A Farmer’s Notebook BUILDING UP OF FERTILITY

Southland Times, Issue 23888, 5 August 1939, Page 18

A Farmer’s Notebook BUILDING UP OF FERTILITY

Methods Outlined By Mr Bruce Levy WAIWERA FARMER’S SUCCESS EDUCATIVE VALUE OF COMPETITIONS Past experience has shown that farmers who have practised top-dress-ing regularly each year—slumps and high price periods alike—have « maintained financial stability with very little worry in comparison with those ,who neglected or were unable to on with annual application of fertilizers to pasture lands.

These remarks were made during the week at Balclutha at a special meeting of the Otago Pasture Competition Committee, when numerous cups and certificates were presented to the owners of the prize-winning pastures in South Otago. The occasion was a memorable one because of the outstanding illustrated address given by Mr Bruce Levy, Department of Agriculture, and also for the reason that the champion pasture of the whole of the Otago province is this year located at Waiwera on the property of Mr J. A. Anderson. The attendance was a very representative one and included visitors from Invercargill, Gore and Dunedin- districts. Pasture development, the selection and building up of strains of highproducing grasses and clovers has been the life-long work of Mr Bruce Levy, and the success attained by him has brought him recognition as an eminent authority on pasture problems in all the leading grassland countries in the world. With the aid of a comprehensive series of photographs taken in England, Scotland, Wales, Denmark, Holland, Germany, France and Sweden, Mr Levy gave a vivid description of pasture treatments overseas as seen during his investigations last year. USING THE GRAZING ANIMAL A noteworthy feature of the address was the section dealing with the upkeep of fertility and the important part played by the grazing animal in that connection.. . . Contrasting methods of maintaining fertility in the older countries of northern Europe with those in New Zealand, reference was made to the housing and stall-feeding of stock during the long and severe winter in England. The buildings required for this purpose represented from 50 to 70 per cent, of the total capital value of the farms. Winter fodder in large quantities had to be carted to one point and the residues of the hay, straw and roots, supplemented with concentrates were converted into a huge mass of dung which represented the humus, and life blood of the farm’s soil. The return of the vital farmyard manure was a laborious operation, and the work was plainly illustrated by a number of photographs taken in the fields of an English farm. Artificial fertilizers were also applied in large quantities and 10 cwt. to the acre was a common practice. The speaker emphasized that without the aid of soil organisms and humus in the farmyard manure results from artificial fertilizers were limited to a very great extent. SYSTEM IN NEW ZEALAND As soil organisms and humus were ' also of vital importance in connection with the maintenance and building up of soil fertility in New Zealand, it was interesting to compare methods adopted in this country. Many people contend that eventually farmers in this young country will be forced to adopt rebuilding of soils by medium of farmyard manure. Mr Levy contended that correct utilization of stock under good grazing management had made full use of animal excreta, and had raised the standard of fertility to a very high level on many farms in New Zealand; also, that this had been accomplished at a very low cost in comparison with the methods forced on the British farms by virtue of severe climatic conditions.

The efficiency of English methods was shown in a photograph of a Kentish field that had grown 101 successive crops of potatoes and recent yields had been most satisfactory. Full utilization of stock for soil building in New Zealand lay through the exploitation of artificial fertilizers and lime. Sufficient of it had to be applied to ensure vigorous growing pastures with powers of quick recovery after grazing. High quality pasture plants were unnecessary to make the most effective use of the adequate supplies of plant food available. The result of all this was a high concentration of stock on each acre; either six sheep or a dairy cow was a standard reached by many. The return of animal droppings then supplied sufficient quantities of nitrogen and humus to enable soils to gradually build up further reserves of fertility. SOUTHLAND ILLUSTRATIONS Evidence of the correctness of Mr Levy’s statement is to be found on many paddocks in Southland. Inspection of land carrying a dairy cow or six sheep to the acre shows that difference in the dark green colour and growth on the droppings patches and the main area of the field, can hardly be distinguished during the main growing periods of the year. In the course of a few seasons practically the whole area has had several coatings of animal manure and a high degree of evenness in fertility has been secured. The contrast in paddocks lacking adequate supplies of phosphates and lime is most striking; dark green strongly growing clumps of grasses show up against the background of yellowish green. Insufficient general growth results in a stock-carrying capacity of perhaps only two to three sheep to the acre, or one cow to two and ahalf acres, and the concentration of stock is too low to provide the neces-

sary quantity of dung and urine to provide the essential even coating or nitrogen and humus. The principle of applying sufficient fertilizer to obtain quickly sufficient pasture growth to maintain a high stock-carrying capacity is an aspect of farm economics that merits the full-time consideration of all farmers. Pasture competitions in Otago have been in progress for a number of years and have been the nteans of directing keen discussion upon the underlying methods necessary for the production of outstandingly profitable pastures. The champion pasture of Otago on Mr J. A. Anderson’s farm at Waiwera was originally typical browntop country. The owner attributed his success to the sowing of certified perennial' ryegrass and good white clover, in conjunction with regular topdressing with superphosphate and lime. Last, year the champion pasture was an irrigated one in the Alexandra district of Central Otago, and it says a great deal for the possibilities of the typical browntop country of Otago and Southland when it can be brought to a condition where the pasture can more than successfully compete in open competition with the finest irrigated pastures of Central Otago. Mr Anderson has merited the congratulations offered to him on his success and has done much to focus attention .upon correct and profitable treatment of the browntop lands that exist in such large areas in the south.