THE MAN ON THE LAND.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 712, 7 March 1922, Page 2

THE MAN ON THE LAND.

STERSLISSMG SOILS. In ISBS Franke discovered that by heating a soil he increased the amount of soluble foodstuff in if, while later experiments showed that chief among these were soluble compounds of phosphorous and nitrogen. In 1902 Dietrich made the important discovery ithat, while this was true, yet at Ithe same time certain poisonous substances were liberated on heating, but pointed out that these might be neutralised by the use of lime. Later it was noted by Schule j that even without lime the poisonous properties of tire sod gradually disappeared, and that the crop, growing poorly at first, afterwards made great progress in its growth. In 1907 Russel and Darbyshire found that they were able to get the same results by the use oil antiseptics as others had got by heating the soil to the boiling point of water. . Now this wad a most important! discovery, as it pointed to the real natui’e of the cause., It indicated/ a biologicala factor addition to a chemical one in producing the results of sterilisation. Following up this woi‘k, Russel and Hutchinson, in 1907, published a paper in which ft was first suggested that protozoa were the ch|ef cause of soil sickness. The explanation is this : By heating the soil from 95 degrees Cent, to 100 degrees Cent, it is partially, not wholly, sterilised- The animal population is destroyed, but not : the bacterial, at least, noft entirely. RENEWING OLD PASTURES. One of| the questions that comes frequently to this office is the best method of renewing old meadows or pastures. Considerable attention has been give nr to these poor pastures in Massachusetts by the country agents and good results obtained by the use of acid! phosphate and lime. In Franklin County it has been demonstrated beyond v\ doubt that acild phosphate applied on old pastures which are still comparatively free, from brush and woody shrubs and covered with a fair soil will bring in a splendid growth of white clover and blue grass- Of course it does not need to be/ demonstrated that the white clover will ten<J- to build up the nitrogen supply without nitrogenous fertiliser. In qther countries it has been noticed that the results from application of acid phosphate have not been particularly noticeable until the second season. Lime in (the form of limestone has been even slower in showing results and qt present its use seems to be decidedly questionable even though most of the soils under test are more or less acid. Where there is brush or some woody shrub to contend with, as -well as lack of fertility, the problem is more difficult, bujt it is beingmet successfully by numerous fanners. The practice of one man is to go [into the pasture, even if it is some stoney, plough v up a piece of land, failm it for a few years, and then seed it down and turn it back to pasture. Once a pasture is put in good condition it is no 'trick at all to maintain it. Simply fertilise it occasionally so grass and clover will grow, pasture it so the brush will not have a chance /to grow, and sow on a little seed in case of winter-killing. In case a little brush or hard-hack does get a start pull it up while it still is “a little.” It is har'd work and expensive to reclaim a pasture which has reversed to the wild, but the value of a good pasture to a dairy farmer and the vital importance of the dairy cow fully justify reclaiming all pastures which are economically reclaimable and taking special pains to maintain those which are good. The sooner those which are not reclaimable are allowed to revert to forest the better. GRAZING LUCERNE. THE DANGER OF BLOAT. In view of the increased use of this splendid fodder plant in New Zealand, the opinion of Mr Alexander, the manager of a large estate near Invereil, in New South Wales (where 15 silos are (in use), on the danger of cattle grazing on lucerne, is worth noting. He holds that the feeding off of lucerne by stock is always attended with a certain amount of lisk of loss by tympanitis or bleat. In fact during certain periods of the plant’s growth its action on the cow is so active and virulent as to resemble prussic acid po’soning of cattle fed on immature sorghum. A remarkable thing about it is the fact that ’tills extreme effect is produced

for perhaps only two or three days in the plant’s growth, which explains why cattle grazing in one paddock may suffer badly from bloat, while those in the next may be immune, although the lucerne appears to be in exactly the same stage of growth in both. The manager believes that the importance of lucerne , to the dairying industry in districts where weather conditions make it imperative that crops should be grazed off, warrants a scientific in- ° | vesiligakion into the above re-. fen'C's to. . | No risks, Mr Alexander considers,should at any time be taken in grazing off lucerne. The stockj should always be herded and kept moving, and not allowed to eat ravenously. The man in charge should have on hand all the necessary paraphernalia for the immediate treatment of any cow affected. If the lucerne paddock is any distance from 'the cowyards, a small yard or bail should be fixed up handy to the paddock. When a cow becomes uneasy or betrays* other signs of hoven, the method adopted on the Arrawatta estate is, first to seek to induce the cow to vomit. One of the surest forms of emetic, and at the same time one of the handiest and 1 easiest applied., is Stockholm tar. A wad of cloth tied to the end of a stick is dipped in the tar, and then rubbed over the root of I the tongue. In about four cases out of five this treatment will give immediate relief. Should it fail, the cow is at once caught (preferably yarded and bailed up), and the probang used. This almost always' has the d;esiired effect, and only as a last resource is the trocar used. With « care, the doss from bloat will be infinitesimal. Lucerne should not be grazed while damp with dew or rain. Strangely enough, there seems to be much greater risk after frost or during heavy winds* Stocks should during heavy winds. S tocks should always be watered before grazing, bult should not be afiowed to drink for say, three-quarters of an hour.