HAURAKI PLAINS SOIL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4409, 3 May 1922, Page 4

HAURAKI PLAINS SOIL.

| EFFECTS' ON THE HERD& | * . ...... | SAMPLES TO BE TAKEN. i An interesting discussion regarding the merits of the soil on the Hauraki . Plains, especially in the vicipity of Ngatea, took place .at a meeting of ( the Ngatea branch of the Farmers’ Union on Saturday. I Mr R. Burke said “that Mr Diffie, a Government official, had promised to' take on analysis of the soil at Ngatea. Nothing had yet been done, and . hardly a meeting passed without a * lotted being sent to Mr Diffie. If the Government would not dp anything in the, matter, he urged 'that the settlers do something for themselves. He offered to take samples of the soil to have them analysed. . Mr G. T, Davidsop suggested taking samples of the peat landi, and also of the more solid country. He explain ed that a veterinarian who was entitled to the initials of M.R.C.V.S. had to undergo a five-dears’ course i,i agriculture and 'should be able to analyse the soil.

SOIL OR WATER?

rhe discussion, then reverted to the causes of scouring in cattle, and Mr Hallyhurton JOhnstone suggested that 'lysol put in the water was beneficial. He had tried lysol, and though ths cattle did not like it at first, they took to it later on. He thought anything bhat would kill the microbes would benefit the water.

Sfr W. Phillips said lime cpuld' well be used to purify 'She water. Mr Hayward was satisfied that.it >yas not the water but the land which was the trouble, and the settlers had to ascertain what t)he land was deficient in. The veterinarian could do the analysis work, but •thb season would be lost, and perhaps the cows. He maintained that it was the quality of the grass which was the trouble. He limed a paddock, but did 'not sec that he had got any benefit. Ho had obtained a good return from basic super on another portion of his farm. He maintained that the land required propping, Mr Davidson said that it was only a matter of finance, and asked if the members would find the money.* He sgugested that representatives on each side of the (river get samples. Mr Hayward said the west side of the river was where the most trouble existed. Mr Davidson said that on t!he west side there was an over'-supply of humus, and on the other side there was more clay. TAKING OF SAMPLES.

It was decided to ask the School of Mines, Thames, if a; sample of the soil would be taken, and at what charge. Messrs R. Burke, A. J. Andrews, and T. Miles were deputed to take samples of the soil for analysis, providing that the reply from the School of Mines was satisfactory, Mr R. Burke suggested taking the soil Rampies frpm different places where the cattle do well, and also from places whpre they do not do well. He suggested Mr T. McClean's and the c,anal road farms, where the cows appear to do well. Mr Shultz suggested taking four samples from the west side of the river, say, the Canal Road, Rawerawe, Ngatea, and Hopai, and two samples from the other side of the river, say, near Mr Hallyburton Johnstone’s farm and at Horahia. i Mr McDuff maintained that it would be better to have the Agricultural Department take the samples, and urged that Messrs Burke, Andrews, and Miles have a free hand in deciding where t'he samples were to be antlysed.