FARM FERTILISER

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24875, 22 April 1944, Page 4

FARM FERTILISER

iCLAIMS OF PROPUCEBS [CASE AGAINST SERPENTINE The case for the release of every ton ©f fertiliser available to meet the need of greater dairy production in the Dominion was further pressed by farmers yesterday. Some visited the Heeax-d to urge the release of the supplies of straight superphosphate which are accumulating at the manufacturing works owing to the difficulties of transporting sufficient serpentine rock for the reversion of the superphosphate. In a telegram commenting upon the article which appeared in the Herat.d yesterday, Mr. H. T. Morton, M.P. lor Waitemata. said this was excellent and very timely. Farmers, he stated, must have the benefit of superphosphate without the compulsory addition of serpentine, which had very few supporters anywhere and none in Waitemata. The adverse effect which the reduced quantity of fertiliser is having upon production was demonstrated in figures quoted yesterday by Mr. L. J. Einpen, of Otahuhu. On his 118-acre property at Ohinewai, Mr. Empen is running a herd of 60 cows. With the use of lime and 25 tons of superphosphate annually production was built up from about 90001b. of butter-fat in 1939 to 20,000 lb. in 1940-41. Production was the same in the subsequent season, but in 1942-43 when fertiliser rationing became effective output fell to li .oOOib. of butter-fat and for the season now closing production has declined to 15.0001b., a loss of 50001b. of fat in two seasons. During the period from 1940-41 to the present time the farm has been under the same management. At present the farm is running ten heifers which will be brought into the herd in due course. Five cows are due for replacement and although still good producers the owner is faced with no alternative but to send them to the freezing works. Such cows should be saved for production, but with the allocation of 8i tons of serpentine superphosphate which the farm is receiving it is impossible to increase the herd. Given another five tons of fertiliser. Mr. Empen claimed, this farm could recover the butter-fat loss of the past two seasons and produce an additional quantity as well. If more superphosphate could be released now pastures would receive a much-needed building up which would carry them through the following season without topdressing if necessary. This farmer's case is typical of dozens which the producing authorities are

handling. Yet when defending the case for serpentine 18 months ego the Director-General of Agriculture, Mr. A. H. Cockayne, said the objective was to enable primary production to be increased. Trials over three years had proved, Mr. Cockayne stated, that 751b. of superphosphate, converted into 3001b. of serpentine superphosphate, would do the work of 1001b. of straight superphosphate. Since that statement appeared protests against the use of serpentine and demands for more lime have come from one end of the Dominion to the other, many tho outcome of practical farmers' experience in the intervening period. Protests recorded from producing organisations in the Auckland Province alone form a formidable list. They include the South Auckland Dairy Association, the directors of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, as well as many other North Island dairy companies, Northland Dairy Conference (twice), Auckland branch of the Farmers' Union, Auckland and Whangarei District Councils of Primary Production, and the Auckland conference of provincial primary production councils. When the former Minister of Agriculture replied to some of these protests he said that before the Government made the purchase of serpentine superphosphate mandatory all the available evidence was carefully considered bv the National Council of Primary Production. In taking the step the Government felt that it had acted in the best interests of the primary producers of the Dominion.