FIELD EXPERIMENTS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14885, 27 January 1914, Page 10

FIELD EXPERIMENTS.

FARMERS AND FIELDS DIVISION CO-OPERATE. LAST TEAR'S RECORD. When tho Right Hon. the Primo Minister, Mr W. F. Massey, who is also Minister of Agriculture, recently visited the Auckland Exhibition, he was particularly interested in the experimental plots laid out ancl sown by the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture. So impressed was Mr Massey with what he saw that he stated to an interviewer: "Every farmer in the Dominion should see tho plots. I could hardly believe that the varieties grown would have done so well on Auckland land, particularly as in tho majority of instances no manure was used. The display mado in these experimental plots is the best I have seen, and it forms, probably, the best display of its kind in New- Zealand. It is a most valuable object lesson to everyone engaged iv the agricultural industry, and every farmer who can possibly visit the Exhibition should devote a lew hours to tbo examination of theso plow, and I am confident if he does so he will bo wolf repaid." SOUTH ISLAND EXPERIMENTS. In view of Mr Massey's eulogy of the work done by the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture at tho Auckland Exhibition, some account of the work it is doing in the South Island will be of interest. Mr A. Macphcrsoa, Fields Instructor for the South Island, who has just returned from Auckland, gave a representative of "The Press," yesterday, some information regarding the experiments being conducted by tho Division in cooperation with farmers in different parts of the South Island. Formerly it was tho practice of the Division to agree to experiments which any farmer offered to make, but last year a different system was adopted. Beforo agreeing to such experiments, an officer of the Division reported on the suitability of the farmer who offered to conduct the experiments, also as to tho suitability of his land for the purpose, and if tho report was favourable, the experiments were authorised, tho Division and tho farmer co-operat-ing. Tho work has grown to such an extent that it is beyond tho capability of one officer to superviso all tho experiments in the South Island, and there are now associated withMrMacpherson in tho work no fewer than 32 inspectors of noxious weeds and rabbits, who supervise the experiments in their respective districts, carrying out Mr Macpherson's instructions and reporting to him. On 232 farms, extending from Nelson in the north to the Bluff in the south, these co-operative experiments are being conducted. On theso farms 3860 plots have been sown with wheat, oats, barley, grasses, clovers, lucerne, mangels, turnips, carrots, khol rabi, parsnips, potatoes (manurial and spraying tests), silver beet, rape, Chou Mollier, Buda kale, Jersey kale, thousandheaded kale, Russian kale, maize, and other crops. The object sought to bo attained by these experiments is tho thorough investigation of the productivity of- tho various soils in each district, and in selecting the areas on which the experiments aro carried out attention is paid to their accessibility to tho farmers of the district. The knowledge gained is available to all farmers in the district, and much valuable information is. consequently, being placed at their disposal. In addition to testing different varieties, the Fields Division also coftducte mammal tests for the information of farmers. Half a dozen fertilisers used in different proportions are employed in each district to determine the nature and ouautitv of enrichment required by the soil Mr Macpherson does not encourage the uso of artificial fertilisers, as he is convinced that poor land is moro effectively improved by the addition 'of. organic matter, effected by ploughing in suitable vegetation, and this method is largely employed in the co-operativo experiments. Tins year fourteen new varieties of oats, nine of wheat, and twelve of barley are being experimented with. EXPERIMENTS AT SECONDARY •SCHOOLS. There are fourteen high schools in the South Island which are ' cooperating with the J-ields Department in certain experiments. These schools are the Alexandra South-High School, the Ashburton District High School, the Balclutha District High School, the East Oxford District High School the Lawrence District High School, the Mosgiel District High School, the Naseby District High School, tho Palmerston District High School, the Rangiora District High School, the Roxburgh District High School, the Tapanui District High School, the Temuka District High School, the Timaru Boys' High Schoo ; and the Tokomaru District Hk'l* Reh«v>l. At these secondary schools there are 1G27 plots.'. DEPLETED LANDS. Atiother direction in which the Fields Division has been directing its activities is in connexion with the re-vegetating of depleted lands in the Mackenzie Country and in Central Otago. In tho Morveii' Hills district, Otago, thero are 133 plots on which there has been sown grasses, clovers, and deep-rpoted plants. At Earnscleugh there are 119 plots similarly planted; and in the Mackenzie Country, South Canterbury, thero aro 115 plots at Sawdon, 115 at Haldon, and 115 at AVhalesback. At tho five places mentioned thero is a total of 597 plots. RECLAIMING SAND AREAS. There are eight places throughout the South Island where the Fields Division is conducting experiments with the view of making sand areas reproductive, and at tho samo time, check, if not stop, sand drift. In all 99 piot s have been sown. A start is to be made shortly with the planting of tho sand dune area of the C.atlins river district. Otago. Marram grass has been used effectively, as visitors to New Brighton are aware, in binding sand areas and preventing drift, and good results have been obtained from planting lucerne in raw sand. ON THE WEST COAST. Important experiments are in progress on several areas of Crown land on the West '"'oast. Mie object being to give intendui": set .'\ rs information as to j tho best -i-asses * id crops to plant. These experiments are being conducted j at Poenia, Roto Manu, Moana. and two areas on the Pakihis in the Westport! district are being prepared for experiments. At present there are 65 experimental plots on the Crown lands in Westland. MANUKA SCRUB LANDS. Experiments aro also being con"ducted on the manuka scrub lands between the rivers Waimakariri and Eyre, in North Canterbury. There are eight plots, the total area of which is fivo acres Leci'.mino.us plants have been sown for the purpose of adding organic matter to the soil. The land has also been limed preparatory to further experiments being conducted. THE CATERPILLAR PEST. SOME XIFE HISTORY NOTES. In view of f he re-cent references to the havoc worked by caterpillars in North Canterbury, and especially in tho

Waiau district, some information regarding the lilo history oi t«e grubs mspon&ibie for eating up the farinuis' feed will bo of interest. Tbo information which follows lias been gleaned from a leaflet to farmers by Mr T. W. Kirk, F.L.S., who was. at the time it was -written, Government Biologist. Mr Kirk states that tho particular caterpillar that has attacked pastures and crops in different parts of .New Zealand is the New Zealand army worm, grass caterpillar (Mamestra. composita). iijlgs axe laid in ibo early autumn. liie resulting catorpiliars, atter feeding for some time. work under tufts of grass, beneath old log*, or other shelter, or. if the soil be- light, beneath tho surface, then become torpid, and pass the %yinter under this cover. In spring they emerge, and feed on the young herbage, complete their growth, pupate in the earth or under grass, appearing as full-grown moths, ready to lay the eggs of the main brood, which is usually the most destructive. The moths from this brood emerge in time to lay the egys for the autumn brood. It has not bVtn prov«l that thero is a constant succession of broods, tho probability being that tho so-cr.Ued intermediate broods are meroiy the early arrivals, or late survivors of the two broods already referred to. The number of eggs laid by each female varies considerably. Mr Kirk counted 93, 111. and 173, but ho believes that the number is sometimes much greater. There are quite a number of insects that are parasitic on this sotcies of grass caterpillar, and an immense number of them fall victims to natural enemies such as various species of hymenopiera (four-winged flies) or, as they are frequently called, eoldier flios, particularly Mcsotenus albo-pictus, I. sullicitorius; also several dipterous, or two-winged flics —Phora ominivira, luirigaster foredayi, and Marginatus. Nemorea nyct» merianus has been sent to Mr Kirk a.<, having beer, reared from tho same host. In the ease of 6uch insects as above-mentioned, the female deposits her egg in or on the grass caterpillar, where it presently hatches, and the young parasite, oats its host. Starlings are inveterate enemies of the grass caterpillar, and devour, many hundreds. It is only when the ground begins to get bare or the herbage has been fouled by the number of insects present, that the grass caterpillar migrates. They may bo prevented from reaching fresh pastures or crops by adopting the American method of checking the army worm—namely, ploughing or dieging a trench across the line of march : the side nearest tho paddock to be protected should be undercut, so as to prevent tho "worms" from crawling out of the ditch ncain. Pits are dug in tho ditch at intervals, the "worms" being unable to climb up jX ".' , side of the trench, crawl along and '' ;i into the pits, where they may be .eil by spraying with kerosene "and uator, carbolic and water, or by throwing in a few shofelsful of earth*. Tarred boards sot on edge and sloping from the crop to bo protected have proved very holpful in checking the inroads of these caterpillars. Where it is possible to spray an infested or threatened paddock with Paris-green mixture, or dust it with lib of Paris-green to 301b of flour or lime, this should be done. Tho borders of fields likely to be invaded should always, if practicable, be treated in this way. Where it can be managed, burning in old grass in autumn or early spring has proved advantageous by killing the caterpillars lying torpid and destroying old stems on which the moths of. the spring brood prefer to lav their eggs.