FOOD FOR THE SOIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20977, 14 September 1931, Page 14

FOOD FOR THE SOIL.

" SUPER " ON DRY AREAS. AN AUSTRALIAN VIEW. " You must realise that, particularly in this dry district, you must, if possible, combine sheep with cropping operations. »So declared the Director of Agriculture (Professor Perkins), at the Agricultural Bureau conference at Ceduna—when asked bv farmers in the Hundred of Goode if it were advisable to use super on land in that locality when wheat was worth less than 2s 6d a bushel.

Professor Perkins compared results obtained for nine successive seasons at Veitcli Government Experimental' Farm in the Murray malice, where, ho said an average annual rainfall of llin, and light sandy soil were somewhat, similar to conditions in the Hundred of Goode. Several seasons were so bad on that particular farm, he added, that for two years no more than seed wheat was obtained from it. Tests were made with three dressings —4slb. of 45 per cent, super phosphate, 901b., and 1801b. to the acre during nine years. Compared with no fertiliser, 451b. improved the yield by about two-thirds of a bushel (401b. only); 901b., 2J bushels; and 1801b., slightly more than four bushels. With super at 5s 6d ewt., 451bs. cost 2s 3d, 901b. cost 4s sd, and 1801b, cost 8s lOd. ' With wheat at 2s a bushel, the improvement from using 451b. of super had a value of Is 4d, from 901b., 4s 6d, and from 1801b. 8s 2d. With wheat at 2s 3d a bushel, the improved values from these dressings were respectively:—4slb., Is 6d; 901b., 5s 6d: and 1801b., 9s 3d. Thus on the moderate estimate of wheat at 2s 3d a bushel, the Director continued, farmers would have an advantage of from 6s to Is an acre from the use of fertiliser. Furthermore, they were improving their holdings.