DISEASE IN SWEDES

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 12887, 13 June 1936, Page 4

DISEASE IN SWEDES

NEW TREATMENT BEING TESTED. APPLICATION OF BORAX. TO THE LAND. (Press Association i. MASTERTOX. June 12. Mr. Lee Martin, Minister, lor Agriculture, made an announcement today regarding the prevalence and methods of control of a disease attacking swedes. He raid the disease "Ms known as mottled heart or brown heart and had become extremely troublesome during the past season. Much attention had Been paid overseas to a. similar disease and satisfactoiy control measures had been suggested. The Fields Division of the Do part mont of Agriculture had hallowed up the overseas work by carrying out experiments in various parts of the Dominion and. although the results had not yet be?n completed, they were sufficiently encouraging to permit him to mUke a statement. The treatment which had been put under trial and which had been found very satisfactory by the Fields Division, consisted of applying 101 b. per acre of ordinary commercial borax l<> tlio land tit the time of sowing. A deficiency of boron in the soil was apparently the cause of a number of diseases of crops and it would be of interest to farmers to know that such a simple and cheap remedy was so effective in controlling this pUrticulai disease of swedes. In older to facilitate the application of such a small quantity of borax, it was considered that the material be mixed with the fertiliser without loss of efficiency from the treatment. Too grerit- concentration should be avoided, however, if the manure were being sown in contact with seed and where tho crop was b?ing sown by means of a ridger, which allows the. fertiliser being sown with and below the seed, the borax should be mixed with the fertiliser, being delivered riot actually in contact with the seed, so- as to avoid germination injury. Where turnips were, sown under the usual methods there appears to bo no danger of such an injury if not more thhn 41b of borax were mixed with each hundredweight of fertiliser.