THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY "Public Service.” MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1945. VALUE OF FERTILISERS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 54, Issue 32653, 3 December 1945, Page 4

THE Hauraki Plains Gazette With which is Incorporated THE OHINEMURI GAZETTE MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY "Public Service.” MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1945. VALUE OF FERTILISERS

When we were having a chat with ah experienced district farmer last week it was only natural that the dry conditions at that time should have been one of the topics of conversation. The farmer was .of the opinion that the condition of the pastures throughout the country was by .no means entirely due to the climatic conditions. He was very definitely of the opinion that the pastures, having been somewhat starved 1 of fertilisers over the war years, were now showing the result. He contends, and we think there is a great deal in his view, that the tendency of the pastures to run up to seed too quickly and particularly the lack of 'body and a thinness in the carpet of the pastures where the food value of hay really is, accounts very largely for the pasture condition that prevails to-day.

Our farmer friend went on to tell us that he had not just sat idle on his farm, but that, in the absence of phosphatic fertilisers, he had gone ahead and made full use of the natural manures on his property. He had installed a plant, together with a suitable transport tank and regularly his pastures had been treated in this way. Of course where our farmer friend took the precaution to make use of farm manure in place of the phosphatic topdressing, the great majority of farmers have not made such provision. • It does stand to reason that the pastures cannot be drawn upon heavily year after year and expect the same good result, unless the equivalent is returned to the soil. A study of Nature soon impresses one with this basic principle. Bearing this well in mind, then we come back to the opinion of our farmer friend and] appreciate that there was ’ much soundness in his observations. Truly to a very large extent The economics of this Dominion are bound up with the regular ;op-dressing of our pastures. It las been proved, especially in The Waikato, that regular topdressing produces increased production and increased primary production means greater wealth for this country., Therefore our Government should see to it that every effort is made to “get out and get fertiliser; get plenty of it; and get it quickly,”