THE MANY BENEFITS OF TOP-DRESSING

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7100, 24 December 1929, Page 10

THE MANY BENEFITS OF TOP-DRESSING

More Stock, less Labour

CHECKS DETERIORATION

For more than twenty years the dairy farmers of certain districts have provided striking practical lessons in the benefits to be derived from topdressing. These lessons are now being freely taken into account, not only by dairy farmers in other districts, but also by sheep farmers. This is a matter of national significance. What it means is suggested by the changes taking place in the Dominion’s live stock. During recent times, top-dressing has extended considerably among the sheepfarmers of the Auckland, Southland and Wellington land districts. In these three districts, while the number of cows milked has increased, there has been a marked increase in the number of sheep carried. Over the past two years Auckland shows a sheep increase of 240,000, Wellington, 600,000, and Southland 400,000. This gives an increase of well over a million sheep in these three districts only, and none of this increase at the expense of the dairy industry which has maintained or increased its output in these districts. The instructive feature of the position is that a material increase in the number of sheep carried has coincided with an increase in the area of sheep country topdressed.

Checks Deterioration. Incidentally the increased numbers of sheep just mentioned do not at all indicate fully the benefits which have come from the topdressing of sheep country. Several other benefits in addition to increased carrying capacity have to be considered to obtain a complete picture. For instance, at times, t.opdreesin.g, without at all increasing the carryinng capacity, checks the process of pasture deterioration which has been going on over certain country. This is a considerable benefit not reflected in increased sheep returns.

Again, while topdressing occasionally has not made much difference to the number of sheep being carried, it has brought about better feeding as to have resulted in substantial increases in wool and fat lamb returns from the same number of sheep. Labour Saved.

And still again, while topdressing under certain circumstances may not have resulted in any great changes in the Sheep being dealt with, it hag enabled certain practices involving considerable outlay in labour and material to be dispensed with. For instance, it has often enabled the acreage of special crops such as rape and turnips to be materially reduced. Thus it has substantially insreased the net returns from the same number of sheep.

To sum up, while the sheep population has increased to a gratifying extent in those districts where there has been an increased topdrassang of sheep country, the increased number of shop provide only one aspect of a very pleasant picture presented as the result of the better feeding of our sbeep which at times has followed topdressing and other changes in management. (Contributed by the Fields Division.)