USE OF FERTILISERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19916, 9 April 1928, Page 11

USE OF FERTILISERS.

TOP-DRESSING FIGURES. AUCKLAND WELL IN LEAD. THE SOUTH ISLAND LAGS.

The remarkable and increasing use of top-dressing in New Zealand is well illustrated by figures compiled by the Government Statistician for the year ended March 31, 1927. These show the total quantity of fertilisers used was 219,150 tons. The exact acreage treated is not definitely ascertainable, since the returns make no deduction in respect of land topdressed in the same year with two or more fertilisers, either separately or as a mixture. Following is a summary of the return, the figures representing thousands of both acres and hundredweight : N. Isld. S. Isld. Dominion. bc. cwt.. nc. cwfc. ac. cwt. Superphosphate 820 3039 150 315 985 2353 Basic sJag .. 252 730 10 28 203 75!) Other artificial 152 452 10 31 162 483 Stable manure, etc 4 1 Lime .. .. 53 2»i7 54 521 107 788 Totals .. 1287 4488 234 895 1522 4383 The North Auckland and Auckland land districts, taken together, account for a little more than half the Dominion totals. The figures (thousands omitted) are:— Superphosphate, 625 acres and 1557cwt.; basic slag, 108 and 336; other artificial, 117 and 363; stable manure, etc., 3 and —; lime, 30 and 150: totals, 883 and 2406.

The return clearly shows the South Island has so far made little progress with the use of artificial manures for topdressing, although there is a definite movement in that direction. About the same acreage in each island was treated with lime, but the South Island used twice as much for the purpose as the North Island, doubtless because of the special needs of certain classes of soil. In artificial fertilisers the North Island used more than eight times as much. Superphosphate is shown easily in the lead among all classes of top-dressing materials, accounting for 117.650 tons out of the grand total of 219,150 tons, or 53 per cent.