Page 32 Advertisements Column 4

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21726, 7 March 1936, Page 32

Hfi \ AUCTIONS., SL MATSONAND CO, THEROLE OF NITROGEN. Storage of nitrogen in' the soil need not toe difficult or expensive. /YNE of thegreatest enemies the dev velopment of nitrogen fanning has had in New Zealand is the tendency of the farmer to regard the land as a thing to he robbed of whatever it win yield. Long life and continuity of production are matters he is only just becoming aware of, and is learning for the first time to regard the soil as a permanent home; The attitude which makes him want to remove the utmost from the land, returning nothing, concerns nitrogen farming more than anything else, as nitrogen is the chief substance the soil is depleted of by “grab-all” methods. When he does set out to preserve his land in good condition indefinitely, this item wSi be foremost in the efforts made. Probably no on© understands exactly the maimer in which; any particular soil acquires nitrogen. The outlines of the methods are these. Bacterial life, which increases the more actively moist soil is stirred up, and dies out as it is cultivated dry, is the sburce. Seine species collect the nitrogen from the air directly, others indirectly from rotting green plant material. In any case the air is the original source of all soil nitrogen. The task of the farmer is simply to assist these bacteria to live and multiply freely so that they can increase the soil’s nitrogen content To do this he has to feed them, with the knowledge ?hat whatever he does give them he will secure back with interest HUMUS AND UME. Humus is a poorly understood factorial the process. Most farmers believe it to be nitrogenous. This depends, however, on what it was made from, as humus is simply any peaty, half-rotted, half-ensiled vegetable matter. It. it had nitrogen (protein) in it at the time when it was buried, it will be nitrogenous, but substances like straw are chiefly fibre and have little nitrogen; to start with. The value of humus, however, lies in the fact that it is an admirable bacteria culture, It is quite useless if it remains buried and undisturbed, when it will lie for years without any change. On the other hand, if soil containing it is cultivated often, so that the humus becomes widely mixed w;ih the harder particles, in the presence of moisture, bacteria can accumulate large quantities of nitrogen from the air. This is one basic operation required—to provide humus out of any vegetable growth available, grass, straw, crop refuse, etc., and then keep the soil loose to allow bacteria freedom to work. The value of limed soils is great in this feature also. When a certain percentage of lime is present a movement occurs in the soil as the moisture content varies. It swells slightly on drying, and contracts when wet, but the movement is enough to give encouragement to bacteria development. This item is important in pasture work, where actual cultivation is neither practicable nor desirable. In addition lime controls the .acidity of the soil which greatly affects the total numbers of bacteria available. In many cases lime is more valuable than super, because of this effect. Much of the credit given to super is no doubt due to the gradual accumulation in the soil of the lime contained in it, as the result of continued applications. SOILING NOT ALWAYS NEEDED. Whenever nitrogen storage is mentioned It is usually associated with the growing and ploughing under of soiling crops. This is a great way of securing nitrogen, but not always practical. Rather is nitrogen fanning a technique or habit, slowly built up by the farmer, whereby he does something to assist the storage with numerous little methods. No wholesale soiling is suggested. Small operations from time to time are far more valuable. In straight-out cultivation the ploughing under of straw or crop refuse, unless disease prevents the practice, followed by deliberate encouragement or weed growth to cu.uvatc under later is an ideal method. Any vegetable matter at all that can be added should be treated m this manner. The heavy crops of grass that are often grazed off paddocks to allow ploughing to be done more cleanly, can mean a great chance of storing nitrogen thrown away. These continual “BRIGHTER PROSPECTS *OR APPROACHING WOOL SALES AND FAT STOCK MARKETS. The immediate future values for wool and fat stock have not been so encouraging for some time. Growers should take advantage of our expert service. Our organisation right throughout our business enables us to secure maximum prices at all times. Forward your next consignment, however small, as a trial. H. MATSON and CO., 145 Cashel St., CHRISTCHURCH. small applications build up in time to become thoroughly useful. Cultivation also helps. The caking of fallowed sou after heavy rains should be forestalled by harrowing. Soil must be kept free and moist, though deep cultivation? can be too frequent, if they prevent weed growth. ... , Pastures offer great possibilities for nitrogen accumulation. Clovers and lucerne particularly store nitrogen well, but they cannot do this if there is no humus and rotting mulch lying on the soil to provide bacteria culture and prevent excessive evaporation. When a pasture is grazed too closely the mulch mat becomes thin and may disappear entirely, leaving bare ground. This is a result of attempting to secure too much grazing from a pasture. The building-up and preservation of the mulch mat Is the most vital thing in pasture work, as everything depends cn it—quality of fodder, prevention of moisture loss, growth and length of life of the plant, and even the establishment of seme of the more delicate pasture*species. ' . _ BUILDING UP A PASTURE MAT. A fine way to build up a pasture mat is by mowing pastures as soon as the mere important animals have finished grazing them. Usually followers clean up the grass .at this stage, but this is false economy, if, as frequently occurs, the mat is injured. Stock do not actually have to feed oh the mat to destroy it. What happens is that followers eat the less palatable portions of the plant that might well have been added to the mat. The action of bacteria is to continually, though slowly, dissolve away the mat, which will finally vanish unless replenished with food in the shape of plant refuse. The mowing cf the less valuable growth of the pasture to do this is an extremely simple and cheap operation. Coupled with the mower are the grass harrows (not the drastic type). These both disturb the mat and break up manure piles, processes which each assist nitrogen formation. Fresh manure, well broken up, is easily dissolved by bacteria, and this work removes that ever-present curse—rank uneaten grass around; undisturbed clumps, which can waste a quarter of a paddock. SIMPLE PROCESSES. None of the processes outlined here are Other than simple everyday ones that can be incorporated into the normal farm routine without effort. They call for intelligence in doing the correct thing rather than actual cost. None can be classed in the rapid results group, however. The effects are cumulative, and need to be preserved by the continual recognition of the principles of nitrogen culture. Indirect benefits are many also. Soils become freer working, resist evaporation to a greater extent, and do not cake. This is due largely to the better humus content. Erosion is also controlled by the same factor, whilst a still further benefit is the increased ability of soil particles to concentrate mineral salts in the upper soil layers, which prevent leaching. . These are features that cannot be secured so readily by artificial application of powdered nitrogen manures, as in this case ho humus is added. (Extract from the "Australasian,” 28th Dec.. 1935.) ’