FARM DRAINAGE.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19894, 25 May 1936, Page 16

FARM DRAINAGE.

. ADVIGI To FARMERS. ADDRESS AT TE AVVAMUTU. (Times RepresentatiVe). TE A\VAMUTU. Saturday. An interesting address on farm drainage was delivered by Mr \V. Alexander. of Auckland, at. a meeting of farmers at Te Awaniutu. Mr A. T. Bryant, president of the Te Awemutu branch or the New Zealand Farmers‘ Union. presided. Mr Alexander said the failures of fertilisers to carry out the work ex—pected of them opened up a wide field of discussion. in the Dominion be—tween 400,000 and. 500.000 tons of artiflrial manuree were used each Year. The econnmir loss, due to the wrong application of the fertilisers. was in the Vicinity of is per rent. ’l‘here were about the or six reasons why the full benefits of fertiliser appllration were lwing denied the farmer. the most. important bein: the matter of riralnapze. The difference between pond drainage. and. had drainage was like the difference between a good rllmatr- and a had one. In the South island, the. speaker stated. the first. thing a farmer had tn ronslder before he could work the land was his drainage. The land was such that the soil had to be built up from lmlnw. This was not so to suvh an extent in the North Island although there wore many parts where tho soil was heavy and wet. A comparison. The lecturer drew an interesting illustration when he showed the dif~ l‘wri-nrr between the soils on the Gala—trn Estate and the Rengitaiki Plains. Spring growth could he obtained on the former land at least a week before it \\n.» available on the Bangltnlki plains. Nt- mattm- how murh fertile iwr w.i.< mml nu tlw plains they would nnt .\lPltl the mute PPMIIIS as l'lnlalt'a mint.» land. 11 “as interesting in nntu Ilmt. Hulntm l.nni. \\'hirh lmtl t‘u.~l I‘. "is \‘tl ln'l' :u-rr. was far ahead «ll llnnritnil‘i land. tho purrhnse prironi \\lm‘h I|.le lw-‘u ln‘iwel‘n [tin null 1"?“ law .'n'i'v. This was llllt‘ ll» tlll' u.|lluxil :hunnngi- nt' tllr t‘nrnn‘l‘ \\'hii‘h t-lvmw-tl Elvn \\'ntmr il\\'.t_\ .1111 l :llll\\\i'll llu- l'm-lthwr in \\urlx. l'llt'vl'~‘nl Il.ll‘l\' nt‘ th-- l‘mv'rl) I‘m} inuni \.ll‘lv‘xl :l'l‘Hl) 111 <|||.llil}', sum” wulmnx “I" ll ltl‘lll; ilnln'rguillml \\llll \\il'll'l'. nmliiuu- ii .\txtt 11111 l luml in “ink ‘lli'll I.lm] \\uultl wul mnl't‘ lllHllu'} .tn-l ltnnur tn vultimlr lll.in tin: ll li‘w [Hil'illl\ wllx Value of Mlneral Base. \HH‘ ‘.<"' ltl'un-r ul' llln quaulwl'K er Int-wnwv lisnl 11-s‘mv‘ml ‘illlvl itllll \\liilr ll.~; i'l'up uvl' .\\\L‘ll",‘ Hi] lllv‘ llllPV‘l‘ >l‘L" luummucu in no“ column.)

lions grew magnificently, those on the lowm‘ parts failed, this being due to the \\‘alm‘ running down from the high Imm and maklng the soil wet and heavy. In order m get, the best re—sults Lllß farmer must aerate the land. lhus releasing the water and allowing the backeria In the sub—soil to work. m