USE OF FERTILISERS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 23 November 1938, Page 9

USE OF FERTILISERS

CORRECT PLACEMENT INTERESTING RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS PREPARATION OF SEEDBED Writing in the current issue of the Journal of the English Ministry ol' Agriculture, Mr F. Hanley, M.A., School of Agriculture, Cambridge, states that the problem regarding the best position for fertiliser in relation to the seed lias received much attention abroad, especially m America, where very precise recommendations are made as to the exact position the fertiliser should occupy. In England, lie says, interest usually centres around two major aspects of the problem-- namely, (1) is it better to bury the fertiliser deeply by ploughing it in, or to leave it in the surface layer by simply harrowing it into the seedbed? and (2) if deep placement is not to be adopted is it better to broadcast the fertiliser and harrow it into the seedbed or to place the fertiliser in bands or pockets close to the seed by the use of some such device as a combined seed and fertiliser drill? The first of these two questions, Mr Hanley says, is bound up with a further point—namely, time of application, for ploughing is usually done some time before the final preparation of the seedbed. ROOT DEVELOPMENT The advocates of plougliing-in point to the. large root development in the lower layers of the soil, and their moistcr nature as compared with (lie top two or three inches, the maximum depth to which fertiliser broadcast on the surfaces on the grounds is likely to be carried down by the cultivations done in the preparation of a seedbed for most crops. Against this must be set the possible loss o: fertiliser by washing out, especially with a nitrogenous fertiliser, if the ploughing is to be done during the autumn or winter. This risk tends to restrict the possibilities of plougliing-in to fertilisers supplying only phosphate or

NEWS AND NOTES

Conversion of Scrub Country The rapid conversion of scrub and pumice country at Rotorua into productive farm lands was commented on by the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. W. E. Parry), in an interview at Taupo. Mr Parry said that much land not in production in 1.929 had become splenc 1 ! farms, carrying an abundance of sheep, lambs, cows, fat bullocks and pigs. Failure With Lucerne A common cause of failure with lucerne is overstocking. In a dry spell, when grasses are going off, there is every temptation to crowd stock on to lucerne paddocks, and the crop is thus overgrazed. Rotational grazing is very desirable with lucerne. Feeding off has to be controlled in order to prevent grazing too close to the ground, which injures the crown of the plant, and may thin the stand out considerably Grazing in one large paddock is very wasteful. Silk From Beans A Japanese scientist has adapted the soya-bean cake to the manufacture of silk yarn. This new “bean-silk” is said to possess several advantages over staple fibre, the mixing of which with cotton and woollen fabrics has been made compulsory since the outbreak of the war stimulated Japan’s efforts to find substitutes for imported raw materials. Consisting mainly of protein, the bean silk is said to make a warm and soft fabric which can be mixed with wool and other materials and dyed successfully.