THE FARM.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 105, 8 November 1915, Page 4

THE FARM.

Special Manures. Writing on th 3 all-important question ot modern mamnial practice, based on science and experience, an authority states that the following points stand out prominently 1. That at least once in the course of a rotation the land should have a dressing of farmyard manure; a moderate quantity of which should be supplemented by artificials, and that the crops of the rotation, to which no farmyaid manure ia directly applied, should receive a full dressing of artificial. 2. That the artificials should, as a rule, be of a complete nature, famishing to the crop nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash; or, in other words, ammonia, phusphate of lime and potash. 3. That tne artificial, if applied in the form of a special or complete fertilisers, should be in good condition, and should be carefully compounded, so that the ingredients in the manure can be uniformly applied, ensuring that all the plants get a fair proportion of the different fertilising substances. 4. That while crops require a supply of all of the various kicds of plant fnod, their requirements for thess plant foods differ in degree; thus, while for one crop the priccipal or dominant requirement is for nitrogen, for another crop it is for phosphoric acid, and for yet another potash. It is this fact that lies at the foundation of a rational system of rotation, by which, through an alteration of ciops with different necessities in the way of ingredients, the plantfood in the soil is made use of in an economic It is also this fact that* is the justification for the special manures placed on the markets by manufacturers. Farmyaid manure and Peruvian guano are .typical complete manures. but there is not enough of such excellent stuff to go round, and manufacturer make up the deficiency by preparing special manures compounded to meet in an economical the particular individual requirements of the crops. Special manures are pro* bably more largely used for the cultivation of pototoes and roots than for any other crops, and thousands of tons are sent out season after season by the manufacturers. The fact may be taken as evidence that such manures do good service, because farmers continue to use them in spite of the frequent advice that it is cheaper to buy the materials separately and mix them together. This advice ignores the important factor that a manure ready compounded saves the farmer the labour—an item of consideration—and the. trouble of buying the materials separately, as well as the difficulty ot supervising the mixing operation, and it stands to reason that a special manure well prepared at a factory with proper appliances is a better manure hand will give better results than a crude home-made mixture. Moreover, skilful manufacturer who baa made a special study for yean of crop requirements in different districts and on different soils is naturally in the best position to compound a suitable manure; his expert knowledge enables him to supply in the manure the plant food in different degrees of availability, so that the crop can be fed from the start to finish. There is thuß a justification for good specials, and the manufacturer who has devoted time and expense in acquiring expert knowledge of the requirements of crops, and, as a result of this expenditure, is able tu produce a manure producing larger crops and better than can be obtained by the use of simple mixtures, would seem to be entitled to recoup himself for the extra labour involved by getting for his goods a price relatively higher than the cost calculated on the unit value of the simple fertilisers. In this matter, to use a well-known homely phrase, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating"; the farmer from his practical epxenence of the results is the best judge, and if an intelligent man continues to use such manures year after year, as is frequently the case, ihere would appear to be conclusive evidence that the manures are worth the price paid for them. On the other hand, if the farmer finds that the results obtained are not commensurate with the extra price for the special manure, he will abstain from repeat orders and the manufacturer's trade wilt fall off. Finally a word of caution when buying a special manure: The buyer should see that the price is in proportion to the fertilising ingredients supplied hi the manure.