THE FARM INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 450, 8 March 1909, Page 2

THE FARM INDUSTRY.

EXPERIMENTS WITH MANURES. MAKING THEM TELL. THINGS THAT AliK WORTH PROBING. It is not an easy matter to break out of tlio beaten track and present the world with something now —not even in the field of experiments. Yet it is really only the new things that aro worth inquiring into. In a former articlo (February 23) emphasis was laid 011 the importance of arranging the fertiliser experiments 011 a money basis, aim also 011 the necessity of using tlio manures at their best seasons and in their most effective manner. Something more than this can bo done. There is room for somebody to experiment to show that good farming can do mcro than manures. In most tests it is assumed that manures are certainly beneficial, and the experiments arc narrowed down to showing the relative values of different manures with 0110 another and with the unmanurcd plot. Now, if Clareville, lUasterton, or some other enterprising gardening school, or even some of the 11101 e adult experimenters, want to rouse up the New Zealand farmers, a little more than usual, they can do it by proving that a- little bettor cultivation, costing £1 per acre, will give better results than dressings of some manures costing £2 per acre. If 0110 were to take a piece of ill-tilled farm land—that is, land that has never been ploughed more than three inches deep—and subsoil it, work it to a fine tilth, and seed it with rape, turnip, oat, ryegrass, or clover; and then, for comparison, seed in the same way a t plot ploughed only to tlio orthodox depth of threo inches, ploughed (preferably) when it is very wet, harrowed ditto, seeded on a rough, puddled surface, and dosed liberally with superphosphate or ammonia, or some other forlorn hope in the realm of plant medicines, it could probably be shown to a startled industry that (apparently) manures didn't pay. Here are some things, comparatively unexplored, that aro worth testing: —

Tilth versus manures —all-comers. Drainage versus manures. Top-dressing versus ploughed or harrowed or drilled manures; with special reference ' to bonedust, basis slag, blood and bono, j and any of the other manures that arc often , erroneously top-dressed. Early versus lato applications. Compare bonedust, or slag, or guano, or super, turned under at the first ploughing, the crossploughing, the harrowing, or the drilling; or as a top-dressing; or in a combination of part-ploughed in and part-harrowed, etc. Manuring at a depth to suit the particular crop to ho grown. It can probably be shown that deep ploughing or bonedust or , slag or guano is better for fruit trees (before planting) and lucerne and other per- > manenfc crops than shallower applications. Manure versus thick mulch for fruit trees or other suitable crops. Manure versus hoe for drilled crops. Manure versus sprouting' for potatoes. (Tho sprouting of potatoes, by the way, is a good art to teach to tho gardening classes of tho school children.) Manure versus single-stem training of tomatoes. Manure versus green crop ploughed under. (Estimated quantity of green stuff should bo recorded.) Limed green crop ploughed under versus unlimed green crop ploughed under. Green manure with lime and subsoiling versus green manure with limo without subsoiling. Experienced farmers recognise the value of a quick stimulant for the turnip crop. Experiments would be interesting which compared such mamirings as the following:— Ploughed bonedust (or guano or slag) and super combined; ploughed bonedust (or guano or slag) and drilled super ; drilled bonedust, etc., and super; ploughed bonedust, etc., and broadcast super; broadcast bonedust and super; ploughed limo with broadcast or drilled super, without bonedust,' etc. The deep ploughing or working of an established crop, such as fruit trees or other farm crop that is usually cultivated, is not advisable, because of the disturbance of tho ' roots that must result. Orchards have been seriously injured for a season by deep ploughing near tho trees; and digging (for potatoes, cabbago, and other vegetables) is perhaps tho commonest cause of tho dyspeptic appearance of the fruit trees in many gardens. It is, therefore, desirablo that in any tests as to tho value of deep applications of manure, this factor should bo rememberod. Deep ploughing of an insoluble manure can bo safely accomplished before the planting of a crop, and is a courso to bo highly recommended. But deep ploughing afterwards must be restricted to-the area of land not reached by the roots. lii addition to the numerous points hero suggested for experiment, there is a good field for interesting work with potash. There is a general impression in New Zealand (supported by some of tho experiments) that New Zealand soils are not deficient in potash, and that applications of • potassic manures rarely do any good. More tests are required in order to settle this point. On tho whole, tho experimenter wants to bear in mind thispoint that very often the average farmer fixes in his mind tho sum per aero he will spend on manures. The experimenter should aim to'show him 011 what manures lie can best spend it—-how he can most profitably invest £1 per acre.

JfEWS AND NOTES FOR THE MAN ON THE LAND,