HELPING THE FARMER.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1261, 17 October 1911, Page 8

HELPING THE FARMER.

AX AGRICULTURAL LABORATORY. Referring to _ the Auckland Farmers' I Jiion scheme for the establishment of a laboratory to have soils. manures, etc., analysed at a nominal cost, wliidi scheme was outlined in this column a short, timo np, the "Star" pays a suitable building at Kllerslie has been rented ami an up-fo-dito plant is to bo secured, f.o that it v.ill bo possible to start work in throe weeks or n month. An important part of the "chuino is the giving of demonstrations 011 Saturday ulterneons to farmers aud the* issuing of leaflets on agricultural matttus from time to time. ft is folt that tho analysinß of soil; will bo the principal work of fiio laboratory, and the advantage of such analysis to tho farmer has been generally acknowledged. Hitherto many farmers liavo sent samples of soils to tho Agricultural Department, but generally tho analyses returned havo been oit.ier ambiguous or too technical to be readily understood. Tho aim of tho new laboratory is to supply analyses of practical use to tho farmer, indicating in plain language the composition of tho roil and tihe nature and quantity of the manure required for tho different varieties of crops. Seeds can also be te;.Tcd, awl estimates of the food-value of reots and grain furnished. Mr. Lynch, who was for four vears at tho Dominion Laboratory, Wellington, and who has offered his services free of charge for twelve mouths, remarked to a reporter that really scientific agriculture was nuito in its infancy in New Zealand, but tliero was evidence that tho farmers wore wo king up to tho possibilities of the systematic use of fertilisers. Tho latter wera too oTten applied haphazard, and often with indilicrent results. With proper data to work ur>r>n, tho farmer would be saved from using too much manure, and in many cases from applying the wrong variety. The cost of analvsis would be trifli.ig to start with, as notiiing would bo charged for but the chemicals employed. Ainthor branch of tho woik would bo the analysis of any mineral specimens that union members'might caro to forward.