SCIE.tifIC FARMING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1751, 27 September 1905, Page 18

SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

!Afl the microbe plays such an important part in the well-being or otherwise of our everyday life, so» it bids fair to revolutionise some of our farming methods. Nitrogen, one of the most essential, and at the same time most expensive •-*> of plant foods to purchase in the shape of manure, bids fair to become the cheapest when it is fully understood how by the means of mioro>-organisms the enormous amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere we breathe, can he brought into practical use by means of the said organisms. It was observed by the Romans that after the growth of legumes the land ■was left in a richer condition than before, but the reason of this was then, of course, not fully understood. During the early part of the last century many eminent British and foreign agricultural chemists investigated this matter, amongst whom may be mentioned the names of Nobbe, Bousangault, Hebreigal, Wilfaith, amongst foreign chemists, and also the late Sir J. B. Dawes and Sir H. Gilbert, of the world-famous agricultural experimental station at Rothamsted, England; the latter scientist carrying on vast numbers of exact experiments bearing on the quesition of the fixation, of free nitrogeh by leguminous crops extending over some 18 years; and within the last year or so Professor Moore, of TJ.S.A. Department of Agriculture, has shown how the micro-organisms can be made use of in a practical manner to inoculate soils bo as to . produce great increase of leguminous crops in ©oils which were heretofore unsuited for their cultivation. It may be that these recent discoveries of the powers of the nitrogen fixing organisms may lead to a revolution in our methods of farming, and New Zealand, as in other matters, is not lagging behind the rest of the world. The A. and P. Food Co., Ltd., of Wellington, were not slow to perceive the possibilities of this new idea, and their chemist, Mr H. W. Lawrence, F.C.S. (who, before coming to the colony, had the advantage of being in charge of the nitrogen fixations investigations of Messrs. Dawes and Gilbert, of Rothamsted for something over ten years), set to work to find some means by which the farming community of this colony could' have the organisms delivered to them in Budh a form that they would require no treatment or technical knowledge in application by the farmer himself. In this matter he has been perfectly successful, and it is due to the enterprise of this local concern, the A. and P. Food Co., that farmers can now procure iii small bottles sufficient- organisms to inoculate either half or one acre of soil for a small charge without fear of failure on their part from want of technical knowledge or scientific skill; as is necessary with the imported organisms, which require considerable treatment when put into the farmers’ hands, and which are often useless on account of loss of vitality due to their being latent during transport.

Lieutenant T. Herd, conductor of the Wellington Garrison Band, will adjudicate at the Temuka band contest on October 10th, lltli, and 12th. He will act in a similar, capacity at the Winton band contest, /to be held under the auspices of. the/Otagcp and Southland Bands’ Association on October 18th and 19th. This is 'the fourth occasion Lieutenant Herd has been selected by the bands of this association to adjudicate at their contests.