SOIL PROBLEMS

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23086, 31 July 1940, Page 3

SOIL PROBLEMS

PENINSULA FARMERS BIEET RESULTS OF PASTURE SURVEY To discuss a soil survey made by the Department of Scientific and In°ustrial Research of farm lands in the district, about 65 farmers and local body members from all parts of Banks Peninsula met at Duvauchelle yesterday. The survey covered a wide rapge of topics, and discussion, which lasted all day, was equally wide. The meeting was called following work done on the subject by the Canterbury Progress League, and was attended by departmental authorities Among them were Mr F. R. Callaghan, secretary of the department, Dr. L. I. Grange, chief executive officer of the Plant Research Bureau, and Mr E. A. Madden, agrostologist of the grasslands division of the department. In reviewing the genesis of the survey, Mr Callaghan said that New Zealand was not very experienced with land utilisation surveys, but one had been mstdc in Hawke’s Bay. A soil survey had been made of part of the Peninsula. A weed survey, was suggested by several local bodies round the Peninsula, but he was instrumental in having that stopped, because he believed that as the pasture was the basis of New Zealand’s wealth, it should have been the subject of a survey first, if, indeed, weeds were worthy of a survey. It was proposed to publish a bulletin on the Banks Peninsula survey when it was completed. No doubt some research work would remain to be done by the Scientific and Industrial Research Department, but after that the Department of Agriculture would take over. Banks Peninsula was almost entirely dependent on pasture. Its carrying capacity was far higher than any other part of the South Island, and resembled certain North Island districts. The sale of stock from the area was very heavy. That meant that a lot was being taken out of the soil, and very little, apparently, was put back. Fertility was a very thin covering, and once lost was extremely hard to regain. The high state of fertility had not yet been lost, but it appeared that measures would have to be taken at once, before the country slipped too far. Fanners’ Help Mr Callaghan thanked those individuals and bodies who had helped with the survey. He hoped the information assembled would be useful. The department regarded the survey as merely a stocktaking. Dr. Grange, who described a soil survey made from Land’s End to Duvauchelle, on the western side of Akaroa harbour, said that the types of soil depended on two things; the type of rock and the original cover from which they were formed. The best soils were found where forests had formerly been. It was not considered necessary to carry out a soil survey of the whole Peninsula because the part already done was typical of the rest. Mr W. H. Montgomery said it was a pity that more publicity had not been given to the survey. The pamphlets should have been made available more readily to farmers and others interested. To Mr F. G. Armstrong, Dr. Grange said that it was intended to leave the advisory work on manorial treatment in the hands of the Department of. Agriculture. The district the instructors had to cover, said Mr Armstrong, appeared to be too big to allow them to give detailed- advice. Mr T. Masefield said that a departmental trial manurial plot appeared to have given most definite results, but he had no information on what had been applied to it. No results had been obtained as far as could be seen on plots on his property, said Mr Montgomery. “What we must know is whether manuring Is going to be economical in our farming,” he said. “Better results can be obtained by putting on cattle instead of sheep. We want an experiment on an area of 50 or 100 acres. We are all willing to spend money if it is economical to do it.” Results of Manuring Mr V. Craw said that it might not be possible to see the results of manuring, but where manure was applied on his property the stock showed a marked preference for the parts that had been manured. Mr S. S. Barclay said that not all the Peninsula had gone back, as some of the land was carrying as much as it ever had. If farmers would not take the advice of the men farming those places, it was a big order to ask farmers to go “on the blind” with applications of manure. The reason for the increased stocking was that land which had gone out of cocksfoot for seed had been stocked, said Mr F. G. Stanbury. A lot of the land had gone back very materially, and danthonia and browntop were creeping in. If the department could evolve a treatment to bring the pastures back it would be solving the greatest problem of the Peninsula. Mr C. B. Idle said that top-dressing had given splendid results at Wainui, where good grasses had been brought back. Transport costs on the Peninsula were a great handicap. The divergence of opinion showed that manurial response was tied up with the soil type, said Dr. Grange. It had been generally believed that manure was no good on the Peninsula, said Mr Coop. If the North Island could get such a wonderful response, the Peninsula should surely get some result. It was a matter of finding the right manure from each soil type. IVTr A. 3VT. Kelps said that to r 20 years he had obtained from one paddock a very heavy crop of hay each year. He was satisfied that manure could be successfully applied. On behalf of the Farmers’ Union, of which he is president, he thanked the department officers for their work.