TOP-DRESSING

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17154, 2 October 1926, Page 15

TOP-DRESSING

ITS VALUE PROVED LOCAL FARMER’S EXPERIENCE 11, I,.I;; writ bee n said that I In; practical farmer's only short cut to prosperity Jit the present time ties through the judicious use of fertilisers, and the consequent increase in production which he is able to procure. That tins is correct is being ascertained' by many farmers in this district, and more and more they are coming to a. realisation that the productivity of the land in Poverty Bay can only he maintained with the aid of top-dressing. Luring the last two years there lias been a. great- increase in this practieo locally, and although, in all imdances farmers have not secured the best results, those who have had partial failures realise, in the majority of instances, that the failure, was due to the adoption of wrong methods rather than to any inherent defects in. the fertiliser itself. OX HILL COUNTRY. It- stands to reason that hill country cannot continuously graze large mobs of sheep and cattle without deteriorating, to some extent, and the measure of the deterioration which has occurred in this district, can best be ganged by the records of large stations. 'These show that over a. period of years the productivity of the land has been gradually going down, and that- land that would formerly winter two ewes to the aero will now winter only one and a half, and then, in some cases, not do them as well as two could formerly be done. Thai being the ease it is necessary to induce greater production through the use of fertilisers. The practice of top-dressing hill country has not by any means become genera! in this district, hut every month added numbers of farmers are giving the matter their attention. Some fanners have already conducted experiments along the light- lines, while others arc watching' the efforts of their neighbors to see what type of top-dresser will give them the best results. It can safely he said eight out of ten hill country farmers are closely watching the progress of top-dressing in this district. ACTUAL RESULTS. The experience of a farmer who lives close bandy to Gisborne and who, last season, too-dressed over 100 acres of his hill country will be of interest to those who are considering purchasing manure. He top-dressed! the land with three hundredweight of superphosphate to the acre, this being supplier! just prior to the long dry spell that was experienced throughout the greater part of lastseason. The results were regarded as being of a- mast disappointing nature, for there was little, if any, appreciable increase in production last- year. For many months after the superphosphate was applied; there was no sign of any benefit, and the farmer was convinced that his money had! been practically thrown away. Ho realised, of course, that the principal reason for the failure lay in the lack of rainfall, but despite this did not think that he was getting any return. A pleasant surprise, however, was in store for him, for this year, after the winter rains, the feed began to shoot away, with the result that he is now hardly able to keep it down. At times as ninny as four sheep to Iho acre have been put on this land, and at the present time it is in perfect .'condition. The farmer concerned is keeping a close record of tlie benefit accruing through top-dressing, and at the end of the season the result will he published. The top-dressing worked out at 22s 6d an acre, this including the cost of distribution and packing to the paddocks. As tlie area concerned is a fairly largo one, the results will be of the greatest interest to all those who are giving their attention to the question.