FARMS AND FERTILISERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20465, 17 January 1930, Page 13

FARMS AND FERTILISERS.

GRASS GOING TO WASTE* COMMENT BY MINISTER.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] RAWENE, Thursday. The abundance of feed on. North Auckland lands and the question whether, generally speaking, the fullest use «s being made of it was a subject touched upon by the Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Public Works, when replying to a welcome extended to him by Mr. R.. E. Hornblow, president of the Hokianga Chamber of Commerce, this evening. He asked that it should not be taken as criticism of farming methods, but as an observation based on what he had seen during his tour of several

A tremeuddus amount of valuable feed appeared to be going to waste, although hj« recognised that, the unusually high rainfall had made this „an exceptional season. While people talked of the necessity for getting manures on to the land the Minister said he wondered what they would do with the increased feed if they were able to apply the manures.Fertilising without feeding was of little use. It was no use putting fertilisers on the land unless it was followed up with extra stock to use the f&d produced. Mr. Ransom suggested that it wan necessary first to make full use;,of the feed produced naturally and then to apply, fertilisers and give the stock the benefit of better quality in the shorter grass. It) seemed to him that in many places where grass could not be adequately grazed it might with advantage be utilised a» ensilage. - Mr. Ransom commended the practice of the Railway Department of taking ! parties of farmers on tour in other part-8 of the Dominion so that they might coinj pare the farming methods followed in different localities.