VALUE OF TOPDRESSING.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 137, 17 June 1926, Page 3

VALUE OF TOPDRESSING.

WAXRARAPA EXPERIMENT.

Increase In Yields. Mr S. G. Ramsay, a settler of Mangaramarama, has been experimenting in top-dressing his land during the past six years, and has apparently made a success of it. He went upon the principle that to get the best out of land a farmer must first put the best in in the matter of cultivation. He had ascertained by experience that the process adopted by some farmers of long standing of top-dressing with 4 ewt. of basic slag to the acre every four or five years was not the most profitable way to top-dress. He exper : mented with a 10-acre paddock which had been sown in new grass four years previously. He pegged off an acre of ground in it into quarter acres. On one quarter he sowed basic slag at the rate of half a ton to the acre. On the next quarter he sowed at the rate of 6cwt. of basic super to the acre; on the next 6cwt. of super to the acre, while on the other quarter he did not sow anything. The other nine acres ! were sown with slag at the rate of 4cwt. to the acre. The |-aere which had heavy sowings of each manure was twice as good as the rest of the pad- ! dock. The next year he did not top-dress , the paddock, and he did not get half the feed off it, even on the J-ac.re. In .August last he sowed 3cwt. of the best quality super to the acre and the result was wonderful. He had fonrn' from experience on his class of land that 3cwt. of 44-46 super was about equal to scwt. of basic slag to the acre and he had ascertained that a good profit was shown by applying one or t.lrn other of these manures at this rate every year. . , / In another field of five acres ho 'could not run two cows six years ago He then ploughed the land, and sorted gras<s with 3cwt., of super. It thon carried 3 cows the whole s'oason. Five calves were also in the paddock for six months, while the cows produced over 10001 b. of butter-fat. Last year, he top-dressod the lamd with scwt, of basic slag to tho acre and in August topdressed wi*h 3cwt. of 44-46 super aVid- it carried four cows from September .till March, the cows producing 1451 b. of butter-fat per month. ' In addition be roared nine calves, in the .paddock. By following on tho.sn lines ho estimates that he will be able to double the capacity of his land in ,f r ve years.