CROP DUSTING FROM THE AIR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25092, 25 January 1947, Page 5

CROP DUSTING FROM THE AIR

USE OF HELICOPTERS EXPERIMENTAL WORK IN ENGLAND A new use for the versatile helicopter that is of interest to farmers throughout the world ‘ has been demonstrated by a British firm which has developed a technique of spraying and dusting crops from aircraft of this type. Crop dusting, the spreading of fertilisers, and the sowing of seeds has been practised widely in the United States of America with normal types of aircraft; but there have been many difficulties. Most of these machines do not carry a heavy pay load. It is dangerous to manoeuvre them close to the ground in proximity to trees, hedges, and obstacles such as electricpower lines and telegraph poles, while the operating expenses for small areas have been high. All these disadvantages have been raised whenever it has been suggested that this technique should be applied in New Zealand, particularly in such projects as the spreading of fertiliser in back country districts; but this did not prevent the Public Works Department from using one of its aircraft to establish a belt of lupin along part of the Ninety Mile Beach. In every back country district of New Zealand there ( is also a wide field for the use of cargo carrying aircraft and recent experiments made by the Department of Internal Affairs in the moving of supplies for parties of cullers, have focused attention on this means of overcoming the obstacles to travel in such rough country. Aerial Sowing in N.Z. Aerial sowing in New Zealand presents unique problems, for our mountainous hinterland and erratic weather are not duplicated in the countries overseas where most of this work has been done. The first experiments over the sand dunes at Ninety Mile Beach were done with the aid of a galvanised pipe forming a spout from the seed bag. Various speeds, differing altitudes, and winds varying from near calm to gusty had an important bearing on the calculations involved in sowing the right amount of seed to an acre. It seemed that with’the gusty weather encountered in the high country, a technique of precision bombing with seeds and fertiliser was required to produce satisfactory results. Now that newer types of aircraft are becoming available it seems that research based on overseas techniques is called for. The field is by no means re- : stricted to agriculture. For instance, it was recently suggested that the heli- ’ copter could be used with enormous advantage on some of the Dominion’s snowfields in place of expensive and i laboriously constructed ski lifts and , aerial tramways. Describing the experiments in.crop dusting, carried out in England, an article in the “Aeroplane” states that a demonstration of wheat and orchard . dusting and spraying was held recently at Harston. A Sikorsky Hoverfly helicopter on loan from a helpful Ministry of Supply flew oyer the crops and sprayed them. The spray liquid was i introduced into the downward slipstream of the rotors and flattened out on reaching the ground so that it rebounded in part and carried the spray . to the under-side as well as the other ’ surfaces of the leaves of the crop. Subsequently a new machine —the Air Horse helicopter—with a pay load of between three and four tons was developed. It had a crew of two and the tank for spray chemicals was carried under the fuselage so that the fpray operator and pilot had practically an uninterrupted view. The total output was 50 gallons an acre through 100 outlet nozzles. The firm that developed the aircraft intended to use it on crops that are so interlaced that they cannot be treated by ordinary ground machines without damage being done.

AUSTRALIAN WOOL RESEARCH

Australia will spend £A461,000 in wool research for 1946-47, states an Australian agricultural news letter. Most of the money will be allotted to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and the remainder to the Division of Agricultural Economics in the Department- of Commerce. Proposals submitted by the council will eventually cover all important aspects of the woolgrowing and wool textile industry. There will be research into animal genetics and the mechanics of wool growth, as well as extensive field work. A sheep and wool biological laboratory will be established. Existing facilities will be extended at the Universities ’of Sydney and Adelaide. At regional stations, nutrition, pasture management, and the productive capacity of different breeds under varying conditions will be investigated. A new division of textile science will be developed at Geelong (Victoria) for research in wool textiles. HEAVY-WEIGHT AUSTRALIAN BULLOCK A North Queensland bullock weighed in at Adelaide, South Australia, at 30421 b live weight and 19921 b dressed. It was taken off natural grasses, driven in a mob for hundreds of miles to the railhead, and then trucked south a thousand miles to the South Australian capital. a It is claimed, states an Australian news letter, that -no other bullock taken straight from pasture has weighed so much, and certainly not after such extended travel.

SHOW DATES Tauranga Show—January 29. Marton Show—January 29. Horowhenua Show, at Levin—January 31 and February 1 Feilding Show—February 4 and 5. Taranaki Metropolitan Show, at New Plymouth—February 7 and 8. Masterton A. and P. Association, at Masterton—February 21 and 22. Mayfield A. and P. Association, at Mayfield—March 15. Temuka and Geraldine A. and P. Association, at Winchester Show Grounds— March 22. „ .. Amuri A. and P. Association, at Rother- . ham—March 22. Waimate A. and P. Association, at Waimate—March 25. , Cheviot A. and P. Association, at Cheviot —March 27. Hawarden A. and P. Association, at Hawarden—March 29. Methven A. and P. Association, at Methven—March 29. Mackenzie Highland Show, at Fairlie— April 7. , x . Malvern A- and p - Association, at Sheffield—April 19. RAM FAIRS Hawke’s Bay Ram Fair—January 30 and Feilding Ram Fair—February 6 and 7. Christchurch Stud Ram Fair—February 20. Masterton Ram Fair—February 24 and 25. Christchurch Flock Ram Fair—March 20 and 21. Timaru. Ram Fair—March 28 and 31 (tentative). WOOL SALE DATES Wool sales will be held in Christchurch and Timaru this season on the following dates:—Christchurch, January 27, February 27. April 11; Timaru, March 3. Pasture Land Area.— Figures showing the importance of livestock farming in the Dominion’s economy were given in a bulletin of agricultural and pastoral statistics this week. In 194546, 17,950.000 gcres were sown in grasses, representing 90 per cent, of the total cultivated area. Included in this were 480.000 acres cut for hay or silage and 225,000 for seed. With fodder crop areas added the total was 93 per cent, of the cultivated area directly devoted to livestock farming. The area of uncultivated land included 13,968,000 acres of tussock and nat-urally-established native grasses providing rough grazing. Mr J. E. Aurisch, until recently head auctioneer of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company. Ltd., Hamilton, has been transferred to the company’s Christchurch branch as as-sistant-auctioneer and fat lamb drafter.