A BRIGHT FUTURE

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1932, Page 5

A BRIGHT FUTURE

FARMS OX COAST

EXPERT GIVES HIS OPINION.

(Per Press Association-* Copyright.)

OHRTSTOHt/RCH. Aug. 29.

• Mr R. McGilivray, Fields Superintendent of the Department of Agriculture, was-oolit the West Coast all last week going in£p departmental matters with the local instmetor. He visited various centres and said that the more closely acquainted lie became with the Coast the more convinced he was thatit was destined to become a dairying, centre of-great, importance..He had seen oases "where fertilisers had been applied on the West Coast to unlimed land; but results were, practically nil, except, perhaps, ih l; the caser of basic slag, but even with slag, results were greatly enhanced if the land had been limed.

It was most gratifying to see the farms in many places being cleaned up, and wherever this was done an! the- land was limed and ‘ top-dressed, very good pastures were obtained in a tsomporatiyeiy,- short dime. The quantity of lime used was generally one ton per acre, and the dressing of superphosphate was from two to three hundredweight per acre, but he was Of Opinion that a larger. dressing would be payable on thft land that had been cleared for a considerable number of years- ■ •'V

Mr 'McGHllivray said .the West Coast was well supplied with limo deposits and there was an increasing deinand, and the directors of the. limecrushing plants were fully aiive to the importance of, turning out adequate supplies of good quality well-condi-tioned material for the fanners to use on their land. He said there had-been evidence during the past- few 1 years that landowners were realising that pasture management was a most important ; factor jtu connection with successful farming.'and he was pleaspd to see so, many durjfpets -making, epsilage. Swedes grew: successfully, but were $ inclined to develop pmttled heart and this had: disheartened many growers. A good dressing of- wdod ashes appliedl ' to the land prior to sowing the swedes generally resulted' in. a clean crop being produced. . '■l'. A'

The herd-testing associations established three seasons ago had shown that the dairy stock on’ the West .Coast ‘ were- able to 'give, a' good account of themselves. Thei to» herd of thirtyseven cows in the. 193]-.82 season produced 4391 b. of ;butter-fat per": cow in 270 days. The second head of thirtyone cows produced 3861 b of butter-fat in 230 days, and, the third herd' of eighteen con's 3651 b of fat in 260 days. The association average; for 195 herds r with a total of 5902 cows was 2831 b of buter-fftt in an average of 227. days. , The farmers should push on with the cleaning up of their land and should Use as much lime, and super as possible and use aid surplus grass for the making of ensilage. ;