THE RURAL WORLD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 365, 31 May 1911, Page 3

THE RURAL WORLD.

SUPERPHOSPHATE AND GERMINATION.

An interesting series of experiments were recently carried out by Mr W. R. Bines, the foreman of one of the experimental farms in South Australia. He wanted to find out what the effect of superphosphate was upon the germination of rape. It is a common practice for farmers to mix the seed with the fertiliser and sow the lot through the box of a drill, and many of them had found that the rape seed germinated very badly. Mr Birk's aim was to determine whether there was not a sat condition under which it would be safe to sow rape and other small seeds in an admixture with superphosphate. The conclusions he arrived at after several months of exerinient are of particular value to farmers who do not feel justified in purchasing a special drill for the seeding:—The first part of the experiment was to determine the effect of planting seeds varying conditions, of moisture content. The soil was good average loam in one of the college wheat fields. A portion was sifted and air dried, and placed in saucers, which were half filled. A hundred seeds were planted in each, together with superphosphate in quantity equal to lewt to the acre. Ten saucers were used, and seed was removed from one and tested after the firqt day, and so on. The seeds, sifted from the soil, were placed in moist blotting, in saucers put in a germinating chamber kept warm by a lamp. As the seeds developed healthy young plants, the latter were removed and recorded. Injurious effects of super, lying in contact with the seed in dry soil, would have been rendered evident by a diminisbd germinating power of the treated seed. In each case SO per cent, of the seed germinated, corresponding with [normal germination of untreated seed. Thus it appeared that no damage occurred when the seed lay in dry soil with the superphosphate. A similar test was conducted in a sample of the same soil, to which 10 per cent, of moisture was perceptible to the touch, although still insufficient to promote rapid germination. Under these conditions each lot of seed suffered. There was no marked difference in the loss experienced in the soil for one day, and those treated for a longer period. The average reduction in germination was 17 per cent., representing a loss of about a quarter of the seed, which would have germinated normally. Similar soil was treated with gradual increasing quantities of water, and the loss diminished as the moisture increased, so that in soil containing 15 per cent, moisture, seeds germinated to the normal extent. In these cases the seeds sprouted in the ordinary way from the super-treated soil. Summarised, these tests show: No loss was caused in thoroughly moist or air-dry soils from the presence of supers, but; when the soil wa3 in an intermediate or "clangorous" condition, damage resulted to trie maximum extent of 25 per cent. A set of field experiments was conducted on similar lines, small plots of rape being sown, one with supers, and one without supers, each week in autumn, 1910. The results were confirmatory of the laboratory tests. In addition, seed was sown with super. in soil containing 12 per cent, carbonate of lime, as against 1 per cent. in the loam. The plots were situated on a limestone ridge, and the well known neutralising effect of lime upon super, resulted in no injury being sustained by the seed. Even in the plots which experienced the worst conditions for germination, there was no appreciable difference between the manured and unmanured portions. In the foregoing tests the seed was not allowed to come into contact with super, until at most a minute or two before sowing. Tests were therefore conducted with seed mixed with supers. to eorresponnd with some farm practices of mixing supplies sufficient for one or two days' work. Laboratory tests showed that the longer the mixture stood the lower became the germination, until at six days the seeds showed no signs of vitality, and failed. The experiment was repeated twice with similar results, and then similar tests were carried out in the fields with three brands of super. The results showed that in one case practically the seed was killed in three days, and in another in one day.

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

There is hardly a nation which has done so little for agriculture as Britain; and if individual enterprise has made the Motherland pre-eminent in live stock breeding and industrial undertakings the fact remains that the State has done very litte to educate rural communities, of which one obvious result has been a decline in the industries of her soil, with the single exception of pedigree stock breeding, where, however, the individual will always play the most important part. Wonders have been worked in Ireland by Sir Horace Plunlcet and other patriotic Irishmen applying in a practical manner the lessons of Continental countries, with the result that a revolution has been worked in Irish agriculture. England is now awaking from its lethargy. Her agriculture is receiving some of the recognition from the State its condition demands. Closer settlement is being promoted and agricultural credit banks are to be encouraged. A liberal policy of subsidising the efforts of farmers who will breed a stamp of horse suitable for remount purposes has been initiated. Then agricultural education is to be fostered. Money is to be provided county councils to enable these to do considerably more than they have been doing for the education of the men on the land. The new policy is a very common-sense one. Farm schools, not agricultural colleges, are to be established, though the mistake is being made of endeavouring to carry these out on too elaborate a scale — to have one for two counties.

.Surely the principal countiesofEngland would have ample material for a separate institution. That school-farms are to be established at all in the Mother Gauntry indicates a really earnest desire to place the rural industries of the country on a proper basis. A FARMERS' PARTY. The Auckland Provincial Conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, sitting in Auckland last week carried the following resolutiong :■ — "That the Conference approves of the formation of a farmers' political party in the Dominion Parliament to safeguard the interests of farmers."

"That the selection of farmers' party candidates shall be made by the provincial executive, who shall also decide whether and when to select candidates, and where no candidates are selected, the union should, at Parliamentary elections, support such candidates as will pledge themselves on any question affecting the farming interests they will confer together under a leader of their own, and where possible, take united action." The Conference decided that only candidates would be selected who would engage themselves to watch all possible proposed legislation which would affect the farmers, or the man on the land, and bind themselves to vote unitedly for or against such legislation, independently, and in entire disregard of how it affected the status of the recognised political parties at present in Parliament, or the fate of any Ministry.