MORE FERTILISERS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19123, 18 September 1936, Page 4

MORE FERTILISERS

A LARGE INCREASE BACK TO PRE-SLUMP WHERE FARMERS ERR (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. ’Die artificial fertilisers carried by rail for the 12 months ended March 31, 1936, were 38,309 tons more than in the previous 12 months. Figures for recent years are :

In 1929-30, the Dominion total was 691.604 lons and in 1930-31 563,491 tons. The agricultural lime carried by rail during the year ended March 31, 1936, was 1520 tons greater than in the previous year—the smallest atiniml increase recorded in recent years. The quantities, in tons, of agricultural lime carried annually by rail since March 1, 1930, are North .South Total for Island Island Dominion Tons Tons Tons

The above figures arc presented by the Director-General of Agriculture, Mr. A. H. Cockayne, in the annual report of the department presented to the House of Representatives last night.

EXTENT OF INVESTIGATIONS

“The extent of the fertiliser investigations carried out by the Fields Division, the report continues, “may be gauged partly by the fact that at March 31, 1936, 510 fertiliser trials were in progress. These comprised 466 devoted to pastures and 44 devoted to lucerne and annual crops, and included 160 which were laid down in the year under review.

“The survev of the response of grassland to fertilisers which has been, continued from previous years, and which is to be continued in the future, accounts for half of all the fertiliser trials. A main objective is to ascertain the role of potash and lime in association with phosphates, and latterly trials have been laid down for the purpose of throwing light on the relative merits of various phosphat.ic fertilisers, including ‘Haskett’ slag. “The trials show that, general}', attractive results are obtainable from phosphates, and that at time lime alone, at other times potash alone, and at still other times both lime and potash,, may advantageously be used in association with phosphates. From such evidence it seems likely that some farmers err by not spending money on lime, while others err by snendinp money on lime, and that a parallel position obtains in regard to the use of potash. FERTILISER? 1/PRACTICE “It seems also from the experimental work under review that fertiliser practice should be based mainly on the information resulting from trials and observation in the field, instead of on generalised or traditional considerations such as may arise from attaching undue weight to what lias happened under different circumstances or what has been taught in other times or places. Some of the views expressed at times about lime and also about superphosphate well exemplify the need of adjusting views to current knowledge relative to local circumstances.

“There is much gratifying evidence that the results of fertiliser trials carried out by the Fields Division over a period are widely influencing farm practice—the manuring of pastures and cereals are striking instances—but, at the same time, there is some ovidence that at times fertiliser practice so fails to accord with the best available knowledge that the farmer’s purse suffers gravely.”

North South DoIsland Island minion Tons Tons Tons 1931-32 .. 435,237 134.907 570,144 1932-33 ... 463,603 149,847 613,450 1933-34 ... 394,156 158,077 552,223 1934-35 ... 471,876 154,145 626,021 1935-36 ... 493,222 171,108 664,330

1930-31 ... 72.678 83,168 155,846 1931-32 ... 70,570 69,766 140,336 1932-33 ... 04,701 79,713 177.117 1933-34 ... 99.919 94,068 193,987 1934-35 ... 116,482 128,256 244,738 1935-36 ... 106,872 139,386 246,258