INCREASING THE FEED SUPPLY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 95, 22 March 1939, Page 4

INCREASING THE FEED SUPPLY.

PREVENTING DETERIORATION. IN THE GRASSLANDS. (Written for the “Standard.”) A retrospect of farming activities over a series of years brings to light that a recurring weak feature of management has been the inadequate feeding of stock during w'inter and early spring. At the present time, owing to drought- conditions tho outlook in regard to autumn and winter feed is not by any means good. Unless bounteous rains occur ere long live-stock may have to undergo considerable hardship. Hence, no means of increasing the available feed for the winter and spring period should be overlooked. There is a very largo area of land throughout the Dominion which responds profitably to phosphalic fertilisers. and also to lime, and these a]>plied during early autumn will greatly assist in the proportion of feed for the critical period mentioned. Hence, those farmers who have not already done so, should carry out an adequate scheme of top-dressing without- further delay, so as to obtain the advantage of what, extra feed develops before the advent of the cold period of very little or no growth. Autumn top-dressing of pasture invariably proves more profitable than spring top-dressing. Recent experiments fully illustrate this, and a probable explanation is that the applied plant foods are thoroughly distributed around the olant roots by winter rains, gradually increasing in availability during tho winter months. All that time the fertilisers promote root development and become so readily available as io greatly stimulate tho subsequent spring and summer grow tli of the pasture. This applies particularly to phosphalic and potassic fertilisers. There is a misconception nmol”' some farmers (fortunately not held by many) that if manures are applied in autumn or winter there is a danger of their being washed away. This, however, does not apply to either phosphates or potash, and the liest results arc undoubtedly obtained when these are applied early in the autumn or winter, especially to gras-s. The earlie v they are applied, tho earlier is the effect seen in spring, and, indeed, this effect of manures in making crops earlier is most valuable, especially m districts where spring is somewhat belated.

T> A RTURE DETER TOR A TION. Two good reasons may be given why grass lands deteriorate. It is "a matter of common observation that many pastures, native and others, show clearly sinus of deterioration. The quality oi the herbage has fallen off, and in many cases the live-stock show evidence of malnutrition. Instances oi this may be seen in alnnpst every district but the most striking cases are those in tho older settled areas of good rainfall. Pastures deteriorate in several ways:—(l) Overstocking and injudicious grazing; (2) continual removal from the soil ol the elements ol nutrition by the annual crop of wool, lambs, a.nd fat stock without the replacement of these nutritive elements by manorial means. In addition, in tlie heavier rainfall districts mineral nutrients, c.g.. nitrates and Imm. nrc not ually lenchcd out, ot the soil In the heavy rains, it is patent that the continual removal of the elements ol nutrition from the soil by annual crops or wool, lambs, and fat stock sold oft the farm without replacement of certain mineral nutrients wil reduce the fertility of both poor and rich soils. This condition will he be most evident in the older settled districts of the country and especially in the moistcr localities, for in these areas the drain on the soil nutrient is more continuous, and the losses by leachj n <r arc vorv considerable. The amount of”mineral nutrients removed from the land bv the annual crop of live-stock is considerable. Of these nutrients the phosphates are of specia importance on account of the generally low phosphate content- of our soils. Some years .■mo it- was calculated that for the State of Victoria the drain on the phosphates of the soil over 60 years had from stock alone been equivalent to two million tons of superphosphates. This estimate is hnserl on tho amount of phosphoric acid—in a sheep earease being 211 b. and in n cattle bcasl 151 b . counting in the losses from other classes of farm stock, and including also the drain of milk production. 1 am not aware if a similar estimate has been made for New Zealand, lmt the drain has been almost as hoavv here; that is, if the relative stock-earrving capacity is compared. In addition to the removal of mineral nutrients by animals there are losses by leaching from the _ soil especially in regions of heavy rainfall. This is strikingly illustrated on many hill country farms where erosion is so devastatin'*. Tho drain on dairy lands is also particularly heavy. st-ance. a dairy eow producing / (l(M)lh. of milk a year rcouircs as much phosphorus for' milk alone as is contained in 20nib. of average fertiliser, to say nothin" of tho quantity required for bone growth and the production of a calf. Furthermore, she requires for milk alone more nitrogen than there is in 2501 h. or nitrate of soda. Tn grazing a certain amount of mineral elements are returned to the land by stock, but if hay is taken off a field and fed lo cattle elsewhere the loss is considerable. Where seed crops arc taken the loss is still greater ns seed is rich in mineral elements secured from the KO,L MAINTAINING FERTILITY. Topdrc-ssing should not be regarded merely as a means of bringing about increased production, but also as the essential means of preventing land deterioration. Every farmer is ivj.tii rally anxious to maintain the fertility or his land at the least possible expenditure of money and labour. At the same lime he should endeavour to farm not altogether with a. view to immediate monetary gain, but also in the interests of posterity. 11l view of the ,-i,l>ove there should be no curtailment of topdressing, but revision regarding the manure to apply might be advisable. Tn past years successful results have justified the general use of superphosphate. Basic slag is being used to advantage on clay soils and in districts of fairly lir.i.vv rainfall. The action of slag in the soil is more lasting in effect than superphosphate, in that growth continues over a longer period. The total production may not amount to more than is brought about by superphosphate. Bonedust, blood and bone, and allied meat manures have, owing to their relatively high price, not hitherto been favourably regarded for topdressing. These, however, provide a fertiliser rich in animal organic matter which phosphates alone do _ not supply. Their effect is also of considerably longer duration and theix use as soil builders is invaluable.

A Federal bounty on wool, which would bring tho return to tho producer to about Is a pound, but which would bo removed if the price of wool rose appreciably above that figure, was suggested at _ the conference of the Graziers’ Association, of New' South JValos recently.