CONTINUOUS DRAIN ON FERTILITY OF STORE STOCK LAND BY YOUNG ANIMALS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 22952, 21 May 1949, Page 8

CONTINUOUS DRAIN ON FERTILITY OF STORE STOCK LAND BY YOUNG ANIMALS

MR. LEVY EXPLAINS

Tho tremendous drain on hill-country fertility where a distinct concentrates upon the raising of store stock—both sheep and cattle —has been brought forcefully to the notice of farmers in this district who have read the address of Mr. E. Bruce Levy in the sheepfarming annual publication produced by Massey Agricultural College.

To appreciate the part the animal plays in soil fertility maintenance, and to give a basis for computation of relative losses according to the class of stock run on the farm. Mr. Levy says, the following tab'e has been compiled from data supplied in "The Chemistry of the Farm." by R. Warington. ‘ Taking, firstly, the important con stituent nitrogen contained in the food ingested:—

only the growing young animal takes appreciable amounts of nitrogen, phosphate. potash and lime out of the feed consumed. The following figures show the peracre drain on fertility by disposal from (he farm of animal produce or carMilking Cows: at GOOgals. milk per acre (2751 b. butterfat). S *-» . a!" "S • •a rt T -2 c S N II Is «| K lb. lb. lb. Sulphate of ammonia .. ICO 140 Losses negligible Superphosphate .. 60 35 „ 30 per cent. potash salts .. 30 3 • „ Carbonate of lime 21 0 „ Cattle Beast: (10001 b.) one beast per acre: — O O TJ r* ad a d £ <u d s g AC o, O oa o _ 3 r* S "3 K o cn o lb. lb. Sulnhale of ammonia 116 Losses negligible Superphosphate 77 „ 30 per cent. Potash salts ....... 5J „ Carbonate of lime .. 40 „ Sheep: At six per acre (1501 b. live weight each):— Sulphate of ammonia' 105 Losses negligible Superphosphate .. 48 „ 30 per cent, potash salts 48 „ Carbonate of limo® 21 ~ Fat Lambs: At six per acre (751 b. live-weight each:—Sulphate of ammonia. 571 b.; superphosohate, 241 b.; 30 per cent. potash salts, 2,41b5.; carbonate of lime. 101 b. Wool: 721 b. per acre (six sheep):— Sulphate of ammonia, 431 b.; superphosphate. 0: 30 per cent, potash salts, 421 b.: carbonate of lime. 0. “From the above table,” continues Mr. Levy, “it will be clear that there is a heavy drain on soil fertility where whole milk, whether for town supply or cheese, is sold off the farm. Where cream alone is sold, and where the separated milk is fed back to pigs, calves, .etc., there is practically no outgo of soil fertility from the farm,, other than for replacement for losses in cull cows: provided, of course, that the pigs and calves, when fed have range over the farm and are not confined to bare pens or so-called pig pad docks. Fattening Stock Requirements.

The mere fattening of cattle or other full-grown store animals removes practically no fertiliser ingredients from the farm. Similarly, the in-bought ewe from the hills, in herself, does not depreciate soil fertility. The fat lambs she begets, on the other hand, do deplete soil fertility. The main point of vital importance to the economy of the . store-stock country mainly to hill-country —is that there is an important and definite drain of fertility in the production of store stock, and in the disposal of these off the farm. The old ewe the store lambs, the store wether, the yearling bullock or heifer—all of these have built their framework, their muscles and other tissues at ihe expense of the soil-fer-tiliv ingredients—nitrogen, phosphate, potash and lime. The finishing-off of these by the lowland farmer, by the addition of fat. takes negligible amounts of fertiliser ingredients out of the soil. Fertility Builds Up. In fact, where these are fattened on pastures rich in clover, thera is an actual build-up of soil fertility, by the rapid consumption and return o' excess ingredients' to the soil, in dung and urine not wanted by the animal in its process of putting on fat. It has been shown at Grasslands that pedigree white clover, in a highproducing mixed-grassland swaid, extracts per acre per annum from ihe air. nitrogen equal to that contained in 19cwt. sulphate of ammonia. Tins clover-nitrogen factory vital o soil-fertility building, to raise pastuc production to such a point that suffic ent feed can be grown to carry cnoug) animals to return sufficient residue to cater for the high-producing swart

Re tained by animal Voided in dung and Fed to per cent urine per cent. Horse at rest .. 0 100 Horse at work . 0 100 Fattening cattle 4 96 Fattening pig •. 15 85 Milking cow 25 75 Calf on milk .. 69 31 Taking, secondly, the ash constituenfs, phosphate, potash, lime, etc., in the food ingested:— Retained by animal Voided Fed to per cent. per cent. Horse at rest .. 0 100 Fattening cattle 2 98 Fattening sheen . 4 90 Fattening pig .. 4 96 Milking cow 10 90 Calf on milk 54 46 From these tables, it is seen that