FERTILISER BAGS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 January 1940, Page 7

FERTILISER BAGS

4 SHORTAGE POSSIBLE. NEED FOR CONSERVATION. Elimination of waste is an essential duty in a war period of long duration, and iii a recent issue of The Journal of Agriculture an article dealt with the importance of the problem of sacks as affecting farmers. In time of war hundreds of millions of sacks are required for sand bags, not only in the trenches, but in cities and towns for protection of buildings and air raid shelters. The result is that the demand for jute is abnormally big and there is every indication that in this country every user of sacks will need to give a great deal more attention to prolonging the life of all available sacks and woolpacks. Otherwise a shortage may very easily occur and cause a great deal of inconvenience. Another important factor is that all importation of sacks will be at considerably enhanced prices; the logical outcome is that the cost of packing farm produce and materials used by farmers will be increased. There is every prospect oi the bag problem becoming one of national emergency and farmers can de much to keep down costs by handling bags with respect and care. Huge quantities of them are used for fertiliser and lime. When carefully handled and stored heavy jute sacks have been known to be refilled as many as 10 times, and the lighter hessians up to six times, with appreciable savings to farmers who annually use many tons of fertiliser and lime.

Hemp fibre from flax has in recent years been utilised for the manufacture of wool packs in this country, and this has been the means of reducing dependance upon importations of jute products from ovciseas. However, we are a long way off being self-support-ing in the production of grain sacks, and manure bags and farmers are urged to make special efforts to conserve and prolong the life of jute sacks. Fertiliser bags require special treatment to ensure a reasonably long life; the chief point being to empty and shake the sacks as soon as possible. In the Waikato it is a common sight, on most farms to find long rows of empty sacks hung on wire fences; after one or more good soaking rains the bags arc

thoroughly dried and stored in bundles. Sacks treated in this manner after each filling have a long life and prove a very profitable commodity to the owners and users.