Page 18 Advertisements Column 1

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21728, 10 March 1936, Page 18

AUCTIONS. H. MATSON AND CO. THE SOLE OF '.'" t Storage of nitrogen in the sfioil need not be, difficult expensive. ■■::, ' velopment of nitrogen farming has .'■■ht.wl in New Zealand is the tendency of the farmer to regard the land as a thing to be robbed of whatever it will 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 tiie 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 -and in good condition indefinitely, this item will be foremost in the efforts made. Probably no one understands exactly the manner 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 source. Some 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 chat whatever he does give them he will secure back with interest. HUMUS AND LIME. Humus is a poorly understood factor in 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. Ii 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 with 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 thi 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 men- ! tioned it is usually assdcidted with : xne growing aiiu yiuugimjK unucv «* soiling crops. This is a great way of securing nitrogen, but not always practical. Rather is nitrogen farming a technique or habit, slowly built up by the taimer, 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 rei'use, unless disease prevents the practice, fo.lowed by deliberate encouragement or weed growth to cultivate under later is an ideal method. Any vegetable matter at all that can b: added should be treated in this manner. The heavy crops'of grass that arc often grazed off paddocks to allowploughing to be clone more cleanly, can mean a great chance of storing. nUTOgoi riRIGHXER PROSPECTS . FOR APPROACHING: WOOL SALES *AND FAT STOCK MARKETS. i The immediate future values for wool and fau stock have not been so encouraging for seme time. Growers should take advantage cf 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. ! 11 applications build up m time to hecomeKoughly useful Cultivation also helps. The caking of fallowed soil Sfter heavy rains forestalled bv harrowing. "Soil must be kept iru. and moist, though deep cultivation? Jan be too frequent, if they prevent great possibilities fbr •ogen accumulation. Clovers and lucerne particularly store nitrogen well, but they cannot. do this if there , is no humus and rotting mulch lyin.j . on the soil to provide bacteria culture • prevent excessive evaporation. „„'cn a pasture is grazed too closely the mulch mat becomes thin and may " Tpear entirely, leaving bare ground. xu« is a result of attempting to secure too much grazing from a pasture, iht building-up and Preservation of the mu'ch mat is the most vital thing in Sure work, as everything depends en it-quality of fodder, prevention of mosture 10/s, growth and length of life of the plant, and even the establishment of peme of the more delicate A PASTURE MAT. A fine way to build up a pasture mat is by mowing pastures as soon as the more important animals have finished grazing them. Usually followers »an up the grass at this stage, but „u : s is false economy, if, as frequent y eccurs. the mat is injured. Stock do not actually have to feed on the mat to destroy it. What happens is that followers cat 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 finallv vanish unless replenished with: food 'in the shape of plant refuse. The mowing of 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 bv bacteria, and this work removes that ever-present curse—rank uneaten grass around undisturbed clumps, which can waste a quarter of a padSIMPLE 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 con♦rolled 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 geh manures, as in this case no humus ** (Extract from the "Aastralasian,"