up the implement. There is normally a 4-5 hp drop from the engine to the PTO shaft.

A good rule of thumb for matching your implements to the tractor is:

• 4′ PTO implements require 16-25 PTO Hp
• 5′ PTO implements require 20-30 PTO Hp
• 6′ PTO implements require 25-40 PTO Hp

For the implements that we have chosen, we need a tractor with a 30-35 hp engine, or 20-30 PTO hp. This will put us in the compact line of tractors. If we had chosen smaller implements, we would be at the smaller end of the compacts or sub-compacts. On the other hand, larger implements would lead us to the larger compacts or utility size. Kubota offers several choices in the horsepower range that we have chosen. The three that I would recommend in this scenario are the B7800, L3400, and L3130. All three of these tractors are similar in horsepower, but are quite different in size.

The Tractor Models

The Kubota B7800 is a smaller frame 30 hp tractor that has 4-wheel drive and hydrostatic transmission. The hydro is very useful when you are doing a lot of direction changing and maneuvering in tight areas. The only disadvantage with a hydro is that you loose an additional 1.5-2 hp turning the hydrostatic pump.

The L3400 comes in two transmissions. The first is a standard gear drive with a constant mesh transmission. This is a good transmission if you are in open areas, but it can get tiring if youre working in tight areas. A constant mesh transmission requires you to stop the tractor completely when changing gears or directions. The second transmission available in the L3400 is the hydrostatic that was discussed earlier.
The final tractor we are considering is the Kubota L3130. This is the largest of the three tractors but it is still in our horsepower range. The L3130 is available in 3 transmissions. The first is a fully synchronized transmission (FST). This transmission gives 8 forward and 8 reverse gear choices with a shuttle. With the FST, the tractor can be shifted without stopping. The second transmission option is a glide shift transmission (GST). This transmission has 12 forward and 8 reverse gears with a shuttle. The clutch is not needed to shift up and down gears or shuttle forward/reverse. The third option on the L3130 is the hydrostatic. The hydro has three ranges with a rocker pedal in the floor for forward and reverse.

All of the tractors we are discussing have a live PTO. A live PTO means that the direction or speed of the tractor can be changed without stopping the PTO. There are several ways that manufacturers can implement live PTO. The first is to use a two-stage clutch. The two-stage clutch allows you to push the clutch pedal down half way and stop the tractor, but the PTO continues to turn. The second way is to use a hydraulic clutch pack. This is called a hydraulic independent PTO. It is used in shuttle transmissions where the clutch is needed to shift. The third live PTO implementation is called a mechanical independent PTO. This is normally found on tractors that have a hydrostatic transmission where the clutch is used to engage the PTO and travel is controlled by the foot pedal.

Our Choice

For our scenario, we will chose the Kubota L3400HST. This tractor will give us enough horsepower to match the implements with a little extra to spare. The hydrostatic transmission will make maneuvering in the yard and in the woods easy. If we later want to add a front-end loader to the tractor, this style transmission will be very operator friendly. This tractor also has a cruise control, which will come in handy when we are mowing the pasture. The cruise control can be used to select a speed and hold it, without having to keep your foot on the pedal.

Buying the Tractor

One of the most important things about buying a tractor is to purchase it from a good, reputable dealer that is close to you. They should be a full-service dealer that can provide delivery, good service, and parts. The extras that come after the sale, such as going over how to do the 50hr service, how to hook-up and use your implements properly, and explaining how to operate the tractor will help you feel more comfortable and give you satisfaction with your purchase. Knowing that you have a full service dealership to stand behind you after the sale will give you peace of mind. The tractor that you are purchasing will be with you long into the future. You need a dealer that will be too.

Summary

The best way to ensure success when buying your first tractor is to look closely at your property. When you take the time to understand your specific needs, choose the implements that will work best for you, then match the tractor to the implements, you will have a much better chance of picking the model that works for you. If you then buy your tractor from a good, full-service dealer that is close to you, you will always have someone to go to when you need it. Enjoy your tractor and be safe.