TO BE TRIED

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 54, Issue 32653, 3 December 1945, Page 5

TO BE TRIED

UNIQUE EXPERIMENT LAND ON.THE PLAINS COPPER SULPHATE BY PLANE An agricultural experiment, unique in New Zealand, in dressing peat lands on the Hauraki Plains with copper sulphate by air, will be carried out next year from the Thames aerodrome. This was revealed to a Prelss representative by Dr. I. J. Cunningham, of the Wallaceville Research Laboratories, Wellington. Dr. 'Cunningham, who has been staying at the Hauraki Hotel, Kerepeehi, to investigate the possibility of the aerial top-dressing, was reluctant, at this stage, that much should be said about the details of the scheme. However, in indicating that it had been decided, to go on with the experiment after the recent aerial investigation, he mentioned that topdressing in the mass had been considered in

New Zealand but had never been tried out here. A certain amount of dusting, however, had been done in America. Work By Farmers The main point which Dr. Cunningham wished to emphasise was that the top-dressing was in the nature of an experiment, to see if it would enable time and labour to be saved in the dressing of the copper-deficient peat lands. Farmers should, however, continue with their own efforts to right this deficiency. •Dr. Cunningham made a strong plea for farmers to continue with this work on the ground. Whether carried out by land or by air, the remedying of the copper deficiency will have a marked effect on production, according to Dr. Cunningham, who is an expert in this 1 matter and has published a pamphlet, with particular reference to the Hauraki Plains, on the subject.

Possibly there would be an increase in; butterfat of from 'S'Olb. to 401 b. a cow, and there would also be a big return on outlay and a great improvement in the health of stock. The cost should be about Is 8d an acre. Reaching Inaccessible Land One of the main objects in the aerial dressing will be to fertilise large tracts of somewhat inaccessible lands, where it would be costly to carry out the, work by land. Farmers can assist greatly by carrying on the hand dressing where land is easy of access. Further, until the result of the experiment is known, the project cannot be regarded! as accomplished. In this respect the department is working more or less in the dark, as similar work has never been undertaken in this country. At all events, .much interest is likely to be shown in the occasion when an aeroplane, with all available space occupied with copper sulphate, takes off from the Thames aerodrome in the early months of 1946.