FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 August 1933, Page 8

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

“Rouseabout” )

LOGfi Oh LIME FROM 50ILG

HASTENED BY CERTAIN MANURES No soil can produce healthy and abundant crops unless it. contains an adequate supply of lime, and therefore the question of liming is one that, should occupy the attention of farmers. A dressing of lime becomes exhausted in several ways; it is soluble to some, extent, and is washed-out by rains; this is proved by its presence in drainage, water off farm lands. From a plot at the Rothamsted Experiment Station (England) as much as 2501 b per acre has been found in the gauge that catches the drainage water. In addition to that source of loss, lime is used up 'when it acts on the soluble phosphate of superphosphate applied to the land; it has the valuable effect of causing the soluble phosphate to revert, and, while' precipitating it in a very fine powder through the soil, it saves the phosphate from being washed away. When sulphate of ammonia is applied as a fertiliser a portion of the lime in the -soil combines with the acid of the nitrogenous fertiliser, and this is no longer available. Ou considering these ways of loss farmers will realise that it is essential on most soils to apply every few years a dressing of lime to maintain ■f nvi i 11 fXT

The question of whether lime is required as a. regular part of the routine of farming on a given soil can only be decided by an. analysis of the soil. Any soil containing less than 1 per cent, of calcium carbonate will be benefited by liming, and when the percentage fails to one-fifth per cent, lime becomes a necessity to enable manures .to exert their- proper ac- ■_ tion. .(Many.’clays? aM.. sqnds are deficient,- and the absence of lime may often be concluded from the appearance of the vegetation. The whole scheme of manuring should depend on whether the soil is properly supplied with a base; nor must, it be supposed that the use of artificial manures, such as super- - phosphate of lime or bones (which are phosphate of lime) or gypsum (which is sulphate of lime) will obviate the necessity of liming. Lime or its carbonate is needed in the soil to supply a free base, and in the compounds mentioned it is already saturated with a fixed acid; Ju fact, in superphosphate of lime there is an excess of acid, sc that this fertiliser reduces the amount of carbonate of lime in the soil. In arable land tire jfrcsence of sori red in the waste places are pretty ! sure signs of the absence of lime, while > pastures on lime impoverished soils ; are generally- very deficient in legu- | ininous .plants. The action of lime is | partly physical, ,affect ing. the texture of the soil, and- partly chemical, setting free the dormant reserves of plant food. On strong soils the physical action of lime is most liianifcst.; if. acts by flocculating the ' finest particles, causing them to aggregate into temporary larger units, and so making

the soil of coarser texture. The soil thus becomes less retentive of moisture; percolation is increased, making , the limed land dryer and warmer, so that it admits of cultivation earlier in the spring, and is far more friable when dry. In droughty seasons the clay will crack less and the crop will keep growing longer, because, the improved texture of the soil admits of a better supply of sub-soil water to the plant by surface tension. -It', is difficult to exaggerate the improvement that lime effects in the dryness anil workability of strong soils, which in many cases would not be lit for arable cultivation until they have been so treated. The physical improvement of a clay soil by lime is-not apparent at once, but grows from year to year after the application of the lime. On the lighter soils —the sands and gravels—lime exerts a. good effect by forming a weak cementing agent and increasing the cohesion- of the particles. As a rule, however, it is not wise to apply quicklime in any quantities to very open soils, because the oxidation of the organic matter is pushed on too rapidly. Either some form of calcium carbonate should be used, or the quicklime should only be applied in small quantities. From the chemical side the great value of carbonate of lime in the soil lies in. its power of maintaining the neutral reaction to the development of those

bacteria which oxidise the organic compounds in the soil to file state of plant food. In the absence of lime, organic matter by its decay gives rise to various acid bodies which may be grouped as humic acid, and the acidity thus produced inhibits the action of many of the valuable groups of bacteria which fix nitrogen, and the nitrifying bacteria, which convert ammonia into nitrates. In soils that are acid

I through the accumulation of humic I acid nitrification is at -a- standstill, I and bacterial life . generally is reI pressed in favour of. the growth of I moulds and micro-fungi, which comI pete actively with the crop for the J plant food in the soil. On all old land I that lias been enriched by the residues ’ of past, manuring, or by the debris of previous vegetation, lime is very necessary to promote the oxidation of the nitrogen compounds and the formation of nitrates for the crop, consequently it is on bog or peaty land, on old turf or reclaimed forest land, that liming exercises its maximum effect. Soil acidity, another name for sour soils, is one of the chief causes for poor crops on a large number of farms, and this applies both to grass lands and arable land. It is injurious to almost all cultivated crops, though not in the same degree; for instance, the . oat plant is able to do very well in a soar soil, and potatoes can pul up jWith if, but Io clovers it. is deadly, with furriips it is the condition that is miji labJo for finger and toe, and for wheat and hurley it. coimlitrit.es a decided drawback, says, the . ‘‘Farmers’ Express”. It, is sometimes contended that | Iho extensive use of the class of fer- 1 (Hisers known a 6 acid fertilisers, such as sulphate of ammonia,,' superphosphate, and manuresj.jvith a high percentage of. soluble phosphates, is, to a em-tain extent, responsible for the evil as producing in the soil a tendency to acidity, but scientific opinion, based ' on a number of experiments, is now ' pointing to the conclusion that there I is no real ground for such an infer- ; once. < It is true that, experiments of Roth- 1 nmsted referred to above have shown ] 1 that application of sulphate of am moii'.i, applb-q year alter year to a 1

cron, gradually deplete the r.ofi o f lime, but. such experiments, while theoretically of interest and of educational value, are not based on farm ing practice, with rotation of crops and intervals between the application of the fertiliser, fn America. the. problem has been studied at an experimental station for a long period, and it has been found that the application in the usual quantities of <’omnmrci;jl fertilisers neither decreased nor added, to necessary supplies of lime in the soil to an appreciable extent, and, dealing with the same subject, a. German agricultural scientist, in a. recent lecture expressed the same view. If one calculates that an application of 2cwt fertilisers per acre is less than an ounce to the square yard, it is only a reasonable inference that such an insignicant quantity can have no real influence on the mass of soil. It is just as well that farmers should realise this point and not trust to the use of fertilisers to remedy all acidity. Attention should be directed to the causes and proper remedies, which are lime and drainage. ' If the land is water logged, as is too often the case with grass lands, drainage is essential, and then the application of lime in one form or another. Lime is the sovereign remedy. It is well called “a real sweetener.” It neutralises sourness and prevents the formation of noxious compounds.

DYING FOR SCIENCE FATE OF THREE CALVES CANBERRA, August 1.At file laboratories of the Commonwealth Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Canberra, three calves —Romeo, Rufus, and Rastus — are sacrificing their lives in the interests of their fellows. Other calves there also will pay the extreme penalty, but the three named have played the most prominent part to date in a battle which is being waged against a serious stock infection known as anaplasmdsis. Anaplasmosis was discovered recent Jy by Dr. Legg, of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, at the health research laboratory, Townsville, and at the suggestion of Dr. J. A. Gilruth samples of blood from infected stock were sent to Canberra by. aeroplane, where the blood was inject ed into the system of Romeo. It was known that the antiplasma parasite, which ranges in. size from onemne hundred and fiftieth to one-one hundredth of an inch, could be transmitted by ticks, but it is not yet established whether it is transmitted by certain biting flies. It is hoped that if the present experiments are success-j ful several puzzling features associated with red water in cattle will be solved. Romeo in due course showed symptoms of anaplasmosis. In the meantime numbers of stable flies which fed on the blood of animals were bred, and these were allowed to feed each day

on the infected Romeo, whose coat

was shaved in patches to enable the flies to reach the blood. At this stage Rastus was brought into the drama, and the flies were allowed to bite him. Several other calves were also bitten —one by a second generation of flies, the parents only of which had been used in the first experiment. This was done to show if there is any hereditary transmission. For the first experiment, “mechanical transmission,” .one calf was bitten 99 times, and another 411 times. In another experiment 2SB bites were taken, while yet another calf has been bitten 913 times. The results of the experiments are not yet known, for it takes from 20 to 90 days for the parasite to make its presence felt. The experiments are being carried out in insectaries where the most rigid ] quarantine is exercised by Dr. Nicholson and Dr. Mackerras. To enter the insectaries where the calves are

housed one has to pass through several doorways, and each visitor is rigorously inspected to see that no flies are on his clothes when he enters and when he leaves. A daily census is also taken of every fly, even the births and deaths being recorded. Ono day recently a- fly escaped from the tube in which he was being kept while feeding, and it was two days before he was recaptured. In South Africa, a mild form of anaplasmosis is known, and it. has been found that inoculation with this immunises cattle from the more serious complaint—-just as inoculation with cowpox immunises humans from smallpox. A consignment of infected ticks from South Africa is now on the way, and these will be used to inoculate Australian cattle. While Romeo, Rastus, and their companions are being- (Daily batten by stable flies, Rufus remains a privileged boarder in the insectary, eating the best of food and enjoying generally a sheltered existence. He is a “control” —that is to say, he is being kept there, to prove that there are no outside influences to spread anaplasmosis. Rut Rufus, like the others, will meet a violent end. When the experiment is completed they will be destroyed, but before this Rufus too will have been inoculated with anaplasma parasites to prove that he is susceptible to the disease —otherwise as a. “control" ho will have been useless. And then Hutus too will be destroyed and cremated with, the others in the habitation where he enjoyed life so well.

ARTIFICIAL BROODING ATTENTION TO DETAIL _____ Only a few years’ <-xp ( rb'iicc does the would-be poultrykeepcr realise that •ir ( ificial brooding is one of the most -li'iicuh aspects of the business. Whilst the runs are clean and fresh', and the work keyed on with ambition the pcr"cnlage of losses is usually not more l Dian about 10 per cent. Later, when I ; >i her branches of the work demand at. trillion. and especially 'if one gets at ■HI careless, the losses from one cause and another soon mount up. and because it. is easy to batch chicks a few are inclined'not to worry about those losses until they realise that, even the surviving chicks are weaker than they should be. Regular feeding, watering, attention to the heating system, and cleaning out are the points that count. Clean range for the chicks to roam over is ideal, and failing this they are better confined inside until about five Io six weeks of ago. Small I Unit:; are always more easily man-1

■n d than large ones, and the chicks m lally thrive better. Successful poullr men may manage to brood as many -js 1200 in one batch, but remember th t they are experienced and know th. ir work thoroughly. Suitable small hr odors are not easily procured, and It'ri inently home-made brooders are cm pb yed. It is remarkable how well tn: iy women manage to rear a batch of dav-old chicks, due no doubt to

thi maternal instinct. Often what mi ht be considered crude methods aw employed, such as a. sheeps skin hot brick, or a. box in the "hot. -•') board.” at night, and a. small run | m :]ic lawn during the day. ClmuHi-j ik- -, and plenty of room are essential to yaccess. whilst the little chaps id -.1. b<: taught, to scratch lor their gr 'll almost, from the. first day. Dry m: h. supplied in long troughs always bein' them. is the most common mi hod id' feeding nowadays, and very su able mashes are put up by coinim vial firms. Milk in some form will gri itly assist, growth and prevent disr;i: .. Gn-en stuff is demanded at all lin . s . ;md thi’ chicks should have as | mi: h as they will cat. The water mu 1 be clean and fresh, and held in u < intuiner which will prevent them fro 1 getting wet. For small lots a. jam I in. with a small hole about, an inch fro 1 the end. and inverted in a ■ sau er, makes a useful font. Lime in he form of shell grit. must, be given < o mike bone. While incubators are - -;i;< Io manage and will hatch chick:; 1

as well as, if not better than, broody hens, there is no brooder that will rear chicks as well as old mother hen, so that if you require a few specials, try to have some out under hens. When only a. commercial laying flock is kept, the annual purchase of day-old chicks is advisable rather than several small hatches hatched from a few breeders. In such cases if the whole requirement is purchased in one batch the worry of the rearing will be considerably lessened, and the culling of the cockerels and pullets will be much more, easily carried out. Many poultrymen specialise in the sale of good quality 1 day-old chicks, and if you are requiring any this season ami have not already placed your order, do so at once, as the popular dates soon get booked up. Remember that. August for heavy breeds and September for light breds are the ideal hatching months. Early chicks are inclined to go intoj a false autumn moult. whilst, late chicks, unless especially cared for, seldom thrive as well as those hatched in the months mentioned. 11. is better Io be a little early Ilian a little late.