SHEEP AILMENTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 943, 9 April 1930, Page 11

SHEEP AILMENTS

LACK OF MINERALS IN PASTURE MINISTER’S INVESTIGATION From Our Own Correspondent TE KUITI, Tuesday. During- tire week-end a party headed by the Hon. H. Atmore, Minister in Charge of the Scientific and Industrial Research Department, made a tour through the Mairoa and Kopaki districts. The Minister was accompanied bv Dr. Marsden, Messrs. W. J. Broadfoot, F. Lye and Lee Martin, M.P.’s, Mr. T. Rigg, assistant-director of the Cawthron Institute, and Messrs. Ferrar and Taylor, of the geological branch of the Research Department. The areas visited comprise a large hilly block west of Te Kuiti in the Mairoa district, and also in the vicinity of Kopaki township. In the first mentioned area the ciuestion oi deteriorated lands has been under consideration for some time, and sheep sickness has been experienced. Experiments by the geological department show that both lime and phosphate deficiencies occur in pastures in these areas. Field experiments point to the fact that a mixture of lime and super is effective in overcoming sheep ailments. _ The work of the Geological Department has shown that sheep sickness is associated with geological strata. The whole area is to be submitted to a geological reconnaissance and in order that this work may be facilitated, an aerial map is to be prepared by Mr. Douglas Mill, of Auckland. This is the first instance in New Zealand where aerial photography has been used for this particular purpose. Before the party left on Monday, a conference was held between Mr. Atmore and Sir Apirana Ngata, when the question of the application of the results of the research work to those areas selected by Sir Apirana for native land settlement was discussed.