RECLAIMING THE WILDERNESS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14909, 24 February 1914, Page 4

RECLAIMING THE WILDERNESS.

PROFIT A RLE USE OF SANT? AREAS. f EXCELLENT POTATO CROPS. Thore are in various parts of tho Dominion large areas of pure sand which at present aro lying idle, for the most part covered with manuka,'gorso, lupins, etc., nnd servo only as a harbour for rabbits. Tho Department oi Agriculture is giving its attention to the possibilities of turning these at present useless areas to profitable mo, and tho success that haa already been achieved points to the conclusion that in a few years' time they will all be brought into profitable cultivation. _tlr A. Macphorson, who is in charge of tho field oxporimenta in the South Island, is now ablo to demonstrate that pur© 6aud can be mado to produce oxcellent crops of potatoes, and there is no reason to suppose that thi* is tho only crop that can bo grown, and probably lucerne will bo found to thrivo equally woll. Thoso who huvo sections of land on tho sand at New Brighton know the benefit that is obtained by digging in the ordinary perennial yellow lupin, but thero is a more suitable variety of lupin than this that can be crown for the purpose of adding humus to the soil. Tho annual lupins, bluo, yellow, and white, have been tried, and tho white variety has proved the most valuable, us it produces thc greatest amount of organic matter. At tho Auckland Exhibition white lupins produced .n two months 24£ tons weight to tbe acre. At the Te Oranga Home, Burwood, an experiment iji growing potatoes in pure sand has been carried out, and a. yield of seven to eight tons per acre of oeantiful table potatoes has been produced. The whito lupins wore first grown, and ploughed -in, and the potatoes planted wore Beauty of Hebron, Enrlv Rose, and Lp-to-date. The potatoes are clean and bright in the skin, and of niuo table size, and ono advantage in growing them in sand is that they ripen earlier. Samples of these notatoes are being sent to the Auckland Exhibition. An experiment in growing lucerne is being carried out at the Bottle fcake Hospital, the seed bcin? BOWn aFter clearing off thc scrub. The growing of lupins as a soiling crop on sand or very l, g H l nn d has also been tried at Cnthns River and on the Waimakarin. The Premier, as Minister of Agriculture, is giving ererv encouragement and assistance to the officers of the -ennrtment of Agriculture to carry out thoso and similar experiments, which wiU be of groat benefit to all parts of tho Dominion.