SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE

Taranaki Daily News, 14 December 1926, Page 14

SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE

TOP-DRESSING OF PASTURES EXPERIMENTS AT HIGH SCHOOL. VALUABLE results obtained. Begun about two years ago on the New Plymouth Boys’ High School experimental agricultural plots, a valuable test with various top-dressings. for pasture was recently concluded. The experiments, which were carried out under the supervision of the school agricultural master (Mr. J. W. Connell), showed that the best results were obtained with a top-dressing of slag and potash. The aims of the experiment were:—• (a) To determine the best source of phosphoric acid; (b) to find out whether potash is necessary or not; (c) to find out whether lime is valuable or not. An area of land six chains long and 1 1-3 chains wide was used for the purpose of the trial, and was divided into eight strips, seven of which received different phosphate manures, while the eighth (the control) received none. Each of the strips was in turn divided into four plots. Sixteen of the plots received, in addition, a dressing of ground limestone, and sixteen received a dressing of potash. The manures were applied in July, 1925. In December, 1925, the plots were cut for hay and weighed when it was found that: (a) AU the phosphates gave an increased yield; (b) the best individual plot had received slag and potash; (c) the limestone did not give an increased yield; (d) the potash gave a slightly increased yield. During 1926 no manures were applied, the object being to find out the effect ot the manures that were applied in 1925. The area was again shut up for hay last September, and recently was cut ana weighed, the weights being calculated in tons per acre of green material. Following are the figures for the 1926 cut: Yield. Plot. Manure. Tons. Cm, 1 Superphosphate and lime .. 17 6 2 Superphosphate and lime

The following conclusions may be drawn from the 1926 growth:—(a) The best individual plot was again, as In 1925, the one that received dressings of slag and potash; (b) the superphosphate strip (plots 1,2, 3, and 4) showed the greatest increase over last year’s figures; (c) the limed area showed an increase over the unlimed area, c.g., an increase of 15cwt per acre; (d) the area that received potash showed an increase of 9cwt per acre over the area that did did not receive potash; (e) all the phosphates gave an increase in growth over that of the control plot. The results of the application of phosphates mav be shown thus:— 1 ’ Yield. 1926. 1925.

and potash 17 10 3 Superphosphate and potash 15 12 4 Superphosphate 14 10 0 Slag and lime 14 7 6 Slag and lime and potash t (k 13 12 7 Slag and potash v.. 18 7 Slag 14 9 Basic super and lime 15 13 10 Basic super and lime and potash 17 10 11 Basic super and potash .... Id 6 12 Basic super 13 12 13 Bone and lime 14 5 14 Bone and lime and potash .. 12 7 15 Bone and potash 14 1 16 12 8 18 Nauru phosphate and lime and potash 12 IS 19 Nauru phosphate and potash 12 11 •20 Nauru phosphate 13 6 21 Ephos and lime 15 It 22 Ephos and lime and potash 13 1’4 23 Ephos and potash 10 7 24 Ephos 13 5 25 Guano and lime 10 4 26 Guano and lime and potash 11 18 Guano and potash 10 4 28 12 11 29 Lime 10 12 30 12 11 31 12 2 32 Control (no manure) 8 13

Strip me a sured with: TonsCwt.TonsCwt Superphosphate .... . 18 4 12 1 2 14 7 Basic superphosphate . 15 . 13 10 13 8 5 11 8 Nauru phosphate . . 12 1G 14 3 Ephos Guano . 13 . 11 3 6 12 11 13 14