FARMING WORLD

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20923, 30 September 1939, Page 23 (Supplement)

FARMING WORLD

BY “STOCKMAN"

Mineral Deficiencies If Nature’s cycle of mineral circulation from soil, through plants to animals and back to soil again, was undisturbed, the mineral supply in the soil would be maintained. In practice, however, the natural mineral cycle is not completed. The sale of crops, live stock and milk from farms, represents a loss of minerals from the soil, which if not balanced by an equivalent return in some, other forms must eventually result in soil depletion. So far as soils and crop plants are concerned, a variety of deficiencies is possible, depending on the original mineral content of the soil and the losses suffered during the time it has been under cultivation. What bearing some of these soil deficiencies may have on animal nutrition is not known, but their possible significance should not be overlooked. Phosphorus is one of the first of the mineral nutrients to become deficient in cultivated soils. It is well understood that, in most soils, the total supply of phosphorus is considerably less than that of nitrogen, potassium, calcium or magnesium, writes an English authority. Even under most favourable conditions, the proportion of the phosphorus which is in a plant available form is but a small fraction of the total. Drain on Phosphorus Experiments have shown, states the same authority, that phosprous is taken up in large amounts from the soil during the early growth of the plant. The maintenance of an adequate supply of phosphorus, in a readily available form, is thus a critical factor in the normal nutrition of the plant. If the available phosphorus supply is reduced to a level insufficient to meet the needs of a rapidlygrowing crop, phosphorus deficiency results, even though the total supply in the soil may be considerable. Loss of available phosphorus from the soil by leaching is negligible- The serious losses result from crop removal. Depletion of soil phosphorus results from failure to replace the losses, either directly or through the medium of the manure produced from feeding the crops to live stock. Under the best conditions of British live stock farming, it is estimated that not more than three-quarters of the phosphorus in the feed and bedding are recovered in the manure. Clover Establishment The importance of clover to the Waikato cannot be over-stressed and it would be difficult indeed to imagine Waikato pastures without white clover. Discussing the question of clover in the September issue of the N.Z. Journal of Agriculture, A. G. Elliott says that although very few grassland farmers when ordering seeds for sowing down pastures fail to include the best strains of grasses in the mixture, many overlook the importance of the rapid establishment of equally good clovers. While the value of a well-balanced grass and clover sward is generally recognised, it is surprising to hear the opinion freely expressed and transmitted into farm practice that as clover establishes naturally its inclusion in the mixture is not necessary. Critical examination of swards in areas in both light and heavy rainfall districts where clover establishes naturally reveals the fact that this clover is generally of a short-lived, low-pro-duction type, and definitely inferior to a certified strain included at sowing down. While it is admitted that in some cases the local volunteer white clover is apt to reduce or definitely suppress the certified lines in the early stages of‘growth under certain conditions, a little extra spent in fertilisers and lime to maintain the good type is amply worthwhile. Again, the cover from the volunteer type is generally slower, and this is important not only from the point of view of weed control, but also in its relationship to the vigour and general value of the sward as a grazing proposition- Observations on sown fields as well as on strains trails throughout the Dominion have amply demonstrated the fact that the better types of white clover are able to retain vigour and produce feed under adverse weather conditions to a much greater extent than are the volunteer types, and this is of extreme importance, especially under low rainfall. Grassland Management It is recognised that the farmers of Ireland and New Zealand have much in common because of the similarity in some respects of their farming practices, notably grassland .farming. Irish grassland farmers share in most of the opinions held by their fellow farmers in. this country in regard to the management of pastures and the following, culled from a recent Irish publication, contains much which is applicable to the. Dominion. “ The theoretical aspects of grassland management has received considerable attention in recent years, and it is hardly necessary to remind practical agriculturists that in the early stages of growth, grass is of higher feeding value than when it approaches maturity, though it is not so generally recognised that the high feeding value associated with the spring grown grass can be maintained to a large extent if the pastures are suitably managed. Unfortunately, one of the chief difficulties in the practical management of pastures is the inability to secure a uniform rate of growth and grazing control throughout the season. It has been demonstrated at

many centres that the application of nitrogenous fertilisers, in addition to the other mineral requirements, is a means of extending; the length of the grazing season, and that the system of rotational and close grazing makes it possible to check the common tendency of grasses to rush to the seeding stage. Several Difficulties “Various difficulties have cropped up, however,” continues the article, “in regard to this so-called intensive system. One of the worst arises from a tendency to over-graze, with the result that many of the best grasses are weakened only to be replaced by poorer species. This is particularly observable on grassland that has not been long established, and where the more open bottom is apt to become over-run with annual meadow grass. Seasonable variations have also to be recognised. This is specially true of medium and light soils that have been laid down to grass, for on this type of land the productivity of a pasture is closely linked up with an adequate rainfall during the grazing seasons. The best method of grassland management can only be determined when the full farming policy is considered, together with the type of soil and climate normally experienced. There are, however, certain fundamental rules that may well be emphasised. One of the most important is the necessity for adequate grazing, particularly of old grass land. Adequate grazing is in part dependent on a sufficient head of stock and also on a palatable herbage. Palatability may be influenced by previous manurial Ac >Mc

treatment, and by the removal of matted turf by mechanical means. The existence on grasslands of tufts that so commonly develop around the droppings of cattle are an unavoidable evil. As a means of inducing cattle to graze these tufts of grass, the introduction of sheep is worth a trial. The sheep are introduced on the cattle-feeding pastures when the cattle have grazed down bare patches. These are the most acceptable parts of the field to the sheep, and the associated cattle are then forced to turn their attention to the coarser parts of the grazing. Observation indicates that sheep along with cattle are valuable for securing more even grazing.” Empire Population At the fifteenth congress of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, held last month in London, the opinion was reaffirmed that a balanced distribution of population within the Empire was essential to the continued welfare and security of the British peoples, but that present-day conditions demanded new methods to achieve that object. The resolution called upon Home and Empire Governments to discuss ways and means for the development of such schemes. In discussion it was said to be unreasonable to expect the Dominions to take more men on the land if production had to be restricted and that the demand for foodstuffs must be expanded and settlement organised on a large scale. A resolution was passed calling upon Empire Governments to shape their trade policies to strengthen the internal markets of the Empire, even if this necessitated some immediate sacrifice. In his presidential address, Lord Dudley said that many of the world’s problems would automatically be solved and many international tensions eased if the acerbity of inter* national competition for available markets could be lessened by a sudden increase in the absorptive capacity of those markets. Preparation for War It was reported in a British exchange that British farmers who ploughed up poor or worn-out grassland and brought it into a state, of cleanliness and fertility before the end of September would receive a. subsidy of £2 per acre. This was the first step in the British Government’s plan to prepare the land against emergency. The Government hopes in this way to get at least 250,000 acres ploughed. It is estimated that there are about 20,000,000 acres of prmanent grass and rough grazing in Britain, which could be ploughed to quality for the Government grant, and no limit will be placed on the acreage on which the subsidy will be paid. In anticipation of the decision, a reserve of fertilisers has been built up by the Government. Plans have been prepared for giving effect to arrangements for increasing the production of food and feeding

stuffs. The Government considered that the best preparation for an emergency was to bring the land into a greater state of fertility which would enable it to respond more fully to the increased demands which would be made upon it during war. The Department of Agriculture will have to be satisfied that the land has been down to grass for not less than seven years, and no payment will be made in respect of areas less than two acres. Agriculture in Britain At a conference of the British Society of Chemical Industry, Sir John Russell, Director of the Rothamsted Experimental Station, said that agriculturists in the 19th century thought in terms of “ascending spirals”—more crops more cattle, more cattle more manure, and more manure more crops. The rotation system on which this had been based had, however, one weakness, it required a supply of competent labour willing to accept as remuneration the equivalent of about 4 bushels of wheat per week, and as soon as wages got beyond that point it became uneconomic. “This history of agriculture in our generation,” said Sir John, “is one long struggle to overcome the difficulties which have arisen in consequence.” Dealing with development of new crops, Sir John said that perhaps the most important change in this direction in Great Britain had taken place in recent years; it had been the marked extension in the production of milk, fruit, vegetables, poultry, and eggs, all of them of great importance

in the nutrition of the nation. There had been a great extension also in the area under so-called technical crops which represent the starting point in factory manufactures notably in England, sugar beet; elsewhere, fibre crops, etc.; these yielded a higher gross return per acre than the food crops and so permit of higher rates of wages. At the present time stability was nearly attained with a minimum agricultural wage of 34s per week, on the workers’ side, and, on the farmers’ side, with sugar beet sold at about 50s per ton to the factory, with wheat pegged by the Wheat Subsidy Act at 45s per quarter, and barley sold under a “gentleman’s agreement” to brewers. But if this delicate adjustment were broken, the whole difficulty started once more. In both Germany and Italy the adjustment had been made permanent. Prices and wages were both fixed, and any attempt to organise a strike or to increase prices was illegal. Labour-saving machinery was used as fully as possible so as to increase the efficiency of the surviving workers and provide better wages for them. So long as it had not reduced the animal population on the farm, this “mechanisation” had been beneficial. But it had had bad effects elsewhere, especially in regions of 25 inches of rainfall or less, where grain crops are the easiest to grow.