ARTIFICIAL MANURES FOR SEVERAL CROPS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 42, 20 February 1897, Page 3 (Supplement)

ARTIFICIAL MANURES FOR SEVERAL CROPS.

ekie kcb enables us to state in general &A 3 that artificial manures encourage the of crop?, according to their claaai. f° tinn ;„ what is called the natural tern ?huf> the grammaceac, including far cereals and grasses, are benefited most n j tro g 1D ou3 manures, such aa blood manures, nitrate of coda, etc. Potash xer tß a decided effect on leguminous Ins such M beans and red clover. PhMohate manures produce the most marked effects on the cruciferous order, to hich turnips, cabbatje and rape belong. Fbospb»te» are also good for other roots SS as uißngol wurzel, carrots and Mianips- A, 6he?e crops do not be ong to Kme natural order as turnips, thu rule So, S apparently hold good, but the "Leigrows very much in the earae way S the turnip, and it is to be remembered that the three crops named are not benefited by phosphate manures quite as much MThese PSrn!6B are well known and form really the basis of all artificial manures and mixtures, but it is necessary to go more closely into the subject. In Now Zealand on farms where wnafc might be called a strict course of agricultural cultivation is followed, that is to say a rotation of crops is adhered to, ond these farms are, at least B t thiß end of the colony, few, the root crops are generally the only ones that receive artificial manuring. Turnips, even where, outside grass, they form tho only cultivation of the farm, however generally receire a dressing of artificial manure, and therefore I will confine myself almost entirely to the manure for root crops, only reserving a few remarks for the othsr classes of manures. The basis of all artificial manures for root crops ia superphosphate, to which is added nitrogenous matter containing, or capable of giving out on decay, for turnips from half to one and a-half per cent, of ammonia, and for mangel wurzel from two to four per cent, of ammonia. The quantity of active nitrogenio manure must vary with the soil and climate. On lighb sandy soils the quantity of this kind of matter in the manure should be very small, because this class of soil has les3 power of absorbing and retaining ito than the more retentive clay soil and loama. Manure makers find it both difficulb and expensive to have a greab variety of special manures fco suit the mying wants of soilß and crops, and the reaulb ia that artificial mixtures are not always adapted to the purpose to which they are applied. There is no trade in which there is greater room for skilful and delicate manipulation of materials. In superphosphates the monocalcic or soluble phosphate of lime should be derived from a mineral source, and the insoluble or tricalcic from bones.

To come to the potato crop. It is a singular facb that while the potato occupies a very considerable place iv the agricultural industry very little attention has been paid to the besb manures suited to its growth. Ib has been found that potaeh enters very largely into the composition of Hi ash constituents. It is, therefore, reasonable to expecb that potash should form a component parb of any special manure applied to the potato. We have repeatedly made experiments in the growth of this crop, and invariably found potash useful. On ordinary land in which potatoes have been extensively prown, potash, or a manure rich in potash, produces a very striking effect the iirsb time it ia applied. If any further experience were required bo confirm this view, ift would be found in bha face that «ea-weod, which contains a large quantity of potash, ia an excellent manure tor potatoes. Ib is used extensively for this crop along the entire soaboard of England and Ireland, And not only is the crop productive there", but ib has been found to be froer from disease than in inland districts in which other manures have been uaed. Five hundred weight of bone superphosphate of »me, five hundred weighb of kainit, and one and a half hundredweight of nitrate of Boda,per acre, make a good artificial mixture for the potato crop.

Making Good Ensilage.—lb may be "itely said that there are two kinda of seasons in which tho peculiar value of engage is rnoet highly appreciated, remarks * writer in the 'Farmer and Stockbreeder.' *he first of these is a wet season, when haymaking becomes a dead letter for the "me being ; and the second is a dry season, When there is Utstle or nothing to constitute a nay crop. ] n the eighties ensilage was Practically fireb introduced into this country. The idea was borrowed from abroad, bub ib was borrowed with a cumbrous and expensive rnefchod of making »■ h. • tru'y British pertinacity, these matbocla have bince introduction been revoiutioniseJ by farmers in this country, wo one would think tiow-a-days of building a eilo either above or below the ground. .ne BUO we may therefore take- ib is dead, wwpb where buildings have been erected ur specially set apart when the system was ,?; produced. In its place farmers have copied the idea of stacking; the fodder on oa Bame principle as pertain* in the prerlfll °? Of obhor cro Pa iro™ fche in' jwnencies of the weather. The besb enj. f , 13. made when the crop has been ,/T 8?. 1" a Bl'Khbly damp condition, euch atiK • c occaaior»ed by a dewy night. If to in \* dri PPing condition ib is next *hi?&° 8« lble t0 Becura a Bweeb sample, ™ethe feeding valuealao suffers, although a a comparatively small way. Presum ing isbLf '™o^ lJ hM been decided upon, it i2dhli lldl' h*^™ s > allo ™>* each cceeaing la yer a day or two to gubside. have? T-&kinKt itJ i 3 not] neoeßaary to •fcaolr v... d of preseure applied fco the of £ ? ub for the more effective regulation cover M emperature ifc iB a w»ee provision to •tnrk bV tack wibh board». balfaninch «oai ßft ?K 1° woi(*ht) »hem with etonr;s, or lisht n n! r aVy Bubßtanco. Some prefer the 2 Olb t0 tho Bquare foot will be eosilaee Vn nV°nionl> anaount> Whether entirßlu a turn oub «weeb' or boui- is »ho eL ? 6! 1 J d6nb on the Btate in which thereX-, 8' haß been »*»oked, and halation of the temperature. M • Fry,

tho originator of sweet ensilage, allowed tho temperature of his etack to rise to 120 or 140 degrees and then weighted it. The supposition ie that by inducing temperature to rise thus high the bacteria responsible for acid fermentation were killed, and by weighting the stack afterwards the ensilage lemained sweet. There is, comparatively speaking, from 2 to 3 per cent, to waste in a stack at the sides andsends, which it is not desirable to trim. Even this waste, when given to store cattle, usually yields some pickinge of palatable fodder. Speaking broadly, it may bo assumed 'thab one ton of grasa will turn oub from 10 to 12 cwb of ensilage, tho shrinkago varying from 48 to 50 per cent., according as the temperature is regulated early in the process of making. Any green crop may be preserved in the manner described. The etack system admits of the crop boinf? stored at any convenient corner whero it will be ab hand for feeding. It can be given to all kinds of breeding stock, although many breeders conaidor it prudent) ito leave it oub of the rations—especially if the silage ia sour—about ten days before parturition. For all classes of stock, howover, ib has proved of ereab value in practical experience. Experiments have shown it to produce better results than hay, butperhapeitschief value lies in tbofact thab straw or hay chaff can be readily consumed in a ration of which ensilage forms a part. A ration such aa hay-chaft, ensilage, cake, and crushed corn givea the beat) renults in the covered court. Dairy cow3,will thrive on a ration of which about 501b ie made up of ensilage, in conjunction with chaffed hay, grated roots, cru&hed cake, corn and bran. In this division of artificials nnd farm foods there are the elements of a milkproducing ration. This season tho ensilage wiil almost entirely consist of bulky catch crops, bub ordinary meadows regularly cub will yield a heavy quantity of fodder without the necessity of grazing, if dressings of nitrate of coda and superphosphate— 2cwb of tho former and 1 of the latter—are applied.