FERTILISING MAIZE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 358, 20 October 1932, Page 2

FERTILISING MAIZE

EXTENSIVE EXPERIMENT IN USE OF SUPER. SLIGIIT BENEFICIAL EFFECT. J Fertiliser trials with maize are re- ! poi ted on by the principal of Hawkesj bury College, Australia. The experi- | ment was pianned to determine the j : csidual effects of superphosphate on j maize; that is, to ascertain the extent ' to which the crops were henefited in the years following an initial application of the i'ertiliser. To do this, plots similar in size and soil nature and receiving practically the same cultural treatment as the planting experiment, were subjected to various treatments. Some 1 received superphosphate at the rate | of 2cwt every year, others received the fertiliser during the first year of I the experiment only, whilst the remainder received no manure at all. The experiment was maintained on the same site for a period of s'even years. The seed was sown in rows which had heen first furrowed out usually during mid-October, at the same rate and r distance y apart as in the previously described experiment. The results indicated that the 2cwt of superphosphate in general slightly increased the yield, except in seasons with good conditions during spring and early summer. Th'e superphosphate applied only during the initial year of the experiment had no residual beneficial effect. In fact, compared with yields obtained from plots receiving no superphosphate, a definite '.depression of the yield on the plots

receiving fertiliser for one year only was reeorded. The 2cwt superphosphate applied 'each season incregsed the yield hy practically three bushels per acre or an average gain of slightly more than 2s per acre per annum. While the increas'e was only slight it was sufficient to indicate the value of phosphatic applications. From more recent results, however, it was anticipated that lighter amounts of fertiliser, such as lcwt per acre, would give more profitahle return. The exp'eriment indicates that on the heavy alluvial clay loams of ths Hawkeshury ari initial application of nf sn rvp TOKn tsinhatp iLjj a />ntnTi^.