FERTILISER FACTS.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 2 August 1920, Page 4

FERTILISER FACTS.

HINTS FOR FARMERS. Lucerne, the “crop of plenty,” is a ' crop valuable not only for the rich fodi der it produces, but is, Sir A. D. Hall i says, “a cheap means of enriching the soil with a minimum of expense. ’ ’ The I penetrating roots of the plant go deep down into the soil, storing up nitrogen for the benefit of succeeding crops. Few forms of agricultural expenditure are more certain in their results than the judicious use of manures - on grass land. The meat and milk producing capacity of the country can be ■ largely and rapidly increased, not only with great pecuniary gain to the farmer, but also with still greater economic advantage to the nation. The most important point in the storage of manure is to prevent the escape of titty liquid. Two out of the three most important plant foods (nitrogen and potash) are contained in- a far larger proportion in the urine than in the solid excreta of the animals; and not only that, but the foods in the liquid form are more valuable to the crops, beacuse they arc much more easily available to the plants. Phosphates combined with nitrogen I are .obtained from bones, crushed bones, bone meal, steamed bone flour, solved bones. They are best when I ground down to a fine powder. They | are slow 1 iu action, and not much of the phosphates and nitrogen is available to plants. Bone meal contains 50 per cent, phosphates, 4 per cent nitrogen in the form of ammonia. Steamed bones contain (10 per cent phosphates, 11 per cent nitrogen, dissolved bones 3 percent nitrogen. Meat meal contains 10-25 per cent phosphates, (i-S per cent nitrogen. Blood meal 10-12 per cent nitrogen, 5 per cent phosphates. They may lie used for turnips and swedes, and as a top-dressing for pasture. Phosphorus ns a fertiliser is invaluable; it is one of the chief manures used in promoting the growth of grasses. The poorest of land is very often by its judicious use made valuable; light, down lands, well known for their poor quality, can be made to fatten cattle by suitable dressing of manure containing phosphorus. In its presence leguminous plants thrive exceedingly, and in this way rejuvenate the land. Sources of phosphorus are basic slag and bones, from which superphosphate of limn is recovered, ft also forms in the mineral kingdom apatite, cropolite, and phosphorite. For a number of years the results of field experiments at State farms in Australia have indicated that much heavier dressings of superphosphates than normal may be profitably applied * to wheat. The 1914 crop treated in. this way was satisfactory, yet it lias' been peristcntly contended that the wheat would “burn off” in a dry year. The yields- of the crops last year, both on State and private farms, where lewt of superphosphate was tried, again proved the soundness of the now practice. Tests at Werribee have shown that for the best results in ' lucerne growing top-dressings with phosphoric manures and thorough renovation with cultivating implements arc necessary each winter. The tests have proved that lewt of superphosphates applied annually as a topdressing will yield an increased return of about one ton of hay per annum, which will pay for the manure and leave a profit of £2 to the acre in addition.