AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 July 1929, Page 24

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENTS

KATERE AREA COMMITTEE. A meeting of the experimental area committee of the Taranaki Agricultural Society was held yesterday. The programme to be adopted during the coming season includes top-dressing on the Katere experimental area. Those present were: Messrs. H. C. Sampson (chairman), J. Allen, J. T. Goodrick, T. Wilson, W. B. Grant, R. J .Ridling, and J. R. Gudrop. The proposals agreed to were as follows : — Paddock No. I.—Levy’s plots sown March, 1928. These will be top-dreseed according to schedule at the department’s expense. Paddock la. —At the back of No. 1 but not across the creek. Last year this was dressed with slag and supei (half and half) and cross-dressed with 6 -lphate ammonia and nitro-chalk. It is proposed this year to dress with supei and slag as last year and cross-dress with ammonia, nitro-chalk, urea, nitrophoska, diamophos, and leunaphos, all of which will be supplied free. Paddock lb. —Across the creek. Proposed this year to dress this with super and slag, varying the amounts from 2cwt. up to lOcwt. (2cwt., 4cwt., Gcwt Bcwt., and lOcwt. dressings). Paddock 2. —Levy’s plots sown last March with ryegrass strains. Paddock 3.—This is the original topdressing trial which will be continued for the period of the lease with the same manures. Por this season it wit be as well to drop the carbonate <i lime dressings. There will be a furt!;* - I trial in an endeavour to introduce fresh grasses after severe harrowing or discing in a strip right across all manure strips. For comparative purposes this will be sown down in the spring, and a similar one in the autumn. On an approximate area of three-quarters of an acre the following mixture will be used: Perennial rye, 101 b.; cowgrass, 31b.; white clover, 31b.; dogstail, 11b. It was reported that the swedes, mangolds and carrots grown on the area had been sold at a substantial price to Mr. Sarten, to whom a vote of thanks was accorded for the generous way in which he had treated the committee. In the meantime the swede paddock will be held over pending the feeding off of the swedes.

A recommendation was carried that the finance committee should he asked to sanction the purchase of a distributor. As a shed would have to be built it was decided to ascertain the cost.