THE RURAL WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20800, 20 August 1929, Page 4

THE RURAL WORLD.

FARM AND STATION NEWS.

By Rttsticus.

Sulphate "of Ammonia. Intensive, grassland farming, with •pecial reference to the use of sulphate of ammonia was the subject of a conversation the writer had at the end of last week with Mr G. H. Holford, representing, Imperial. Chemical Industries'in New Zealand. In regard to the position in Otago, as far as sulphate of ammonia is concerned, Mr -Holford said that' as a result of the’ wide acreage of grassland that reaches, a fairly hi’gh standard largely because of .the use of lime and phosphates, there is excellent scope for, the practice of. the .most intensive'of grassland management, and farming.' In, Otago the best, time ‘for the application of sulphate of, ammonift. was about mid-August, and on, land that had, been- previously treated with ‘lime'or ' superphosphate it would bring along-an early bite of grass-in the first few. -, days of. September, - several weeks before the customary spring growth; From one to-two. cuts, per acre would.be quite, sufficient application this month; •Farmers, lie said, would not need, tobetoldof the value of .this early feed-for lambs and early calving cows. To get the--best: results from the new grass it should-‘'be- fed . off while short and succulent, tvheu its feeding value was at its highest'..;''.'fOnce it was "allowed to pet too • long its -' value fell very quickly. Mr. Holford. stated that when the sulphate of ammonia had been applied to land previously treated with superphosphates, and when the grass had been fed off. as indicated above the detrimental effect'of the .sulphate of ammonia on clover was reduced to-an absolute minimum. . Moreover, it would not cause any' foil exhaustion.... Mr Holford made reference to-a considerable number of experimental plots that had been laid down in Dtago by the fields division of the Department of Agriculture, all dealing with the, .use'of,,gulpj(ate. of ammonia on.-grass-lands., in.'this'/.provinee. and he said that many. farm'er.s had ‘..also decided ‘to be their own experimentalists in this matter. He .is convinced that the increased prosperity of - the--Dominion-depends upon the iraprowement of. grasslands arid pastures, and commends to fanners sulphate of ammonia as a means of increasing the carrying capacity of land-in this part of the country. • . Publicity at Home. The High Commissioner’s’ innovation of a New • Zealand'fpurist ■ and; sporting display at -tfie; -Royal Agricutlural Show at Harrogate proved a remarkable success (says our; Londoncorrespondent). .So great was the : demand for space, at the show that; it was only possible to erect a comparatively small stand, and a very striking display-of deer heads, sporting fish, photographs, coloured posters and publicity pamphlets was arranged, and it created remarkable interest,- specially amongst people who were obviously of the tourist and sporting class. One outstanding attraction was - a stuffed swordfish arranged across the back of the stand. It was quite a common experience when a erOup gathered- in : front of the stand to heir one qUthenumbcr break out into personal reminiscences’ .of experiences among the trout and swordfish of the Dominion. -An officer of the High Commissioner's Department was: present to answer inquiries, and supply information and'booklets. Sir-James Parr was also at the show. Many promising • inquiries were received, and the display is .likely to have excellent rfesults. , No Response. / The proposal-to run a special'farmers’ excursion trip to Mount ..Cook at' the dose of last week apparently did ; not appeal.;!*), farmers, as :only three"*'applications' were received for inclusion m the long week-end holiday which had been arranged. The conditions of the trip were exceedingly generous, and the arrangements left nothing to be desired, but it looks as if most of. Otago’s farmers, in need of a holiday this winter must have had their fill during the North Island excursion some weeks ago. Fruitgrowers* Excursion. Keen interest is being taken by fruitgrowers in Central Otago in.tbe proposed • excursion ’to the fruitgrowing regions of the North Island and the northern part of the South Island.-which it is intended should take place- towards’the end of October or in- the first week' or-two of

November. The Railways Department can be relied upon to arrange a tour that-will meet ..all purses, and. all tastes, and if the Central Otago contingent enjoys itself m much 1 as the larger party ■ did this winter’ there.' will be -very few complaints. ; The - pressure- of work .in the orchards may prove tb-be a.’hindrance for local. gfowerp,. but an endeavour is; being made to sandwich the trip-in be- • tween busy, times.’ . ;■ Agriculture in ;; • Our London correspondent, writing on July 12, says;—• ; ■■ The Rev. D. C. Bates,- consulting meteorologist, who is visiting ‘ England, . among other things, to attend’the. Empire Agricultural Conference, attended the , County Agricultural Show at Lincoln. Mr Bates was pleased to notice that cases ‘of New. Zealand appjes were being carried into 1 , the .show, and the fruit was being ■ consumed everywhere. He ■ also noticed the popularity of -New Zealand butter ®-°d honey. He wag 'interested to note That the first and ’ second prizes for Ivesian cattle were won by Major C. W. H. Glossop, who had visited New Zealand some time ago. . Mr Bates paid a V !f: the representatives of various . other dominions to .the Rothsmsted Experimental, Station. The chief .thinghe noticed there was the effect of the severe J? 111 * 61 ' upon the grass plots that had been treated - with various artificial manures. In some -the effect had been so marked as to destroy, the vegetation.. In others the manure Vhad ' fostered 1 the growth of good grasses, while extirpating the weeds. During the . past few days Air Bates has been■■ attending the-National Beekeepers’ EpuCiihg, aa.he was .one 6f the first members .of the New Zealand Beekeepers’ Association.l New Zealand Barley, Sir Owen Howard OWen, of “Huntspill . and_ Sampford Brett,” Somerset, who is a nephew of the late Mr C. G. Tripp, of O/afi GorpiG, writes to Spectator a<l* vocating the purchase :of J?ew Zealand barley. _He says:—“ Barley grown in Great Britain yields the highest possible brewers 1 extract, but owing to uncertain climatic its exclusive employment as pot practicable, and to attain the requisite stability brewers- are compelled to add • a high ■ percentage of 1 sun-ripened f California 3 and GhiJe. at, present hold the monopoly for stability and extract. The British Empire however, notably /New Zealand/ produces a.; barley :in every, way- sound. , and; owing to the richness of its soul, which is. akin to, that existing in Great Britain, the extract from- brewers’ quar-nri-]s h ?sher than that obtainable from Labfornian or Chilian—which fact alone should commend its adoption by-brewers. Apart altogether from the merits and dements of ' Empire preference,’ 1 1 have it on the authority -of one of the leading malsters in Great,Britain that-'New Zealand Chevaline barley 1 is second to none, and as brewers presumably arc supporters preference, this substituting;of New . Zealand produce- for the present foreign varieties •’of ■ barley,, would not only enabl.e them to-gain .in extract, but would also ufford. them. the satisfaction of encouraging the’production of Empire raw material. • . ■ .

Interest to those engaged In agricultural and pastoral pursuit*, to their publication in these 7 columns, will, ■: be welcomed, SMV would be addressed to "Rusticuß,” Otago Daily Time*, DunetUa.

BRITISH FARMING POLICY. APPEAL TO ALL PARTIES. LETTER BY LORD BLEDISLOE. Dord ' Bledisloe, one of the leading agricultural authorities of Great Britain, who is heading , the delegation of British farmers visiting New Zealand in - the coming year, addressed , the. following appeal to the political parties of Britain in the columns of The Times:— —On the threshold of the last two Parliaments you kindly permitted me, as a lifelong student of our agricultural problem,. to appeal through . your columns to the leaders of the, three political parties to seek, its solution, not in tbe cockpit of-political strife, but in an intcrparty Concordat which might determine . what is our- .true agricultural objective ■ viewed from a .national, (and not a sec* i tioual) standpoint arid in pursuance of lit indicate at least the' fundamentals of • an agreed agricultural policy. I -May I crave your hospitality to renew my appeal with even greater earnestness and .'.conviction than heretofore, at a moment in orir parliamentary history when the .balance of ’parties and the ahsence of bitterness' on • land questions : afford an unprecedented opportunity for ; a favourable response, such as may never again present itself? Of all the obstacles to the stability, and settled prosperity of . our agricultural industry, continuous political controversy regarding it , has been undeniably the greatest. Its cessation is i now widely demanded; - Never have there been so many points j of contact in the agricultural programmes ,of - the three parties; never has- there been greater mutual sympathy between all .classes, connected with the land or I a widep recognition of each other's point of view, as: evidenced by the recent Mansion House Conference; - never ’ (and it is oven more .important) have, the manufacturing, community arid the urban electorate been more deeply'conscious of what the World’s Economic Conference of 1927 well called “ the, essential interdependence of industry, commerce, and agriculture”; _ never has. there been a fuller realisation of the cramping effect upon personal effort and • enterprise of. the relatively restricted opportunities for selfrealisation.open: to Britain’s most efficient agricultural. workers .as , contrasted with -those:-in agriculturally more prosperous countries;.- and never has there been a deeper- conviction that unless we are ultimately to-lose-our oversea dominion by the settlement^therein of- people of preponderantly alien race, we must shape our- agricultural policy, and- raise our rural population, on less insular lines. _ No doubt, iri arriving at a Concordat there • will need to be' much “ give and take ” between erstwhile rural controversialists. But I- arri profoundly convinced that the effort is well, worth while, that in the result all connected with the land will benefit, and that it will redound eternally to the credit and the statesmanship of all parties'if by a combined, unselfish effort prosperity, happiness, and,-above all, hope are restored to- “England’s green (indeed, all too green!) and pleasant land;” :

MEAT INDUSTRY. EXPERIMENTS BY THE BOARD. FREEZING AND TRANSPORT. - NEW SURVEY AT 'BOTH ENDS. Experiments in the freezing, storing, and transport of meat are mentioned in the seventh annual report of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board as matters which' are .receiving : very, close attention. “ Some time ago the board convened a conference of refrigerating engineers from the various freezing companies to discuss' matters applying to refrigeration and the handling of frozen meat,” the report states. - “ The success of this conference prompted the board to arrange another meeting last October, when the results of various tests carried out by the board were .placed before the engineers. Owing, to 'the nature of . theirVwork. -fhe majority of freezirig^.works : engineers have very little opportunity-of seeing ’ the methods.employed, at other; works, and the object of the board-in arranging these coni feronces is to' bring engineers together so that ideas may be exchanged. The general disciisison should result in an allround improvement in-the handling of our ' meat. ; . . ■ .... - ,s .-particularly ” pleasing to note the interest,.taken -by -the different delcgatesin the-,varions -matters brought up conferences. ' The science of cuem^ry.w^.also-.wel].represented at tn-last-conference and figured in the dismissions ou the scientific aspects of- the various , problems placed before -the meeting. ; FREEZING AND STORING LAMB. “The various freezing works in the Dominion are now handling practically double the quantity of lambs for export as compared with -pre-war days, and in the handling of such a perishable product it is highly essential .that We should keep pace with the atest methods in respect to [ . Ktor ?«g: and in the various inks-of transit from ' the- freezing works " leat is finally.deposited bn. the ,„™-i • me tmie complaints were reeved in respectto, the unsatisfactory T" , certam consignments of lambs 01 hen displayed on'Smithfield, but it is mnrL- a i tolT *° "° te t,3at tf,ere is "OW a mgiked improvement. of 7cfX a^‘- rangecl - at thd last conference sl-iniii i* ,gerat,n ß engineers that the'board should conduct further .tests during the OTt tfon Vrr^ tl,e?e ; a, i° n °w'being carried w th the r,. g T n m ts T hav « i “ ,ws '■bwa' made n itn- the Cambridge Low Temperature Besearch Station, England, tc carry out tfeta in refrigeration bti-ird in P^ erlM * nts >" iea out by the ■ hoard m the pre-cooling of Jambs after ?Mhe r &- tha f facing of lambs' nto the freezing chambers three to four ind so a fa°r r S a H ghtCr 1 iraproVCS tlle bloom,' ana so far as these tests have processed moTe t rf fJ thV^' ic?tß , that b -v ‘bis moS thin if 0ll S ll3n ) veurht is retained „ ! ’A. lambs arc left out all nicht " C , ° h, | K - ronm and possibl exdrying 1 winds. ‘ \ Besides the tests being carried out at cairj out a detailed scientific survey of etr temperaturcß. humidity, th7 eV n ,t the V" dp '’^^l.^applvinfi'o ; way wag On-s etc., and note whit de nr . - oration takes place between the oarrvine- ; vessels and . Smithfield. Ur Smith wifi then arnve in the Dominion about the besnrvpy of next, to continue his Kunei, and it is hoped that, he will have 1 nn’ ty ° f a . ttent ' in S the next refri : VI do mitt ,nm ' S T -l , '° ~ J firenCC t 0 fIiPCUSS ' !u' n !V i , t(,rs ' , D r Smith has already -done \aluable work in the survey of food ' aad n aS . a - l cs,, , lfc of his coming iisit to tins Dominion the board is conhetent that considerable benefits will be derived from-the scientific survey of our frozen meat industry. | ROAD TRANSPORT EXPERIMENT. 1 ~'“ T be need of research work in connec- ; tlon w ith our frozen meat trade has , prompted.-the board also to set up a ' j special committee -with full power to conI duct experiments and make investigations j in regard to the freezing, storing, and I transport of meat.. The committee con- [ sists of Messrs TV. G. Lodder, chief engi- . neer of the Great Meat Company. Ltd.; [ J; MThee. chief engineer of the Wclling- > ton Meat Export Company, Ltd.; A. M. i Wright, chief chemist of the New Zealand , Refrigerating Company, Ltd.. Clirist- . church; Dr M. A. E. Barnett, physicist; [ Mr C. R. Barnicoat, bio-chemist, "of the . Department of Scientific and Industrial . Research; and Messrs ‘ John Fraser,

general manager, and G. C. Smith, secretary, of the. Meat Board. Mr John Fraser is chairman of the committee. In Betting, up this committee the board endeavoured to ensure that both practical and'scientific knowledge were combined. The committee ,held < its initial meeting recently- when a preliminary discussion took place in regard to. a number of important problems connected with.the industry. “The board has been; going into the question of boning and rolling the various .cuts of beef and packing in boxes for shipment to the United States market, and it has sent forward a trial shipment. “ Some time ago the board conducted some tests in connection with the transport of lambs by motor lorry and by road respectively, with _ a view to determining the relative loss in weight and deterioration in quality. It is intended to arrange for further tests to be carried out at the .commencement of the new season. “For some little time the board has been making, inquiries in regard to the market for animal-glands for the manufacture of - various medical preparations, and it recently made arrangements for a small trial shipment of- various kinds of glands from both sheep and cattle to be.sent .forward. , When the report .on this shipment comes to hand it will be circulated to freezing companies and others interested.”

DOUBUNG THE EMPIRE’S BIGGEST EXPORT. RESEARCH ON NEW ZEALAND PASTURES. FROM A CORRESPONDENT. “What animals eat grass?” demanded a_ fierce and resplendent admiral of a diminutive cadet for a naval training-col-lege, who was being subjected to’ a •“ viva voce.” “Please, sir,” piped the' small boy nervously, “ I d-didn’t know; any admirals ate grass.” ~ Whatever the gastronomic tastes of the navy,, every small boy in New Zealand-, knows the answer to that query. There is no need to marshall figures to prove the overwhelming itiiporta’nce of grasseating animals to New Zealand, , and indeed to the whole Empire: Grass is largely-the basis of New Zealand’s wealth. It is one' of the moat.- important raw materials in the world. From it the factory of the animal body manufactures milk, wool,- bides,’ arid meat. The value of the livestock products taken by the great,market of the United Kingdom is. four. times .the . value of the wheat absorbed byit; - ’ That is why science’s latest attempt to raise the limit which-keeps stock breeders -from increasing their output is so important: Empire scifentiats are attacking the problem: of pasture improvement from several angles,' The work being done at the . Waite .Institute.'. Adelaide, .at the Cawthron Institute; Nelson, and at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station, Aberystwyth, Wales, ;and elsewhere, on breeding improved varieties, of grass, and other research, on /soil -science, fertilisers for pastures, and: ,so on,- - : are well known in New, Zealand., The newest line '.of , ap‘proacli. is that of the chemist.- Remarkable, discoveries have lately been made in this field, and some of these are described in a report-just published by the Empire Marketing Board called “The Composition of Pastures,”, by Dr J. 8.-Orr (H.M. Stationery’Office. London,’ 9’d net); , THE CHEMISTRY OF GRASS. Why is-it that on some pastures stock, willthrive and flourish, whereas on-others, like, old soldiers,'it will “simply fade away? ” That is, 'in effect, the question which these scientists are trying to answer. The inquiry has’spread all , over the Empire, and work,has been going on in New Zealand, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, Kenya,- Rhodesia,’ and the Falkland _■ Islands,, assisted financially by the Empire Marketing Board. Dr On* yisited many of the principal research stations .in the Empire, and spent .'some months in New Zealand conferring with co-workers on the problem. “The Composition :6f Pastures ” is the first general account of progress already made and of the great things which may yet come out of these scientific discoveries. Every blad'e of grass is a lesson in chemistry. It contains not only compounds like proteins, hut it is also a miniature in' it- is to be found a little store' of mineral salts which are of vital importance to the’ health of the -grazing,- animals and to ; : ; the;manufacture of"milk, wool, or meat. “'Science has given a literal meaning to" the expression ‘the salt of the earth,’ for compounds of calcium, phosphorus, and I otherminerals help to determine , whether : a pasture will ’produce and support first rate, stock or miserable, badly nourished weaklings.” says a review of the .report in The Times. “ Since good cultivated pasture corresponds very closely in, its chemical analysis . with Nature’s ideally balanced food, for the growing , animals, milk, there is no foodstuff so well-balanced or so valuable for maintaining health and growth in cattle and sheep. .THE SKELETON: A STOREHOUSE.

.Now the skeleton is not only a framework,- but also a storehouse. When the .diet, fails to supply the calcium, phosphorus, or iron needed for metabolism, the blood, driven to desperate straits, raids the storehouse of the bones and removes from them the required elements. The bones 'depleted of their minerals become brittle, soft, and malformed, and the animals show signs of malnutrition. Young animals are stunted and. light of bone. Adults : become unthrifty; their yield of, meat, milk, or wool decreases,. and; ;iir severer: pica or depraved mppetite develops,-.'bone lesions appear, and there is'lack of co-ordination in the muscles, sterility, partial paralysis, and finally death. 1 These diseases never occur on good ‘‘cultivated ” pastures, such as those, of England and the best, parts of New Zealand, because there the pastures have 1 been graded up to keep, pace with the improvement .in stock,- and the minerals removed, iiv milk, wool, and carcases have been replaced by fertilisers. Deficiency only-occurs under two sale of _ circumstances—when improved stock '.is, introduced, on;.to-unimproved pastures, and when .depletion by grazing, animals is not made good. The -English cow will "calve -at three years; "the Nigerian at six. Native cows' give 200-300 gallons of milk during one’lactation period; English cows give 700.-1000 gallfiis. Modern cattle, in fact, grow twice as fast and give twice as much milk as the oldfashioned ■ sort, arid they. therefore;; need twice as much mineral food in half the time. When the doubly efficient cattle are turned loose on to veldt or'prairies, the natural pasture is unable ; to keep pace, with their increased demands, and Natui-e steps iri to- caiicel out man’s improvements and adapt the stork to - a slower rate of growth and a smaller siio, more suited to the pastures, capabilities. In the Falkland Islands, for example, little more than a-quarter of the normal amount of calcium is present in the pasture, and, there, the progeny of improved horses are reduced to the size of ponies, and cattle average 5001 b when fat. INVISIBLE EXPORTS. . ■ The second cause of deficiency, namely, depletion Which is not made good, is active in several parts 1 of the ’Empire. In India, 520,000 ions of .bones wore, exported between 1020-25, and no return wa.y made to the soil. Ju Victoria, it is estimated that 300,000 tons of.phosphoric acid, have left.-the- soil in the last 60 years; and that some 2,000,000 tons’ of superphosphate would be.necessary to restore the pastures to the condition they were in about 1860. diseases which • occur in widely-scattered parts of the Empire , are often the same complaints known bv different names, and scientists are gradually linking them up, 11 Waihi 1 disease ”, and ostoemalacia ” are examples of these diseases which arc familiar to New Zealand, and ‘‘cripples.” “ wobbles,” “dry bjble,'’ and . others in Australia are due to lark of calcium and phosphorus. Coastal disease in Australia is much the same as styfsiekte in South Africa, and ”midland disease” is closely related to lamaiekte. In Kenya Colony a local disease of cattle known ns " nakuruitis ” mystified the settlers until it was identified as being much the same as “ bush sickness ” in New Zealand. Both are due to lack of iron, and when the treatment which had proved successful in New Zealand, ] namely, the feeding of,iron salts to stock, j was applied in Kenya, the- disease disappeared. 1 " Pining,” a wasting illness affecting sheep in parts of Scotland; and a-disease of cattle in King Island, Tas- ■ mania, are probably milch the same thing. MINERAL MEALS. The practice of feeding mineral rations to stock is spreading, and more than repays the trifling cost. The. excess goes hack to the soil. Gradually the earth can accumulate these minerals, using them for general improvements to the herbage. • The best method is ; to use mineral fertilisers and feed the stock via the grass,

but this is obviously an impossibility, at present, throughout a large part of New Zealand and other dominions. Where it has been done the results have been amazing. In the southern parts of Australia and on some of New Zealand’s grazing lands the carrying . capacity haa been doubled, in Australia the growth of sheep has been greatly increased, and in New Zealand phosphatic dressings have improved the Health arid butter-fat percentage of dairy cows. “ There is little doubt that within the next few years mineral fertiliser? will be used in increasing quantities,” states Dr Orr in his report. Finally, the report indicates some of the lines on which research is now proceeding. *ln some of the dominions the research is in advance of that in the older-established institutions in Great Britain,” it states. It concludes with a striking prophesy, which, if realised, will prove to be of the most farleeching importance to all Empire conn* tries. With-the advance of research and the proper application of its lessons “ it is probable,’ says Dr Orr, “that the total production of the grazing lands of the world can be doubled.”