MANURIAL EXPERIMENTS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 8 September 1924, Page 3

MANURIAL EXPERIMENTS.

RESULTS IN CANTERBURY

Some interesting observances' on experiments. in manuring in Canterbury were made by Mr F. F. Ward, Instructor in Agriculture 1 for Canterbury, at the annual meeting of the North .Canterbury Dairy Farmers’ Association at Ohoka on Monday evening. ~

The lecture, which was illustrated with lantern slides, dealt with the various classes of fertiliser available, and gave results of. some experiments in top-dressing pasture lands and the manuring of wheat. Mr Ward stated that, an improved method of experimentation was inaugurated in Canterbury about two years ago, and although a number, of results bad been obtained, they were not sufficient to enable very definite.-statements to be made about •top-dressing of pastures and the manuring of crops. Nevertheless, the indications were that the more general use of phosphoric manures must lie profitable..

In'regard to top-dressing, an instance was cited by the lecturer in which a. field treated with manure last spring gave very little increase in the resultng hav crop, no doubt due to the.dryness of the season. When the same field was inspected a week ago the treated and untreated plots could he picked with ease; The pbosphating had ividently affected the paiatabiliry of the grass to such an extent that the stock had eaten the manured plots close to the ground, while the- untreated areas carried a lot of stubble. In looking into the sole of the pasture the manured area was filling rip with useful grasses, whereas hair-grass and other inferior grasses were evident in the untreated area..

The- .results of the liming of root crops last season showed that there had .been no response to lime, but the adjoining phosphaied plots showed an increase. The yields in both cases were light owing to the dryness of the season, and this no doubt militated against the effectiveness of the lime. Several experiments had been planned this season witli a view of getting further information on the point.