MAINTAINING PRODUCTION

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 45, 17 November 1941, Page 6

MAINTAINING PRODUCTION

The most important crop grown in this country is grass, and the bulk of the fertilizer used annually is devoted to the topdressing of pastures. That must be done in order to maintain the productive capacity of the Dominion and, in war or, peace, that is essential. Direct enemy action has reduced the supply of phosphates substantially and it has been found necessary to ration fertilizers in a very drastic manner. But, if necessity is the mother of invention, it may also be said that it is the parent of adaptation, and, faced with a shortage of superphosphates, the Dominion has had to seek alternatives. For some years one or two men have been advocating the usefulness of ground serpentine as a substance which, when mixed with superphosphate, would provide an economic and effective fertilizer. Official experiments followed, and in its last report the Department Agriculture said: “It is of particular interest to note that pi ogress reports indicate that responses to the new form of topdiessing appeal most obvious on the soils where potash gives best results, and also that the ninety parts per million of cobalt contained in the serpentine have appreciably affected the uptake of the latter as shown by analyses of pasture samples. Present indications point to a possibly gieatei use of this form of reverted superphosphate in -which the magnesium cobalt and silica may all play an important part in plant nutrition.” The presence of cobalt will recommend the mixture, now so strongly advocated by the Council of Primary Production, to many farmers for it has proved wonderfully effective in combating the “sickness” in certain areas, and the value of silica has been advocated and adopted by farmers in many countries who farm on the lines laid down by the Hungarian philosopher, Rudolf Steiner. . Fortunately the Dominion has ample supplies of serpentine, and it has been officially reported that deposits could easily be quarried and shipped from D’Urville Island. It has very wisely been decided that farmers who order the serpentine-superphosphate mixture will not have their quota of superphosphate reduced, so that they may obtain 1 ton /cwt. of the mixture for every ton ot superphosphate of their original rations. The use of ground serpentine would establish a new industry using local raw materials, and, if the claims foi the mixture made by the Council of Primary Production, aie borne out by the experience of farmers, then the Dominion will be in a much better position with regard to the future supply of feitilizeis.