Text 5 general farm transport

Automatic control on the farm should not be confined, to tractors: smaller trucks or trolleys can be run automat­ically around the farm-yard or buildings, at any predetermined time or on selected routes employing the buried wire or similar system. Doors and gates can be opened and closed automatically with the help of equipment described above, and there are many protective devices that can be fitted to guard the machine in the event of faults in equipment or obstacles in the path of the vehicle.

Automatic control of farming operations lags far behind that of industrial processes and one reason for it is the type of electronic equipment used. Amplifiers and thyratron re­lays must normally be provided with a high voltage such as main electricity supply, and the thermionic valves are re­garded as being too delicate for normal farm usage. The development of transistors has completely changed this out­look. They can be used in place of valves in amplifying and switching equipment, and have many advantages. They are not affected by vibration, so that transistorized equip­ment can be installed on moving machines.

Another great advantage of transistors is that they can be operated from low-voltage suppliers, such as car or tractor batteries and can, therefore, be used in any remote part of the farm.

Transistorized equipment can also be completely water­proofed and quite safe for use with any outdoor equipment or in dairies and other places where it is not possible to con­trol the splashing of water.

Text 6 feeding systems for livestock farms

Mechanical feeding systems are becoming increasingly important in livestock farming. For a long time farmers have enjoyed the use of low-cost power and machinery in crop production, but until very recent years feeding has been an unmechanized and inefficient operation. The present availability and convenience of electric power at low cost makes it possible for every farm to eliminate shovel and basket feeding in favor of electrical and mechanical feeding systems. Such developments not only increase the individual farmer's output per man/hour, but change his role of a manual labourer.

A mechanical feeding system uses the energy of a machine to do work that was formerly done by human muscle power. An automatic feeding system supplies controls to machines so that they may function by themselves. A mechanical feeding system, to be ideal, should indeed be completely automatic, that is, it should be set up so as to enable feed and supplements to move from storages to the feed bunk without any manual attention from the livestock operator. Such an ideal system — where grinders, blenders, conveyors, and distributors are perfectly coordinated so that no manual attention is necessary — is sometimes unattainable, but should always be considered the goal when planning mechanical systems.

Text 7 plant breeding

A vast number of experimental agricultural stations are now at work in the Soviet Union developing the best varie­ties of seeds. The experience of former seedbreeders is vastly used, while existing grades are crossed to obtain the best results and the obtained varieties controlled to eliminate off-grade material.

Michurin said that by means of breeding new varieties it is possible to increase yields almost indefinitely. The main requirements as regards variety are: high yield, resistance to winter-killing (frost resistance), resistance to fungi and insect pests, good milling and baking properties.

Artificial selection aims at the selection of the best indi­vidual for further breeding. This is determined by a) appear­ance, b) chemical and other analysis, c) the record of ances­try (pedigree), d) the record of the progeny.

Hybridization has helped to develop many new varieties of plants. Hybrids may be crossed by means of pollination with parent stock or with sister and brother stock or else crossing may be reciprocal.

Vernalization- consists in the seasoning of selected seed-stock under low temperatures, whereby better viability is secured.