PASTURE RENOVATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 99, 24 May 1909, Page 4

PASTURE RENOVATION.

THE PROBLEM OF TAItAXAKI.

The most important question con sidered by the Taranaki Council of the Farmers' Union was the remit of the Eltliam branch, that the Provincial Conference urge all branches in the produce to carry out experiments lo discover the best manure or immures for top-dressing pastures (says, the Wellington Times). °

laranaki is the grass proving of the Dominion, but nature in her prodigality lias led the farmer to abuse her 'gifts. lie has been content to take all°aiicl give nothing in return. Season lias followed reason and the heavy drain on the natural plant food has gone on without any attempt -being m ade to replace it. The result las been that the pastures have lost their carrying powerhave become cattle-sick, aiid to such an extent that the farmer is beiii" fore'd to do something to bring them to a «irolitable condition. Top-dressing is hemming general, and basic slag, which produces the valuable phosphoric acid In addition to a serviceable dressing of lime, m being largely used for the purpose.

_ Having come to realise that top-dress-ing must be regarded as an important phase of milk-production h Tarannkifarmers are naturally anxious to know how to go about it in the most economical way. It is a very hopeful si„n |o "«■ them anx.o'us to have district experiments initiated. Here a word of' caution is needed. The object to lie aimed at is not the amount of «n,ss a field produces which is the test of ii * carrying capacity; it is the nutritive 'character of the pasture. It has been found in experiments carried out at ISothamstead, England, and extending over sixty years, that the weight of pro" (luce (grass) off an unmanured plot was almost a* great as when the experiment, were commenced, but the composition of the pasture had changed enormously Itoiu a trifling percentage weeds had in. creased to nearly fifty per cent, of the total growth.

What is desired is that the desirable passes and clovers should lie encouraged to develop ~t the expend of the inferior grasses and weeds, thereby incrousi,,., the carrying capacity of the field. Unie, thong!, no. propel,- a ,„.„ mr ,, is . f . ally valuable in that it sets free th« potash locked up in tl„, soil. This is why clovers ap,,.,,,,. llft ,. r ,„„,, ~a s , „ 1 ■''• ''""C- of course, would produce no good effect if t oil did not posses -tores of natural plant food. Different manures are suited to different <n-n»,cs and this i, where a combined manure' gives the l,es t results. (•',„• !„,(.,„„.<,. sulphate ol ammonia encourages shallow loots. „,„] being tixe.l by U,e | lllmn , ;„ lie soil ,s available for a long period, '■'•nerally the phosphates- should W at ■-">' ';a>e «f the top-dressing. „,,d (1„. dressing most suitable to the |„ ( „1 soil «ill .■n.il.,c the farmer to maintain his ii.e.ds hi the essential conditions of a "ell pasture-having the better grassy ami clovers with „ minimum of weeds «....ever the re-nlt achieved, it is of r-o lame except exprcsed i„ an imm-ove-n.ent in quality. ' Seeing the value of the district evueriTaianak Executive of the Farmer,' nioa will seek the eo-o|K.ri,tion of the department so that the experiments may be conducted on a proper basis and exact results obtained, without which the demonstrations will he of mile value.