On the Land

New Zealand Tablet, 18 February 1915, Page 53

On the Land

GENERAL.

The butter exported from Auckland this season to January 31 amounted to 331,609 boxes, as compared with 286,756 boxes sent out during the same period last year.

The Rangitikei Advocate learns on excellent authority that the Wellington Meat Export Company has decided to proceed with the erection of freezing works at Kakanki. The works will cost between .£50,000 and £60,000. A good site has already been purchased by the company, with a railway siding. Business is very brisk at the Patea Freezing Works just now, and four times more stock is offering than the company is able to deal with. The average being put through is 400 to 500 sheep and 70 to 80 cattle daily. Large additions are still being made to the works.

The output of milk sugar at Edendale at present is five tons per week (says the Wyndham Herald). The product is perfect, and the substance has a high marketable value, with an unfailing demand. This new industry in the district will be of great value in the employment it will afford as well as being a potential factor of added wealth to the country.

After discussing a departmental circular as to whether the Noxious Weeds Act should be strictly enforced as regards Californian thistle, the Dannevirke County Council decided to take no action in the matter. It was admitted that it was too expensive to keep the thistle down on bush land.

A good deal of experimental work has been done by the Department (says the Journal of Agriculture) in the direction of endeavoring to find a method of medicinal treatment which can be conveniently applied in the form of a lick for cattle, and which will be satisfactory as a preventive of bush sickness. Analyses have also been made of patent medicines for the purpose which are on the market. The best lick vet found is one composed of sulphate of iron and salt with only sufficient lime added to enable the mixture to lie firmly compressed into the shape of a brick. Soil-treatment is the most satisfactory of all, and the best top-dressing to use under the present disturbed trade conditions is 4 cwt. of superphosphate applied in the spring.

The production of phormium fibre (remarks the Journal of Agriculture) is one of the most important of what may be termed the secondary rural industries of New Zealand. During the past ten years the average amount of fibre annually milled from the phormium areas has exceeded 24,000 tons. The majority of the fibre is shipped overseas, and the average annual value of that exported during the past decade has been £556,000. To this amount has to be added the value of that converted locally into cordage and binder-twine. This internal trade consumes each year some 2500 tons, the value of which is approximately £55,000. Again, in considering the amount that is derived from our phormium areas the value of the tow produced in the extraction of the fibre from the leaf has to be taken into account. Thus the annual value of our fibre crop exceeds £600,000 per annum.

At Addington last week there were large entries of stock, the yarding of fat lambs being the heaviest of the season. Fat cattle were easier, export buyers not operating. Fat lambs opened a little weaker, but firmed befoi-e the sale was half over. Store sheep were easier. Fat Lambs. — Extra prime heavy lambs, to 29s : tegs, 20s 6d to 23s lOd : average weights, 17s 6d to 20s; light and unfinished, 13s to 17s. Fat Cattle.— Ordinary steei-s, £7 10s to £l2; extra steers, to £2O : ordinary heifers, £9 to £ll 2s 6d : ordinary cows, £5 10s to £9 ; extra cows, to £l3 2s 6d. Price of beef per 1001 b, 32s to 425. Figs.—Choppers, 70s to 92s 6d ; light baconers, 47s'6d to 55s : heavy baconers, 57s 6d to 665; extra heavy baconers, 70s to 72s— per lb, 5d to sld ; light porkers, 30s to 355 ; heavy porkers, 37s to 45s —price per lb, 51 d to 6d. Fat Sheep. Prime wethers, 23s 6d to 28s 3d; others, 18s 6d to 235;

prime ewes, 22s to 265; medium, 17s ,6d‘ to 21s 6d; inferior, 15s to 17s; merino wethers, 16s 3d to 17s Id. , ‘ At Burnside last week there were large entries of cattle, sheep, and lambs. Eat Cattle.—3oo yarded. A large yarding, comprised mostly of good quality. Owing to the difficulty experienced by export buyers in getting cattle slaughtered at-present, they were not operating so freely as at previous week’s sale, with the result that prices showed a slight decline on rates then ruling. Quotations: Prime heavy bullocks, £ls 10s to £18; medium, £l2 to £l4; others, £8 10s to £11; best cows and heifers, £l2 to £l3; extra, to £ls; medium, £9 to £10; others, £6 to £B. Fat Sheep. — 33B7 penned. The entry consisted mainly of- medium to good ewes, very few pens of prime wethers being forward. Freezing buyers were operating for suitable weights. Taken all over, prices were about Is per head in advance of late rates. Quotations : Best wethers, 26s 6d to 29s 6d,. extra to 325; medium, 22s 6d to 255; light and inferior,, 18s to 21s; best ewes, 25s to 27s 6d, extra to 31s; medium, 19s to 23s ; others, 16s to 18s. Fat Lambs. — 3517 penned, a large yarding consisting mainly of good quality. There was a full attendance of freezing buyers, and competition was keen, but prices showed a decline of about Is to Is 6d per head on the exceedingly high prices ruling at last sale. Best lambs, 20s to 21s 6d ; extra, to 24s 9d ; medium, 18s to 19s. There was only an average entry of pigs, and prices were about equal to (hose ruling at recent sales.

FARMYARD MANURE.

There is no fertiliser that can be more profitably used on the farm than farmyard manure—the resulting by-product in feeding live stock of all classes. The solid and liquid excrements of animals, together with the litter used as bedding, constitute a source of fertiliser which is very generally appreciated, as it should be. It is for this reason that dairy farmers and those engaged exclusively in live stock industries have been able to maintain the fertility of their lands for indefinite periods, and often conclude that commercial fertilisers cannot be used to advantage under their conditions. This is frequently a mistake, and their land often becomes over-abundantly supplied with humus, as compared with the mineral elements of plant food, which are regarded as essential for the successful growth and development of all farm crops. As a carrier of available plant food, farmyard manure is not especially valuable as a ton of it only contains from 91b to 151 b of nitrogen, 41b to 91b of phosphate, and 91b to 151 b of potash.

Its Greatest Benefit

to the land is as an indirect fertiliser. It adds organic matter which provides humus, thus increasing the waterholding capacity of the soil. It benefits the texture and makes heavy soils, especially clays, more porous. It tends to make sandy soils more retentive of moisture by adding vegetable matter. Through its decomposition it adds heat and increases the heat-absorbing powers of the land ; carbonic acid is also formed, and this increases the solvent power of the water contained in the soil.

It seems almost like a libel to speak of the imperfections of such -an ideal fertilising substance as farmyard manure, but, to speak plainly, it is lacking in important particulars. It does not contain a sufficiency of the mineral constituents, especially phosphate, to balance its organic nitrogenous contents; therefore the mineral ingredient, phosphate,. should be applied from other sources in order to get the best results. Hence the wisdom of applying moderate dressings of the manure and supplementing it with applications of phosphate, according to the requirements of the different crops or of the rotation.