Aerial Topdressing For Hill Country

Chronicle (Levin), 9 July 1949, Page 3

Aerial Topdressing For Hill Country

In ari address to the members of the Shannon branoh of Federated Farmers on Wednesday evening, Mr. A. F. Greenall, of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council, spoke of the value of aerial topdressing as a means pf improving green cover in hill country. • -iMr. Greenall said that some diffimUsy hari been experienced in convefimg obsolete .^service aifcraft into efficient riiachines for topdressing, brit redent experimerits in the Wairarapa district.had proyed that the method had many advantages over hand distribution. An aircraft with a' one-ton hopper had sowri orie ton of manrire in 17 seconds over a strip 40 chains by 2 chains, with a coverage. of 2 cwt. per,acre/: The. area covered was not accessiblp by ground machine. A special hillside super' was used, for the experiment." 'The speaker outlined how the aircraft was controlled from the ground, which prevented any overlapping of the strips already covered. Estimating the cost at £15 per hour for the aircraft, the cost for , topdressing the 97 acres with ten [tons of manu're was about 15s. per acre. The work was carried out in under three hours. With special aircraft fitted to carry from flve to ten tons of manure this cost per acre would be almost halved, added Mr. Greenall.