ADDRESS TO FARMERS

Wairarapa Age, 22 March 1920, Page 7

ADDRESS TO FARMERS

PASTURE IMPROVEMENT.

At the meeting of the Carterton branch of the v Farmers' Union on Saturday afternoon last, an address of a most interesting and instructive nature was delivered by Mr F. B. Ward, the newly appointed officer of the Department of Agriculture for the Wairarapa.

Mr Ward was briefly introduced to the meeting Mr D. Hebenton, the organising secretary of the Farmers' Union in the Wairarapa. In his opening remarks, Mr Ward briefly referred to his appointment, and stated that his experience was at the disposal of the farmers, and if he could be of any assistance in any way by, visiting the farmers, etc., he would be only too pleased to do so. He was desirous of being of the greatest possible service to the Wairarapa farmers. ''

Land at the present time, said the speaker, was at such a high price that the farmers could not afford to lie back and let things grow. If o man wanted to receive an adequate return from-his soil that policy should not. be adopted. Mr Ward stated that he did not think New Zealand would ever be a great crop producing country, as the land was more adapted generally for stock-raising, and there was no reason, in the speaker's opinion, why the Dominion should not become the stud farm of Southern Hemisphere. Mr "Ward went on to refer to the work at the Ruakura Experimental Farm, with which he had been connected. He incidentally remarked that this property, which was once a swamp, was now able, owing to proper management, to carry thirteen head of sheep - to the acre for eight months of the year. Suitable varieties of high-class seed was a> most important, factor, ;f the farmer really desired to obtain the best out of his land. The practice of sowing grass after a cereal crop was not a good one. The ground was then at its lowest fertility, all the best having been taken from it. Mr Ward suggested that it would be much more satisfactory to put the field down in rape. He went on to refer to the condition of some of the paddocks at present being cropped, and stated that many undoubtedly should be broken up and laid down afresh. The speaker then dealt with a few of which he considered the most important grasses. /Cocksfoot had a very wide range of adaptability to soils, and no mixture should be without a certain amount of rye grass, as well as a sprinkling of clover. A great cause of the past deteriorating . of pastures was overstocking. Grass did ■ not depend on its feeding value alone, but upon its palatability as welli In many instances an animal preferred a palatable food to one that perhaps would be more nourishing to it. Th« speaker emphasised that where sheep alone were being run, the paddocks/should be rested occasionally. ' Drainage was also another important factor in the proper development of land., In water-logged soil the manures did not obtain a fair chance to be of service to the soil. In nearly every instance lime and phosphates were very badly needed/ for in the majority of soils phosphates were deficient. 'Mr Ward.dealt exhaustively in connection with the action of lime on the sail, and he stated that it acted in three ways—mechanically, chemically, and bilogically. It also stimulated the growth of the finer grasses to the detriment of the coarser varieties. The speaker then went on to refer to other manures. Basic slag, in his opinion, was the most suitable for top dressing, but unfortunately at the present .time it was unprocurable. However, next best would be superphosphate, which did happen tb be procurable. The time was coming, he said, when we would need potash in considerable quantities, but at the present time it was impossible to procure supplies of that manure, foi the simple reason that Germany at the outbreak of war controlled the world's- supplies. In conclusion, Mr Ward again emphasised the fact that there was ho short cut to pasture improvement. If the Dominion was to be ,the great stock-producing country that he imagined it would .become in time, we could afford only the very best methods of dealing with our lands. On the motion of the Chairman (Mr James Hodder), Mr Ward received a very hearty vote of thanks for his ad,dress.