TABLE VI. IRRIGATION EXPERIMENTS TO DETERMINE FIELD CAPACITY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 279, 7 September 1935, Page 9

TABLE VI. IRRIGATION EXPERIMENTS TO DETERMINE FIELD CAPACITY.

Field capacity figures are required for the other types:— Lymlhurst stony silt loam. Cairnbrae stony silt loam. iSeafield silt loam stony phase (1). Seafield silt loam stony phase (2). Lismore stony silt loam. Valetta stony silt loam. Chertsey silt loam. Barrhill silt loam. Itakaia silt loam. Wakanui clay loam. Riverside silt loam. Coldstream silt loam. Westorfield silt loam. Tinwa-ld stony silt loam. Greenstieet sandy loam. Kingsbury stony silt and silt loam. 'Water ton silt loam. From the results obtained above one would say it is likely that the skeletal soils (e) with the exception of the Lyndhurst soil, will havo a low field capacity—they will require less than the average amount of water to moisten them. It is necessary to decide on the depth to which the soils should be moistened. This is a matter on which the agriculturalist can give a decision. Probably it- will be necessary to know the field capacity of the subsoils oi these types.

ably less than 25 inches. In most years there is a very low rainfall in March and February at Ashburton and in November as well at Rakaia. (2) The soil types which have been mapped are described. The soils are derived, from loess deposits and from water-soi ted beds resting on greywacko gravels. The water-sorted beds occur chiefly along the banks of the Ashburton and Hinds rivers. Much the greater part of the plain is covered with loess. The. loess deposits are practically all silt loams in texture, but there are differences in the amounts of the various constituents —sand, silt and clay. For instance, the silt loams borlering the Rakaia. River and in the Maronan district contain a smaller amount of clay than the soils in the Seafield district. There are also variations in the depth of loess lying on the gravel—ranging from 9 inches to more than ,3 feet. The water-sorted soils are chiefly silt loams, though the textures range from that of sands to clays. Some of the water-sorted soils on account of their low-lying position had at one time, and in some eases even now, a high water-table. The young loess deposits bordering the Rakaia and Rangitata rivers and the water-sorted deposits, except those in low-lying position aro classed as skeletal soils. They have suffered little leaching and are consequently the 1 , most fertile. The older loess deposits are classed as weakly podsolized soils, i.e., they have suffered leaching and consequently are of low fertility. The least fertile division is the weakly pod soli zecl soils (d) which ■have lost their original fertile topsoil by blowing some thousands of years ago. In. one district —the Hinds the fertility is at so low a stage that Waihi disease in cattle, due to a. deficiency of phosphate, occurs. The lowlying soils with bleached subsoils are meadow soils. There is a small area of peat soils which have accumulated in depressions. From the carrying capa-

sand, silt and clay, these fractions each having a definite diameter, the greatest being the coarse sand and the least the clay with a diameter less than one twelve thousandth of an inch. From these results the chemist can give to the soil a textural name. The following is the table used by Mr T. Rigg:— SANDS contain more than 70 per cent, of coarse and fine sand and less than 20 per cent, of silt and clay. SILT contains more than 50 percent. of very fine sand and silt and less than 5 per cent, of clay. LOAM contains more than 50 per cent, of very fine sand, silt and clay, and less than 35 per cent, of very fine sand and silt. SANDY LOAM contains more than 20 per cent, of coarse sand. SILT LOAM contains more than 35 per cent, of very fine sand and silt and less than 35 per cent, of clay. CLAY LOAM contains more than 60 per cent, of very fine sand, silt and clay. CLAY contains more than 60 per cent, of very fine sand, silt and clay and more than 30 per cent, of clay. PEAT AND PEATY SOTLS contain high amounts of organic matter; in peat soils organic matter amounts to two thirds or more; in sandy or loamy peats to between one third and two thirds and in peaty sand, loam or clay to between one tenth and one third. A loam as is well known has a nice balance of all the fractions. The silt loam which bulks large on the Ashburton Plains lias more of the silt and very fine sandi fractions than has the loam. Clays (containing more than 30 per cent, of the clay fraction) are yery

“Sylvia”; (c) “Ho! Jolly Jenkin.” 8.48: Recording: Vladimir Horowitz (pianoforte), (a) Pastourel” ; (b) “Toccata.” 8.52: Heather Kinnaird (contralto), (a) “Sabbath Morning at Sea” ; (b) Where 'Corals Lie.” 9.0: Weather report and station notices. Raymond Beatty and Heather Kinnaird (vocal duet), (a) “Break, Diviner Light” ; (b) “The Voyagers.” 9.13: Presentation of 8.8.0. recorded programme, “Diary for 1934,” by William Maelurg. , 2YA, WELLLINGTON (526m.—570k.) 9.0 a.m.: Chimes. Selected recordings. 11.0: Relay of morning sendee from St. James’ Presbyterian Church, Adelaide Road. Preacher, Rey. W. R. Milne, organist and choirmaster, Mr A. A. Brown. 1.0 p.m. Dinner music (recordings). 2.0: Gregor Piatigorsky, ’cello and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Concerto in- A Minor,. Op. 129. 3.30: Time signals. 6.0: Children s song service, conducted by Uncle William, and assisted by the children s choir from the Karori Methodist Sunday School. 7.0: Relay ol evening service from the Salvation Army Citadel, Vivian Street. Preacher, Capt. W. J. Thompson. 8.15 (approx.): Selected recordings. 8.30: Complete musicai presentation of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera, “The Pirates of Penzance.

Seafielcl Irrigation Farm irrigated Seafield 2ins water Seafield 4ins water Seafield 6ins water Fairton J. Connolly 6 inches Seafield 6 inches Maronan Barker 6 inches Rakaia Barclay 6 inches *Mois- Date Mois- Date ture 1934 Rain Mois- Date ture 1934 Rain) Mois- Date ture 1934 Raini Mois- Date ture 1934 Riaini Mois- Date ture 1934 Riain Mois- Date ture 1934 Rain Mois- Date ture 1934 Riain Unirrigated. 1 hour after irrigating 1 day after 2 days after 3 days.after 4 days after 5 days after 6 days after 7 days after 16.5 24/3 24/3 25/3 26/3 26.2 27/3 .10 23/3 .64 29/3 .06 30/324.7 31/3 19.1 3/4 4/4 5/4 26.0 6/4 7/4 8/4 .14 24.4 9/4 .13 20.9 9/4 .13 ' .IS 24.4 12/4 27.7 12/4 25.3 15/4 . • 22.7' 12/4 32.8 12/4 28.0 13/4 27.9 14/4 0.1 28.2 15/4 16/4 .30 26.9 17/4 26.6 18/4 .10 18.5 20/4 30.2 20/4 28.0 21/4 27.2 22/4 26.7 23/4 26.1 24/4 .06 27.5’ 25/4 .30. 27.5 26/4 18.8 *2/5 30.2 3/5 .99 4/5 2.63 5/5 .08 30.5 6/5 .14 31.9 7/5 30.2 8/5 9/5 .02 10/5 .08 9ft 9! 18/5 24.9 24/5 24/5N/W. 24.1 25/5 .25’ 25.8 26/5 25.3 27/5 25.2 28/5 24.5 29/5 24.1 30/5 24.4 31/5

ze.'zi 10/0 * Moisture (oven-dry basis). Analyses by Mr L\ Andrew, Dominion Laboratory. Barker, Moron an O-Yms ; otners u-yms.