THE USE OF KAINIT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 100, 26 April 1912, Page 9

THE USE OF KAINIT.

' SOME iIGMFiCA>T FACT?. I Eikit is the farm of potash fertiliser ; Esnaiiy employed. 3.C.:. according to ex--3 pert view;, perii£pi ibp most generally = osefuL la Geim&ay. aiiere the farmers I hare greit experience with potash salts. " it is the regular custom to apply kaxnit ! ci the late autumn and winter, while the j more coscsntrated eate, sulphate or ssniaie of potash. can be equally well I sralied in the- spring. In almost any | - country where agriculture is a prominent industry, the uk of potash has increased in a remarkable degree. Comparing tie year 1897 ■with 1910, the quan- , tity of potash for 100 acres arable has ' STiffjsed s£TQi-iold in Hcdiaisd, four-fold ■ I ia (knnasy, Belgium and Scotland, . » fjjwfold .in Epglamlj and nearly Ten- ', - Ik &daod, m 1897, only i - 12b ot potash -xas applied per 100 acres .' |j siaifle, bat in 1910 tie quantity had in- i «. erased to' 116!b. In England the quan- % tisy had teen increased from 411b. per i 100 acres arable to 1301b. In. Scotland tarn 90!h, to 3571b.-, m Belgium from IMb to 4260).; in Germany from 2271b.U 9151b.; and "in Holla from 13011). to so less Urn i3onh. These figures illustrate tie fact that in countries -where Ibe'most intensive systems of agriculrare are pjirsosii. the -use of potash is v _ autike moki liberal .scale. The usual ETj>li«ation -cf kainit is arom four to rive . : m. per ag-e. apd, as * rale, better re- : I .-Rats are obtained -B->ie2 it i≤ applied to ' r ESidy, calcareous, or ttnnus soils than ichai it is used en days and loams. The '. soil giusi ioxe 3- sulliaeaey of lime, or ' a. dressing of lime should be given. ] > Asxprdisg to that recognised author- [ fey. Dr. Srart, crops -which have speci- ■ '. slly higfe-potash requirements are pota- : loeSj mangolds, aid other ror,; crops [ ■ ■•carrots, onions, fruits, and all kinds of '■■ Jsguniinous crops, peas, beans, dover, : ' «a Tor glasses and cereals pota=h Is : BsuaHy less essential, though recent es- ■ penments in the United States showed that the application of a mixture of • phosphates and kaiait quadrupled the '. yidd of hay, as compared with long un- ' damned plots, aad its use was found to ■«silt in the production of a greater ' jm. of marketable potatoes than the Weation of any otter form of potash. •m ithe other hand, some experiments 2ped out in Germany showed that T*ea_ kaimt was applied to th& soil in ', we lonn of heavy dressing shortly belore or after planting, it appeared to «aase an unfa-vourable influence upon . ™ todqnnent of the skin of potatoes, ' *hdi would probably affect the,- ke*p- ' ?g quahtaes and resistance to disease J'-SjHse was not. however, found to procn* any perceptible effect on the m <mi of potato .cab. One carious action of kainit i* worth y J mention It is d.hntd by those Wo Jw« dpsely studied i tt effect,, that *^. l Pf l:e <! to -oil in brjre •Pamtitiee it increases it- collective icr heat, and on that axounr, iv temperature uniform. Exactly Sg** ' S n ° l quite certain, but the I S tlon of kainh at ap rats °f J"" i gaWo. per acre was found in German vajS' lo the r f of frost. WSeL JSS amounts, it. lorm= f the wr, M e of the .oil. and render ii liaWe to 3 srreater of temperature than berore they show how complimay be the action of any »rt>l«TiaJ I . ' e "^ *hen applied to the" so J. j -loft V TC ° daim that kaimt ■* useful I ' fetL It ? oes ' appear tore,----4 kaiMt has be « a3 . :fTj for mt Md smut in wheat, ' *tteuL ot appeai t0 haTe been -mth umfonnly satisfactory

| RATHER REMARKABLE DISEASE I = i

. ! ITS INDICATIONS AND PBOBABLE I ORIGIN". j What is believed to -be the first, and ; on.;;.- outbreak in New Zealand of the ! diieasp known to science as "Osseous ! Cachixid." 5 chat is as affecting sheep, ji- referred to in a. recent number of the I Agricultural ]>partßient"s Journal. In I the ci.s-e in question, some hoggets were i taken from one. property (No. 1) on rich J l:i£eMone land to another farm, and dei pastured iXo. 2) "on alluvial flat and adi jai-en: hill country." , In a short time. ' some ten weeks, "the hoggets were seen I to be coing off in condition. • i'ren! the report jurnished. it is gaxhI that where the process of "de- : ir.inf-ralisaii'-n .-/ the bone" had been i zoitiir 02, ilip symptoms were a loss of ■ condition and .', ragged and unhealthy I appearance of the fleece. The wool felt j harsh t.o rap Lcuch. had lost its lustre, I and was easily detached. The sheep becam? emaciated, listless, ajid difficult ±0 move. ASTicn in-adc to walk, thej often appear lamp; in -srell-markEd cases a creaking or cracking sound may be ioeaxd. Spontaneous fractures are frequenl. Hand-iing aJiected sheep is liaMe to lead to fracture of one or other bones. The broken bones do not heal readily, and-, as a rule, in the post mortem examination of a severe case, several old calluses may be observed along tire course of the ribs, marking the site of former fractures. The bones themselves are ex- : -p.rpjly light and thin, having been converted into shell-like structures by the j j resorption of their lnne salts. i i Many farmer; will have noted in- j l it_incei «"iiere. in the days of new coun- ■ 't; - .'. hoggets, •vrhich had ai first done . ! amazingly well, in a. few years got puny. | I their jo-ints. crackled and tbeir wool tvtis j easily pulled when they were handled. I po*.»ib'y. Lh«> h.-inpa were not normal, i\ T hen ; hi..- >-Q;;ntry we speak of was Iplo.'gliei and turnips grown with the I a-.-!>uii'.i.i-- of phosphate, there was a! in.irkei niffereri-.* , unl the limbs and ! h..i:s";.- liave iv.-v ;:ni fattened readily. ] Thi~ bocsrPls left rred to in the report were Liu-.-oln?- "the mortality being S ;,~ r cent of Liip ti>:al attacked."" The treatment recommended is to re- . turn to the soil the diminished mineral j ! salt*, usimr phorphatic manure. In the L-ase of cattle affiwied with a similar ailment, it has been observed that they ! generally ?eek out and devour bones or j shells containing lime, thus endeavouring ; by instinct to make good the deficiency.j Authorities point out that it is import- j ant to note that, the disease may occur where the land is rich in calcium-carbon- I aif and poor m phosphoric acid. The facts, as disclosed, and the deductions arrived at by experts, point to the necessary for applying bone with salt as a. lick in " districts "wiiere the analysis of the ; soil shows a deficiency of phosphates, which is common to much of New Zealand. Where the land can 'be ploughed < and phosphates used -with the crop, there is no difficulty anticipated, and ■ the 'bone of the animals grown cm the , soil will not be deficient; but in the bush ■hill country, wlnoh has carried steep for ; some time,'and vraicn is -not carrying the ! liowrexs so well as formerly, or they are ; showing any deficiency of bone, a. bone ■ tick is fairly certain to be an advan- • base and should be given. : :