ON THE LAND

Taranaki Daily News, 16 April 1932, Page 24 (Supplement)

ON THE LAND

BASIC SLAG.

BASIS OF VALUE. Sir ’E. J. Russell, director of the Rothamsted Experimental Station, in his latest work on artificial fertilisers, deals at length with the experiments with basic slag. It has been proved that high soluble slags .owe their value chiefly to the soluble phosphorus compounds, but also to the calcium compounds producing the lime effect, and that the low-soluble slags owe their value chiefly to the calcium compounds and to the soluble phosphorus present or formed by decomposition in the soil. The experiments at Rotham sted are in accordance with this view. They show that highsoluble slags produce a phosphatic effect at once and that low-soluble slags do not, though they begin to act after a time. ■ < ■

‘■’On grassland that is not too acid or too wet,” writes Sir John, “high-soluble slag increases the growth of clover, especially of wild white clover, provided other conditions allow. It may also increase the growth of thistles and of grass. It breaks up the mat of dead vegetation by facilitating decomposition and thus allows rain-water to percmate through the soil more easily. The effect is greatly influenced by the use to which the grass is put. “Experiments carried out by the Agricultural Education Association at various centres throughout England and Wales showed that in the first year the high-soluble slag comes out best and, on good land, much the best. In the second and following years the low-soluble slag is improved in effectiveness at the centres where yields were good and in the fourth year the increments were almost as good as those given by the highsoluble slag, though the total gain during the four years was far less. The mineral phosphate also did better in the fourth year than in the second and third, but its total effect remained below that of the low-soluble slag. “The general result is that the highsoluble slag begins to give the return at once and its. action continues. The low-soluble slag and the mineral phosphate take- longer to begin.- After a time they act fairly well on some soils, but even at the end of four years they have not given the same total increase as the high-soluble slag. “The addition of slag to pasture land often results’in a striking improvement, especially in the growth of clover; so striking, indeed, that in the early days it was often believed that the slag brought in the clover seeds. It is much more difficult, however, to measure the improvement on grazing land than on hay land. The Cockle Park method of weighing animals at the beginning and at the end of a 'specified period is admirable for demonstration purposes where the difference between the slagged and the untreated plots is considerable, but it fails where the differences are smaller, because it can take no account of the selective grazing of the herbage, or of the grass consumed for maintenance, or of the difference between individual animals. Sheep are used as the grazing because they are small and a large number can be put on to the plots, but unfortunately they cannot cope with grass that has grown more than a few inches high. “Mixed grazing with sheep and cattle keeps the herbage satisfactory, but introduces -great difficulties into the experiment, because of the large area of land needed, one bullock requiring about as much land as six sheep. Smaller animals than sheep might be. used. For example, one sheep is equivalent to about three geese. A simpler method is to leave the plots unfenced and accessible to all the animals and then closely watch the herbage and the choice exercised by the animals. - This gives information as to palatability and is useful in the hands of a competent, unbiased observer using ecological methods of herbage analysis. “A third method is to fence in the grass, thus protecting it from the animals, but to cut it frequently by a mowing machine, and to weigh and analyse the cuttings. This method has the. advantage of giving quantitative results, but the disadvantage that mowing is not quite the same as grazing. None of these methods is as accurate or as trustworthy as those used for hay or for arable crops. Attempts are being made at Rothamsted to improve the grazing method and to give it quantitative significance. “Loams on which grass and clover already grow well may show little response. Much depends on the efficiency of the grazing. If the grass is kept closely eaten down, by cattle and sheep grazing together, slag may increase the yield of meat or milk, but if it is allowed to grow and is grazed by sheep only, it may pass beyond the stage at which the animals thrive upon it. Unless the grazing is adequately done, slag may do more harm than good on this type of land. “Clay land usually responds to slag better than does any other. The most spectacular improvement is on wet, sour clay land, only sparsely populated with vegetation, so that there is much unoccupied surface—in particular land that is carrying little or no clover, but a relatively large amount of bent grass, which dies and goes brown in the autumn. ■ Such is the land of Cockle Park and much of the Boulder clay of the Midlands of England. Addition of slag causes a remarkable spread of clover, usually the wild white variety (Trifolium repens), which rapidly colonises the unoccupied land and which, by enriching the soil in nitrogen and in humus, favours the developmeilt of useful grasses. The improvement is striking; it is at least as good as can be obtained by cake-feeding and is much cheaper. On very acid soils or very wet soils, a mat of dead vegetation is apt to form and render colonisation by clover impossible. Slag cannot then act until the excess of water is removed, the acidity neutralised and the mat destroyed so that the bare earth is exposed.” “THE LATEST NEWS.” A STORY ABOUT BUTTER. It is an old saying that one has to go from home to hear news. Here is a very interesting statement from an English paper:—“New Zealand butter is made from graded and pasteurised cream, so as to give it the keeping qualities to stand the journey of 13,000 miles from the Dominion. West Country butter is made from fresh cream, and consequently is fuller flavoured than the New Zealand butter. New Zealand agriculturists have now discovered a special starter which starts the setting of the cream and imparts to the butter the same flavour as the West Country butter. The new Dominion product will, therefore, have West Country flavour at the low Dominion price. It has been introduced primarily to compete with the full-flavoured Danish butter in the North, but it may seriously challenge, on and' Cornish butter also,”

LAMB RAISING TESTS. A USTR AL lAN EXT.ER IM EN TS. (. The fat lamb experiments carried out each season at the Cowra Experimental Farm, New South Wales, last year included the use of Southdown rams for the first time. The other rams tested were Rycdale and Dorset Horns. As on previous occasions, the ewe flocks comprised Merinos, comebacks and crossbreds, and rams at the rate of 2.) percent. were joined to an equal number of each. The season, generally speaking, was excellent, . but excessive rains during the early portion of the year caused the lambs to lose their bloom and sappy appearance. The percentage of lambs dropped in the different sections was as follows: — Southdown, 96.1; Ryeland, 80.9; Dorset Horn, 72.6. In commenting on this Mr. J. M. Coleman, senior sheep and wool instructor, says: —‘“This is the first occasion the Southdown has contested against the Dorset Horn and Ryeland in departmental trials and possibly it is a little premature to give too much prominence, although 16 per cent, appears too great a margin to be just governed by a set of circumstances.” Owing to the shortage of sheep within the department and the necessity to retain the lambs for ration purposes they were not forwarded to market as is usually done. For the purpose of the experiment Mr. Coleman on 'September 23 drafted each section of lambs and valued them on the basis of prices then

ruling at Flemington. These were: — Southdown. —’With Merino Us a head, comeback 12s 6d, with crossbred 12s 9d, 12s 6d. Ryeland. —With Merino Us 9d, with comeback l'2s 6d, with crossbred 12s 9d. Dorset Horn.—With Merino Ils 6d, with comeback 12s 6d, with crossbred 13s 3d. A table has been prepared showing the return from each ewe in the experiment based on. the valuation stated, but excluding wool returns. The average return per ewe mated to each breed of ram was as follows: — Southdown.—With Merino 8s 3d, With comeback 12s 2d, with crossbred 12s, an average of ..Ils "2d. Ryeland.—With Merino 8s 2d, with comeback 10s od, with crossbred lbs lOd, an average of 9s lOd. Dorset Horn.—With Merino 7s Sd, with comeback 8s 4d, with crossbred 11s, an average of 0s Id. PIG INDUSTRY IN SWEDEN. PRACTICAL FOOD TESTS. The Swedish authorities are circulating in Britain an attractive illustrated booklet on “The Pig Industry and Bacon Curing in Sweden.” The book shows how the pig breeding industry has been developed in Sweden, and how the type of pig has been improved by tackling the problem in an organised manner. In 1925 there were 783 pigbreeding associations in the country, and between 1918 and 1925 the annua) production of bacon and pork advanced from 132,700 tons to 150,000 tons. The predominant breed of bacon pigs in Sweden is the native breed, which has been greatly improved by crossing with the Large White Yorkshire. The breed that comes second in importance is the Swedish Landrace, which is closely related to the Danish Landrace. Since 1908 the,Animal Husbandry Department of the Agricultural Experimental Station has been applying extensive practical tests to the influence of different goods on the rate of gain and on the quality of the flesh. The aim of the work'is to breed pigs of first rate quality for the production of bacon, and the experiments have advanced so far that the two breeds —Large White and Swedish Landrace —are nearly equal, and have both reached a high degree of perfection.

MINERAL DEFICIENCY.

LOSS OF LIME WHILE MILKING.

Under favourable conditions the dairy cow normally Joses lime while she is milking and gains lime late in the period of lactation and when she is dry. There is an exaggerated impulse, says Mr. Forbes, of an American Institute of Animal Nutrition, of the improved cow to secrete milk and a limited ability to assimilate lime, and the cause of this limited ability to assimilate lime has not been determined. He emphasises the fact that during the off season the feeding should be sufficiently liberal to permit the building up of extensive reserves of mineral nutriment to protect

the cow’s vitality and enable her to produce to her maximum capacity in the subsequent season. This indicates the need of liberal liming of the land, and where this has not been done the liberal use at the present time of lime (ordinary ground limestone) in the water and the provision of mineral licks. This American authority recommends that cows be given free access in the off season to a mixture of one part of salt and four parts of steamed bone flour.

DISEASES IN CATTLE.

AUSTRALIAN INESTIGATION.

A more extensive investigation of cattle diseases in Australia has been decided upon as the result of a conference held by representatives of Australian States at the Sydney Royal Show grounds. It was decided to form a Commonwealth committee to investigate and discover remedies for diseases which cause considerable losses among dairy cattle every year. Dr. Kinross, of New South Wales, who presided, said that last year a committee which had been appointed had done a large amount of pioneering work; but there was still much to be done from a Commonwealth point of view. It had been realised by the New South Wales branch that greater good would be done if the knowledge that had already been acquired regarding diseases in cattle were extended to the other States, especially if the States could be induced to co-operate. Valuable research, work had been done at Glenfield and by veterinary experts. The aid of scientists to the dairy-farmer was most valuable, and while farmers themselves were doing much to improve their herds, it was necessary that scientific assistance should be given. Two diseases that were worrying producers were contagious abortion and mammitis, and here was a field in which science could do much. He expressed satisfaction with the encouragement given by the various societies, and ventured the hope that a strong committee of two representatives each from New , South Wales and the other States would be formed to thoroughly investigate the diseases mentioned.

A committee of representatives was appointed as a step toward forming an organisation to investigate diseases in dairy cattle,