FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2122, 3 July 1907, Page 1

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

PHOSPHATES INDISPENSABLE. Basic slag is a phosphate of lime, but it differs from bones or mineral phosphates beeauso it contains foiuparts of lime. It is a by-product in tlie production of Bessemer steel. Li mo is added in that process to tlie furnace as a flux. In pig iron there are impurities, and one of these is phosphoric acid. The lime absorbs this, and when tlie two conjoined are ground to a fine powder a splendid manure is the result. In England

if. is cheap and very effective. A simple test of its genuineness is to put a little of it on tho hack of the hand . —if it feels gritty have nothing to do with it; if it is as line as flour use it’ with confidence. All of these phosphates simply differ in the amount of solublo phosphates they contain. The more soluble:phosphates they contain the better they are for the -farmer's purpose.. . Fqr permanent pasture, worn out dairying, bone-meal or bone-flour or slag will give good results. For crops it is a- good tiling to take. ground mineral phosphate, and add that to the manure heap. A change then takes place in the heap,' due to tlie, presence of oarboriic acid

gas. This .combines with the lime present and forms carbonate of lime, and soluble phosphate is also produced.

Crops Suitable’for Phosphates :Phosjilioric acid, or phosphates, may be applied with good results (1) to.plants of the cruciform order—sweeties, turnips, rape, cabbage,' mustard. On such crops tho effect of nliospbatcs are remarkable, hut onlv if there bo a de-

fieiency of phorphoric acid in the soil, .which is generally the case where dairying, corn-growing or stock-roar-ing have boon;the main object of the management. Tho effect is most seen in tlie early stages of the turnip growth, between sowing and singling. - Clio use of phosphates tides the young plant over the critical period of its life, when it is liable to be attacked b.v the turnip fly. If singled, the plant rapidly comes u- to the hoe, and grows luxuriantly. For turnips on mossy land basic slag is superior to any other kind of phosphate, but on light land it is not so effective unless clover is wanted. (2) Phosphates may be successfully applied to the graminae, or plants of the corn crop order-—oats, barley, wheat, and all the grasses; but tho immediate effect of the dressing hero is not so marked as on the green, crop, and therefore they are generally applied at that stage of the rotation. (3) They macho employed effectively for the leguminosae, or pod-bearing plants—beans, peas, vetches, clover, sainfoin, and lucerne, although it seems difficult to stir these plants by the ordinary mamirial applications. In a review of a treatise by R. P. AVright, F.H.A.S., F.R.S.E., Professor of Agriculture, the Scottish Farmer says:—“This is one of the most strikingly got-up pamplets on manuring that have seen tho light. Its conculsion is that, whatever be the crop, and therefore the dominant plant food required b~ the crop, the presence or absence of phosphates in a manure means the difference- between success and failure. Phosphates are shown of lucerne as grown without manure, and as manured with superphosphates ; of maize and red clover similarly dealt with; of oats as unmanured, as manured with nitrate of soda and superphosphates; of potatoes as unmanured, as manured with superphosphate alone, as manured with nitrate of soda and superphosphates combined; and finally of turnips as unmanured, as manured with lutl-ate of soda and nitrate of potash, and as manured with nitrate of soda, nitrate of potash, and superphosphate in Combination. The general effect of these photographs is to show that ihosphates, whether alone or in com’’nation according to the crop, make all the difference between success and failure.

The object of the experiments was to show what forms, qualities, and combinations of manures are most suitable for farm crops. In their main object the experiments succeeded, but m respect of some of the details they miscarried. The soil was specially prepared, and one lesson to be learned" form this is that even with the best chemical knowledge at his disposal it is not possible 'for man -to make agricultural soil as nature makes it. The crops experimented with were oats, turnips, potatoes lucerne, “perennial” ryegrass, and red clover. The theory of manuring is that plants take at least ten separate constituents from the soil, and the greater number, of theso are so necessary that in the absence of any one of them growth entirely ceases, while the presence of a necessary substance in msufficent quantity means the check of the growth of the plant. The. object of manuring is to rectify the balance, and.to enable this to bo done wisely, it is needful to know both what the particular plant requires and in what the soil may he deficient. Of the three great plant foods phosphoric acid is deficient in nearly all soils, and it can never be misapplied in duo quantity. Potash. is necessary, and may bo profitably employed on most soils, except those in high condition, where its application may prove ineffective and unprofitable. Nitrogen, .except on soils in very high state of fertility, can also be profitable applied when the quantity is wisely regulated. On the vexed question of the deterioration of hill pasture, Professor Wright makes the remark that when kept under j pasture for a series of years it gradually becomes richer in nitrogen, hut it steadily becomes poorer in phorphoric acid; lienee the success which in many cases in Scotland has attended applications of basic slag to such pasture.

A notable influence is exerted by pliosphatic manure on plants at an early stage of their growth. This was demonstrated in all the experiments. Whatever may be the dominant plant food at a subsequent stage, in the oarlv history of plants of all kinds tested the influence of phosphates was marked. This was as clearly, seen

in the pots at the Glasgow Exhibition, in tfliicli oats, lucerne, and potatoes wore grown, as well as in those in which plants of the turnij) order found a place. The healthy start thus obtained is maintained through the history of the plants. Those so fed ripened the earliest. The fact that nitrogenous, manures alone effect little change on cereal plants is well known. If the best results are to be obtained form the .application of nitrate of soda there must he in the soil readily available an amide supply of phosphates. Professor Wright and his colleagues in 1895 on 15 farms conclusively established this point. Nitrate of soda applied to oats without this, .sufficient available supply of phosphates gave very uncertain and irregular results. In growing potatoes the good effect of phosphates is seen in the improved ouality of the produce, and in dealing with turnips, phosphates are indensible, alike in the earlier and the later stages of their growth.

LAMBS Oil TEGS. In a recent issue of the. Tima.ru “Post,” n contributor, after discussing the question whether too high a .price had not been paid by the freezing companies for certain iambs that afternoon turned the scales, dead weight, at 52-6511) per head, proroods; —These big weights cannot really be classed lambs; they are in reality tegs. It appears to me. that in New Zealand in the future is going to do moro in supplying tegs than m supplying lambs. Of late years farmcis have got much less per pound for the lambs they sent away from the mothers than they have procured for those which they‘kept till late winter or autumn on turnips, and milkers are, oi course, very much lighter in weight than the heavier lambs, or hoggets, which they really are. Those who have suitable feed, and plenty of it, find that it pays to keep their lambs till the increased value per lb make the animals vorv valuable. If they sell their lambs off the milkers, they have to procure others to take tlicir place. There is a big element of risk in it. In the first place the margin of profit at between stores and fats may be small, and on the other hand the lambs may not be healthy or they may he “laid "doers.” A few culls and a few deaths take flic “gilt off the gingerbread.” One’s own lambs, bred oil f lic place, are more to lie trusted in these respects than strangers. One stands to make as much out of keeping one’s lambs, and there is not the same risk. Australians cannot do this; they must sell the lambs off the mothers.' It seems, therefore, as if Australia, were destined to supply the market for true lambs, while we fill the demand for light mutton by send-, ; ing away heavy lamb and teg mutton. In the iong run, Australia may beat us in: the price per lb, but our heavy weights will realise moro per carcase. Although teg mutton has beep ser’

yeroly. condemned by many, I have all along maintained that it is very suitable for the Homo trade. At any rate, it seems to bo finding a place in the London markets.' There seems.to be no trouble in disposing of it, and a groat quantity, of it has been frozen and shipped'during the past few years.