VALUE OF NITROGEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20257, 17 May 1929, Page 5

VALUE OF NITROGEN.

TESTS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Incidental reference to the use of nitrogen as a top-dressing agent was mado in the Manawatu district . 'recently by Mr. Hudson, of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture, in the course 01 an address to farmers.

Dealing with the general use of manures he remarked that phosphates remained the mainstay of the top dressing farmer, while comparatively few areas were dressed with potash, there being no indication of a potash deficiency in tho soil to a degree approaching the dearth of phosphates. Nitrogen was talked about a good deal at tho present time, but in .New Zealand little was known about its effects on pastures. It had been considered that owing to tho virgin nature of the soil there was no necessity for the application of nitrogen, but it looked as if that was not altogether true. Experiments in Canterbury indicated that nitrogen was producing results with cereal crops and the same might be the case with grass lands. However, before nitrogen was applied it would bo necessity in many cases to make up the soil iiciences in other requirements. Nitrogen had a great effect on grass growth, hit., would it be advisable to use the manure if farmers were unable lo use tle increased growth ? If they could no ■ ~ it thev would be in a worse plight <ts they would find rough, rank their hands. The management would play a bigger P ; "i ' l Yhe tendcncy phates. Nitrogen also had th ° to suppress the clovers and ; the cause of this had. not yet been ascertained. The •lim of the department was to determine the value of nitrogen on New Zealand soils and trials were being conducted.