THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1912. BASIC SLAG.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10594, 28 March 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1912. BASIC SLAG.

Farmars in the Wa.rarapa liave .been interesting themselves of late years | in -manorial experimamfcs. /J'hese have | proved that the use df basic i'j i preferable 'in mamy cases to superphosphates. A writer in the Agricultural Journal" who has lately visited a demonstration area makes the following reference to slag, which /should encourage its more general j use, both as a top-dressing for pasture aud for crops. The Huakura form of instruction has conveyed nnany important lessons- in the past laiS to .the value of basic slag as a mainure for the soils of tlie Waikato, &esipecially in tlie top-dressing of - pastures, and this season again further tiemon.stratrons- of its value are being 1 provided. Two rows i.n tlie mangel cro p were left umnaimred, while on either side of these rows were treated ■at tlie rate of Sowifc of slag and 801b of ipotasli per acre. The effect is outstanding. In the un manured ron-s ifew planiits germinated, and these are of a- stunted cdiaractcr. On tlie basic 'slag rows the roots germinated well, ''and show splendid development. '' While the slag has made this fine showing it k only fair to say that Ibasuc superphosphate promises to give the best result. This experience is a repetition off that at the Moiuuahaki experiimeaiital farm ''st sea-yon. It is a common misconception that basic slag is slow iai action. The experience 4it Ruakura and' other farms of the department- eanplia«se,s the incorrect- ! ncssr of tills view. A a matter of fa*:i, ba-sic s'ag* gc-smt!ly jir.t a: ii .

quick i'ti action as .superphosphate. It I is practically instantaneous in ifcs action, either on pasture or root crop, but whether this effect is mechanical | or chemical is not- known. The use of superphosphate will give a larger bulk of crop and a heavier toininage of roots, but tiho fee-ding value will not be so high as wthere basic; slag ha<s feeen the stimulating agent. It has been proved that tiie greater acidity of superphosphate encourages clubroot disease, while basic slag has the opposite effect.