SCIENCE TRANSFORMS AUSTRALIAN DESERT INTO FERTILE PLAINS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26958, 18 December 1948, Page 9

SCIENCE TRANSFORMS AUSTRALIAN DESERT INTO FERTILE PLAINS

NZPA—Reuter

SYDNEY, Dec. 2.

A notable event in Australian land settlement history has just been recorded. In South Australia, to the south-east of Adelaide, there is a large area of land which previously was regarded as unproductive. This area was known as - the “ Ninety-mile Desert.” Thanks to scientific research undertaken by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, most of this land will soon be a fertile belt. The CSIR Division of Bio-chem-istry and General Nutrition some time ago discovered that a disease which made sheep-raising impossible on the sandy soils of the southern seaboard of Australia was caused by a soil deficiency of cobalt and copper. Investigations during the past five years have shown remarkable results when small quantities of zinc sulphate and copper sulphate were added to superphosphate dressings on this land, which previously has been classed as useless. But. it turns out that the land merely lacked what is termed the “trace” elements which are essential for the nutrition of both plants and animals. On this so-called “useless land” it is now possible to grow high-yielding pastures of clovers, phalaris and lucerne. This scientific discovery is all the more important in this case because the “ Ninety-mile Desert ” has a steady rainfall from 15in to 20in a year, and- droughts in the area occur but rarely. As a result of the discovery of this magic formula of adding sulphates to the superphosphate dressings for transforming desert land into fertile plains a large number of new “landseekers" have arrived equipped with high-powered tractors and massive ploughs. They are hastening to take up holdings in the desert. With the certain knowledge that a mere handful or two of copper and zinc sulphates added to superphosphate dressings will turn bad soil into good, they are eagerly planning settlement. The “ Ninety-mile Desert ” sprawls over 10,000 square miles from Lake Albert in the west, across the border into Victoria.

The story of one settler, Mr R. L. Bruce, is typical of others. Five years ago he took up 3000 acres of scrub in the southern portion of the “ Nine.ty-mile Desert." He had very little capital, and only a horse-team to work with. Now, he has 1700 acres in production, and one paddock of 240 acres is carrying 3£ sheep to the acre. Over four years this paddock was dressed with a total of scwt of superphosphate. Last year, he applied 71b of copper sulphate together with 71b of zinc sulphate to each acre. Research workers believe that the effect of the copper and zinc will last at least three years. They also think even smaller quantities would have sufficed. Mr Bruce thinks that within three years his entire property will be carrying at least two sheep to the acre. He estimates the cost of reaching that stage at £5 10s an acre, including the purchase price of the leasehold. Two wheat crops during the establishment period yielded a return of £6 an acre.

On a charge of not keeping to the left of the roadway Samuel Cuthbert Gourley (Mr W. J. Meade) was fined £2 10s with costs (10s) in the City Police Court yesterday by Mr J, D. Willis, S.M. The case arose from a collision on the SeacliffWarrington road on October 15 between a mortuary van driven by Gourley and a car.