COBALT EXPERIMENTS

Matamata Record, Volume XX, Issue 2014, 6 March 1939, Page 7

COBALT EXPERIMENTS

“ CONCLUSIVE RESULT ” Mi. K. S. Cox’s Work , “ Cobalt experiments earned out on the Crossing Estate have shown definitely that the application of small amounts of cobalt per acre are giving Wonderful results in this district,” said Mr. K. S. Cox, president of the Putaruru branch of the Farmers’ Union, in a report presented at the branch’s annual meeting,. which jiwas held on Monday. Owing to Mr. . Cox’s unavoidable absence the report was read by Mr. W. Purchase ' 1 '• Experiments seem to show that' small quantities of trace elements of which cobalt is the most important '.are essential in topdressing,” stated

the report. • , V . ‘ ‘ Mr. Cox said that the larger, question was also opened up by results of experiments Whether farmers could reduce the bulk of their topdressihg by supplying essential elements, in smaller quantities of fertiliser per acre. This could only be determined ;by experiments in which sheep were weighed each month off paddocks which had received varying quantities of topdressing. Experiments were started in May, said Mr. Purchas. In • the autumn 2cwt of super Was 'put on the five one-acre plots, which each contained five ewes in lamb. In the' autumn a further lewt was applied. Varying amounts of cobalt were mixed in the fertiliser on four plots, while no cobalt was applied to one plot.

All ewes were fairly even until August. After lambing they still did not show a great deal of difference, though the lambs did, those on the cobalt plots going ahead faster than the control set. Between December and January ...the control lambs dropped 31b, while the others increased on the average 101 b.

On the no-cobalt plot the grass, was Six inches long in January, while oh the others it was eaten bare. Mr. Purchas , said that this showed that sheep which did not have access to the cobaited pasture lost their appetite, which was reminiscent of " the days. when the cure for bush-sickness was unknown, when pastures at Tokoroa and elsewhei*e were, full of feed and cattle- grazing on-' them were wasting away. ....... ; ,

It was intended to keep •the;,’ewe lambs on the plots for another year and not- sdpply. 'aiiy" more cobalt. It • was hoped that this would show whether the effects of a cobalt topdressing were permanent or semipermanent. ■ - Best Waikato Lambs - Mr. Purchas said that as the cost of cobalt was 4s 'per pound the cost of supplying a quarter of a pound per acre, which was all that was needed, was Is per acre. Lambs which had been on the cobalt plots had been sent away fat early in the year, while the control set had finished up.'poor, stores. ’ Mr. Purchas said that lambs ,' Crossing estate, Lichfield, had cer? tainly been better than 'ever this year. .