MANURING IN AUSTRALIA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 750, 24 August 1929, Page 31

MANURING IN AUSTRALIA

GROWTH OF PRACTICE In the past year the average of grazing land top-dressed with superphosphate -in New South Wales was more than doubled. ... ~ The Government Statistician there, states Dalgety’s “Review,” showed that in the 1326-27 season the area of pasture treated did not exceed 13,003 acres. In 1327-28, however, this was increased to 40,296 acres. The State agrostologist, Mr. J. N. Whittet, points out that figures relating to top-dressed areas hail never been collected by the statistician prior to 1926-27, very little interest having been taken previously by landholders in pasture improvement. Now that the need for better pastures and increased carrying capacity had been realised and interest had been created among farmers and graziers, the collection of the figures by the statistician had become essential. The agrostologist anticipates that a far greater area of grazing country will be treated this season. He points out that although the work should have already been completed it is not yet too late for pastures to derive considerable benefit from the application of lewt of super, to the acre. It is interesting to note that in New Zealand, where statistics of this nature were also first collected in 1926-27, the area treated with superphosphates in 1927-28, was 1,369.050 acres, while including all manures, 1.952.490 acres were treated in the Dominion that year. LIME-DEFICIENT LAND ASSISTANCE FOR SETTLERS (From Our Own Correspondentj TE KUITI, Thursday. Th© Director of Agriculture, Dr. C. J. Reakes, has advised Mr. W. J. Broadfoot. M.P.. that the Treasury has approved of the general purposes and relief fund being utilised to provide lime and manure to the settlers in the lime-deficient areas of the Mairoa and Waitanguru districts. This should prove a boon to farmers in the above localities, as experiments which have been conducted ovei a lengthy period. proved that the deficiency of lime in the soil was the principal reason for deterioration in the pastures over a large area in the Mairoa and Waitanguru districts. Details of the scheme are now being formulated by the Director of Agriculture. and these will be published when completed.