AIR TOP-DRESSING DEMONSTRATED TO WAIOHOU FARMERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 95, 13 September 1950, Page 5

AIR TOP-DRESSING DEMONSTRATED TO WAIOHOU FARMERS

A demonstration of aerial topdressing the, first in the district, was given by a Tauranga firm at Waiohou on Thursday. Two machines were available but only 1 was used to distribute 12 tons of superphosphat- over about 95 acres of ground. A service truck, with hopper attachment fed the super to the plane in three-bag lots, and the loading of this amount, its distribution and the return of the plane to the dump occupied never more than three minutes.

The uniformity of spread of the manure over country of uneven contour was commented upon by the representative gathering of hill country farmers who made careful and critical inspection of the reseults.

The Tiger Moth plane impressed the onlooker with its extreme handiness both on the ground and in the air. A “tail skid” attachment permitted the operation of • this plane on a restricted landing area. .Indeed it seemed that little more space was required to land and draw up to the loading dump, than would be required by a heayy truck for similar loading operations.

For the take-off, however, with a load aboard, it seemed that a runway of 200 to 300 yards was needed for the plane.