THE TRUE VALUE OF A FERTILISER

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1929, Page 23

THE TRUE VALUE OF A FERTILISER

PROVIDING AGAINST DRY SPELLS. TO INCREASE PRODUCTION. Although it is now mid-winter and rainfall is even too abundant, consideration must now be given to the provision of ample pasturage for mid-sum-mer, when short, sharp periods of dry weather are not infrequent. In this connection it is to be remembered that plants live by drawing from the soil the water containing mineral matter in /cry dilute solution. This water passes up through the plant to the leaves,where some of the water and the mineral matter is used in the manufacture of starch, sugar and proteins—the foods used by stock. The surplus water not required for these purposes passes out of the loaves into the atmosphere. This loss of surplus moisture by the plant is termed transpiration. On a fine day a crop of cabbages will transpire as much as two tons of water per acre. Likewise a pasture in mid-summer transpires into the atmosphere very large amounts of water daily. EXPERIMENTS WITH WHEAT. Investigators found that the crops varied in the amount of water transp.rcd compared with the amount of dry foodstuff matter manufactured. Tins has been termed the transpiration ratio. In tiie early ’9o’s in South Australia experiments were made with wheat to ascertain the effect of superphosphate on the transpiration ratio. It was found that whereas without superphos phate, wheat required about 1400 parts of water to make 1 part foodstuff; with superphosphate at the rate of 561 b. per acre the plants required only about 800 parts of water. Thus, with a small amount of superphosphate, wheat was enabled to produce nearly twice as much food as without superphosphate for the same amount of soil water. BU TTERFAT-PR O DUCING .PASTURES.

The same principle holds good with pastures. Those pastures receiving a dressing of superphosphate will require less water for each pound of dry- food matter manufactured by the plants. This can be expressed iu another way by saying that the use of superphosphate as a top-dressing for pastures will result in a greater yield of dry food matter during periods of drought. That this is so was amply demonstrated two seasons ago, when through the somewhat prolonged period of dry weather those pastures top-dressed with superphosphate continued to yield herbage which showed a remarkable capacity for the production of butter-fat.

through the medium of private treaty. Messrs. Newton King had a fair entry at their Ohura and Douglas sales on July 4 and July 8 respectively, and the prices ruling Avere: Mixed aged ewes in-lamb to Romney rams, 38s Id; 4 and 5-year-old ewes in-lamb to Romney rams, 34s Cd to 35s 6d; full-mouth ewes, small and low in condition, 31s 6d; mixed sex hoggets, fair quality, 25s 3d to 26s 9(1; small, 24s 3d; 2 and 4-tooth wethers, good conditioned, 31s 6d to 33s 6d; 2tooth wethers, small, 28s Id. The prices ruling for the sales' that have been effected by private treaty compare favourably with these. The offerings of store cattle at fortnightly sales consist largely of store and forward cows. Works buyers aie operating freely on this class and full clearances of the numbers that are submitted are being effected at prices equal to those last weex.

Fair numbers of weaner heifers are being submitted, but few lines of top quality are being included in the offerings. There is undoubtedly a shortage of cattle of good quality of this class, which is resulting in the medium sorts being subject to spirited competition, and ready sales are being effected at prices pleasing to vendors. Of course there are numbers of top quality cattle that have not yet been quoted by breeders, and in a number of cases sales of these are being effected through the medium of private treaty at prices in advance to those ruling at this period last year. Prices ruling are: Best quality fawn cattle, £7 to £7 10s; good sorts, £8 to £8 10s; medium sorts, £5 to £5 10s; small and mixed coloured, £3 to £4 ss.

A shortage of male cattle is also in evidence, and prospective buyers are experiencing some difficulty in fulfilling their requirements, with the result that few sales of this class'are being effected. Good benches of buyers are still in evidence at clearing sales, and good prices are the order of the day. Good numbers of dairy cattle are being offered at fortnightly fixtures, and when anything possessing quality comes under the hammer, keen competition is in evidence. In most cases the prices ruling throughout the sales are steady and sales are being made at prices pleasing to vendors. In-calf heifers are in strong demand, 'both in Taranaki and from outside districts, and ready sales are being effected at prices equal to late quotations. Fair yardings of pigs are being offered and are meeting with a ready sale at prices in advance to those last week. Prices ruling are: Largo stores, 27s to 28s; smaller sorts, 22s to 245; best slips, 10b to I8s; good weaners, 12s to 14s; other weaners, 7b to 10s, ■- „ . , • ‘ ’<•