AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 21 November 1919, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS

PRIMARY SCHOOLS WORK. Reports from Mr. J. W. Connell, agri-'-.1 tural instructor, upon experimental work at various Taranaki schools, were brought before the Education Board by the Director of Agricultural Instruction last week. Details of several of the most interesting, dealing with lucerne, pasture grasses and top-dressing of pastures, are given below:— BELL BLOCK SCHOOL. Lucerne.—Preparation of Ground.— Plot (15ft by ISft) was thoroughly dug and lime and superphosphate were raked into the ground; the plot was then tramped firmly down; shallow drills about a foot apart were opened up and lucerne seed was sown; ground was raked over and firmed. Progress.—November 30, crop showing above the ground; a hot wind scorched up the young plants and the first shower the crop recovered and growth was fairly good; no note was taken from December 15 till February 1, as school was closed; at the beginning of February, 1018, lucerne was three or four inches high s and grew rapidly to a height of twelve inches. Cuttings—First cut: March 21, 1918; weight 201bs; ground raked, firmed and ( top-dressed with lime; by April 10 very good growth; root examined, no nodules present. Second cut: September 24, 1918; height 16 inches; weight 301bs; ground raked and limed as before; no nodules on root. Third cut: December 20, 1919; weight 281bs; no note was taken for two and a half months as school was closed. Fourth out: A heavy top growth mass of purple flowers; height IS inches; crop cut on February 7; weight (i2lbs : no nodules on root"; ground raked and firmed between rows, fifth cut: April 15, 1910; last cut: weight 311bs. Root examined; great length, three feet; able to get food and moisture from great depth, therefore can withstand drought; no nodules present. In sixteen months five cuttings yielded llllbs, or nearly 12 1-3 tons to the acre. Pasture Grasses.—Sowed the seed of cocksfoot, perennial rye, western wolths and prairie in rows, March, 1918. The cocksfoot was the slowest in making any appearance. We noted the follow" mg in July: Prairie grass did well in winter; western wolths did very well in winter; perennial rye did well in the winter; cocksfoot did not grow well in winter. In July we treated half oY carh row with nitrate of soda (one tablespoon fill to a gallon of water). By August no difference was noticed on account of manuring: western wolths was far ahead of the rows manured, and perennial rye was second in growth; by September a slight difference was noticed in half manured, in western wolths especially; towards the summer the cocksfoot grew rapidly and was ahead of the other grasses;" we cut the grasses in, autumn and watched the same results for 191S; western wolths seemed to go back in the second, year, while the cocksfoot went ahead. "Last month (September) we dug the grasses in for green manure and have planted I potatoes in the plot. I NORFOLK SCHOOL. ! Top-dressing of Pastures.—State of pasture before treatment.—The portion of ground selected was originally in poor pasture, with a large proportion of poa pratensis. This was ploughed, but not sufficiently deep to kill the couch, and. rcsowed in grasses after a light crop of swedes and oats had been taken of!'. Before manurial trials the pasture consisted mainly of poa prantensis, cocksfoot, Italian and perennial rye, white clover, cowgrass, crested dogstail and' timothy—content in order named. The soil was a poor loam, volcanic, with much pumice. Manures.—Eight plots were tried and for three years in succession were topdressed as follows:—1, guano (4cwt); 2, nitrate of soda (lewt); 3, sulphate of ammonia (lewt); 6, superphosphate Hcwt); 7, basic super (4cwt); 8, super guano (4cwt). Basic slag, bonedust and guano were put on in July, the rest of the manures in August and September, The sulphate of ammonia and nitrate of soda were in solution and sprayed on. Observations and inferences.—The results as stated are based on the average yearly growth. Superphosphate.— Continued dressing Tias made a decreased crop in clover but an increase in the grass content; cocksfoot, perenial rye and fog show best; the pasture now shows tussocks, small patches of moss and many weeds, cat's ear hawkweed and rib grass. Guano. In this plot a decided increase in the clover content is noticeable; the only other grass at present showing well is cocksfoot. Nitrate of soda.—Shows large percentages of white clover and cowgrass with a fair percentage of cocksfoot; moss is showing in places. Bonedust.—The grasses of this plot made rank growth the first year, but not the Fecond; fair proportion of perennial rye and white clover showing; also more Yorkshire fog than in any other plot. Basic Slag.—Shows decided increase in white clover and perennial rye, with a fair proportion .of cocksfoot; a close sward is noticeable. Basic super (lime applied a fortnight before super).— This plot shows good, even growth, equal to basic slag; cocksfoot, perennial rye, white clover, cowgrass/and timothy are showing well. Super Guano'.—This plot contains a very large quantity of white clover, hut little grass in proportion. In all the plots except that dressed with sulphate of ammonia a decrease in the poa pratensis content is noticeable. The plots have been grazed two years,