HIGH COBALT CONTENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 24 November 1938, Page 12

HIGH COBALT CONTENT

FOOD VALUE OF SWEDES INCREASED 1 CAMBRIDGE FARMER’S i EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT’S ANALYSIS Mr G. A. Pearce, of Puketura, near Cambridge, who has been using cobalt on his pastures with great success for some considerable time, has received the results of an analysis of swedes grown with cobaltised manure. The result of this trial by Mr Pearce shows that there are great possibilities in the extension of the use of cobalt to manuring for swedes. In all. 10 acres were sown and 4000 ewes were grazed for four weeks and two days on the swedes and 1200 ewes in addition for two weeks on the butts. About 100 acres of “run-off” were used. Mr Pearce used about 2£ cwt. of superphosphate and basic slag mixed with 31b of cobalt per acre. The analysis shows that the tops of the swedes contained .113 parts per millions cobalt and the roots .215, which compares with figures of .091 and .038 respectively for tops and roots of a control lot of swedes which were grown on the farm of Mr A. Commons, Waotu, without cobalt. The form of cobalt used was the chloride. RICH IN COBALT j The chief agricultural chemist, Dej partment of Agriculture, who carried 1 out the analysis, in commenting on the | figures, states in a letter to Mr Pearce: ! “As you will see the tops are com* i paratively rich in cobalt without man- * uring, but they comprise a compara--1 lively small proportion of the crop, and j the actual figure may be somewhat too high owing to soil contamination from the roots during transit. The control roots, however, have a cobalt-content as low as that of many bush-sick pastures, while '.’lose grown with cobalt have a content considerably higher than the average healthy pastures. “It would thus appear that the cobalt manuring of swedes may be a useful supplementary means of supplying cobalt to stock in areas where it is required.” Mr Pearce, who has also used cobalt 1 on his pastures, has had extraordinarily successful lambing results for the season in spite of the general prevalence of eczema and the low lambing percentage elsewhere. It is estimated that he has over 100 per cent, lambs. BRANDING SHEEP COMPLIANCE WITH STOCK ACT Wet weather is holding up shearing in Taranaki. Some owners who are not acquainted with the Stock Act inadvertently mark or brand sheep in such a way that they are liable to a penalty if proceeded against in a court of law. The registered brand of the farmer possessing the sheep is the only brand authotised to be used. / In connection with the branding of J sheep the Stock Act of 1908 states: i’fll J sheep forthwith after shearing and all

lambs before 30th April in each year \ shall be distinctly and legibly branded £ with the registered brand of the owner; t and for every such sheep not so brand- 1 ed the owner thereof shall be liable to a fine not exceeding 10s. The Act further states in regard to stragglers: Also in the case of stragglers or stray sheep not the property of the occupier, notwithstanding anything in this Act to the contrary, every owner in i whose ched or on whose land any strag- j I glers or stray sheep have been shorn ‘ shall forthwith distinctly and legibly ; I brand such sheep on the head with his I raegistereef brand, or, if he has no regis- [ tered wool-brand, with a distinguishing j mark of paint or tar.