Farm and Garden.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 426, 16 June 1904, Page 7

Farm and Garden.

1 ORIGINAL ARTICLES. MANURES AND FERTILISERS, j near the ana «SJjjr large tovns are close to a large eH§JR supply of stable manure Rnd § ; depend almost exclusively upon such manure for growing crops.; The cost is but tfttleJl any? n)'<%e>;than the tin»e and labour of such; men generally Collect auoh material with thejir living beyond easy distance receive manure by,rail, and must pay freight-in addition to the coat of collecting., Where freight charges are low city manure "is used to a considerable extent by farmers, particularly these who are engaged in market gardening, but not by farmers generally; suburban gardeners also supplement manures with large quantities of commercial fertilisers. To the great body of farmers the use of city manure is impossible because of the transportation expense, The main reliance ifi dairying sections is on the manure made on the farm. That supply is usually too email, and the deficiency is made up by using commercial fertilisers generally on orops that are to be sold. Such farms are mainly in grass, and the-vegetable matter in the manure and the inverted sod generally eupplies sufficient humus to keep the land in good heart, trader such conditions fertilisers are used to great advantage, In some parts it dose not grow in abundance and consequently for farm live stock is limited to working animals, and fertilisers are depended upon to maintain the fertility of the Boil.. Of course the best way of keeping up sod fertility is by using manure. The experience of suburban gardeners clearly proves that the soil can be kept at the highest state of fertility by large applications of manure alone, though many market gardeners find it advantageous'Tto&useftblreonif mereial fertilisers ia :ad3ition. '-When, manure is used in large enough quantities it supplies all the' plant food elements in abundance, and is of especial value jiagardening, as it provides a large amount vpf nitrogenous matter which is of value ia promoting the growth of vegetable, tissue. Fertilisers are principally used where it is impossible to obtain manure. When they are applied with intelligence and judgment the farm income is not only greatly increased without injury to the; soil,'but also the soil fertility is actually' increased. But if carelessly or ignorantly employed contrary results will follow. Fertilisers wonderfully increase and stimulate the- production -of profitable crops. In some ? parts ;it would be imi. • possible to farm profitably without tfrenV. ; Probably no .other/agency introduced within the last fifty years has so directly benefited farming sections as commercial fertilisers; the trade in fertilisers is enor-, « mous. But, unlike manure, there are limitations to the use of fertilisers, because of the limitations of the soil. The exclusive use of fertilisers upon cultivated crops on the same land for a long term of years impoverishes the soil of its humus or vegetable matter, Under such treatment soils become more and more diffi suit t to plough and cultivate, they quickly dry cut and harden in summer and are baciiy washed during the., winter period. In the effort to preserve the declining soil moisture the land is cultivated more thoroughly each year, and by that continuous stirring the humus of the soil is still further depleted by the excessive nitrification that results. The time comes at last when the land no longer responds with 'paying crops, and it must be abandoned, rested or rotated with cover crops for a term of years, The rapidity of this depletion depends upon the character of the land, sandy soils or those having little 'moisture being the first to give out. Commercial fertilisers have been used by farmers for many years, and the consensus of opinion is that where fertilisers, are ihe sole dependence the texture of the soil must be preserved by adding vegetable matter, which is moat easily-done by ploughing-Under green crops, or the, crop producing power of the land will fail. Winter cover crops are especially beneficial, as they prevent the washing and gullying of the land and also utilise in plant growth the soluble elements in the soil that would-be leached out if the land was > bare. When the cover crop is ploughed under those fertilising elements, that would have been-wasted had the crop not been grown, are restored to the soil,. and by decay again become available for plant food, while the humus,is increased by the bulk that has been added to the soil. I j ■ ,-■

'-.. CoW cropsmay be grown at a time Of the year when the land is* not usually needed foroommercial crops. Badly worn land' can be renovated by growing manurial crops both winter and. summer until the waste if? repaired'; it will hasten "resultrif the land is fertilised; especially in summer. By far the beat summer crop ifiithe cowpea. There are many'varißtie's of cowpeas and it is not hard to find a ."kind adapted to « locality. To entirely give up the land to manurial crops is expensive,--as no income'ia received, and the cost ofiploughiag and seeding twice;: a year. anct.possibly,providing some ferv tiliser,; taxes the-larm- resources. W The question at ones arises, will it pay? The answer depends upon the value of good land; in some parts it will Hot pay to spend more: than- good land Js worths in* building up worn out land, unless such land has added value because near farm buddings. The simplest w&j is- to farmon good land, keeping it good by rotation and winter crops, as we now know how to do, and leave the worn out land to be restored by the slow process of,nature. Before leaving this subject it may be noted that in those parts where the annual "temperature, is high there is a, greater loss of! vegetable matter-in the soil, and the crowing process ia. continued' for a much longer period, and consequently a more j complete nitrification of .organic matter takes place. The humus therefore is much more rapidrin a'warm climate. On the other hand the supply of humus can be rapidly increased in a warm climate because of the great balk of crop that can be grown in both summer and winter, and that vegetable matter is there, quickly reduced' /to a .condition favorable to plant, growth. under green crop* is, very : important Hti the warmer districts and the cowpea is specially favoured for that purpose, whilst in cooler districts it is customary to teed the crops by applying manure which, is more readily available for plant grewth. | Manure alsp givfiß better results on soils' containing Vboasiderable humus, soils that are in good heart, than on thin, dry lands.' *±%?• '--'"■ *'*'-.' 'y* "■■'"