Farmer Brown and Fertilisers

Radio Record, Volume IV, Issue 45, 22 May 1931, Page 8

Farmer Brown and Fertilisers

FPROM 3YA on Wednesday I heard Messrs R.-B. Tennent and L. W. ‘fcCaskill in an interesting discussion. This talk was relayed from ‘Dunedin. While I am compelled to criticise the delivery of both gentlemen, still I have no fault to find with the general idea, nor with the, quality of the actual mater. Mr. McCaskill took the part of Farjner Brown, who is in doubt about the cortect use of lime and various artificial fertilisers. He anproaches a fields instructor (impersonated by Mr. Tennant) from the Department of Agriculture. . Evidently the two are close personal friends, otherwise I can hardly imagine an independent, full-blooded New Zealand . farmer remaining calm and unperturbed beneath the waves of sarcasm and ra‘llery. poured aver him by a Government official annointed to assist in agwi+-nral conundrums. Nor can J imarir > Government official opening the discwssion with an invitation to. partake of refreshment from his bag. Mr. Tennant overdid the slow4heavy and paternal manner. Had I beén a farmer, however ignorant, in search of ‘information, I should have taken strong exception to the very obvious air of natronage on the part of my tutor, This ‘sads me to my criticism of Mr, *"McCaskill in the farmer’s part. He’ S¢emed to be altogether too’ meek and mild to

Ybe genuine. In fact I was reminded in ‘part of "The Two: Black Crows," without their humour. There was a wealth of information in the dialogue; all of it was, quite ‘naturally, news to me, but I should imagine even farmers must have picked up many points. For instance, that when a farmer is in doubt he need not play trumps, but can send along a sample of the good old farm to the Department of Benevolence (that is to say, Agriculture) and be told, from analysis, whether or not to invest in lime. The true function of lime in neutralising over acidity in soils and in . making clay ground more friable; the need for solubility of fertilisers to enable plant life to absorb the nourishment they find ‘lacking in the ordinary soil; the difference in solubility between Nauru phosphate and "super," and the consequent "preference for the latter. '-The true function of sulphate of amthonia in giving nitrogen to plant life and the need for care and knowledge when best to apply this grass-forcer-all the technical data, in fact, was excellent and given in simple language, which must have been understood even by those with no knowledge of chemistry whatsoever. But "phosphate" is not pronounced "pharsphate," excepting in American back-chat.