SIDELIGHT OF CLAY SOILS

Taranaki Daily News, 18 November 1933, Page 12 (Supplement)

SIDELIGHT OF CLAY SOILS

CHARACTER SHOULD BE REALISED.

WHAT THE FARMER SHOULD KNOW. (By C. E. Cuming.) The soil is the foundation of all agricultural knowledge, and if he is to make the most economical and effective, use of the particular soil or soils of his farm, the farmer- must know something about it, even about its very origin, which provides the key to its character and to the treatment to which it should respond. If we are to get a full understanding of the soil we must learn to regard it as a constantly changing body. At first there was but rock substance. Chemical and physical processes acting upon it have produced the soil as we know it but these processes have not ceased. They are still operating within the soil. It will readily be seen that the type of chemical process naturally operating in the soil is of ’ importance to the farmer in tire application of fertilisers and generally in managing his soils to the best advantage. Recently officers of the geological survey branch of the Research Department did some valuable work which throws considerable light on the soils in the northern section of the King Country. Tire soils studied are derived from the volcanic ash beds which cover most of that territory. The ash beds are of two kinds (a) those which have formed from a tremendous volcanic explosion which covered the surrounding country with a thick mantle of asn, and (b) those which •have accumulated slowly from fine dust carried through the air from volcanoes of a quieter trype. The soil forming processes must necessarily be different in these two types of beds. In passing, it may be interesting to note the age of these volcanic soils. The soil forming volcanic ash, which covers the country from Otorohanga westward to the sea, is geologically very young, for at Pio Pio, near the Mokau River, it has worn down its bed only 20ft. since it was deposited. Yet it is older than the soils of the Waikato Plains, for when the ash was being deposited the Waikato River was flowing through the Hinuera country to the Firth of Thames and the country around Hamilton consisted of low rolling hills and valleys, the tops of which still show above the plain to-day. Interesting differences were discovered in the soil forming processes in the soils of the area. Some of the soils were found to be constantly losing iron and alumina, and . becoming progressively richer in silica. This is the usual soilforming process in temperate climates. Others were found to be losing silica, and becoming progressively richer in alumina, a process which has usually been associated with tropical conditions. A study of the soil clay shows the economic importance of these purely scientific inquiries. In soils from which alumina is being leached, the clayey part contains at least twice as many molecules of silica as alumina, whereas in soils from which silica is being leached the ratio of silica to alumina is lower, less than two molecules of silica being present for each molecule of alumina. The pumice soils near Kopaki are an instance of the first type, and the brown loams near Otorohanga an instance of the second type. Now take the case of a superphosphate top-dressing. Active alumina is known to be able to combine with soluble phosphates and to convert them into a relatively insoluble phosphate of alumina. In order to see whether these soils acted differently towards phosphates, a solution of superphosphate in water was added to weighed amounts of a few soils of similar texture and the quantity of phosphate removed from the solution by the soil measured. The results are as

The soil at Mairoa is interesting in that the top 3in. of the soil contains only half as much alumina as the next 3in., and twice as much silica. The top 3in. absorbed 38.7 per cent, of phosphate, whereas the second 3in. absorbed 96.1 per cent. Obviously the top-dressing of a ploughed field on such a soil is a different proposition from top-dressing a surface sown one. ... From this it is clearly seen that further scientific work into the reaction of soil clay and phosphate manures is likely to be of importance, especially when it is remembered that most of the phosphate applied by the farmer is either not removed from the soil or is returned to it in the form of animal droppings. This work has not yielded any practical solution of the difficulty. It has, however, demonstrated the point that on many soils we are not getting the best possible returns from our phosphate manures and has given some inkling of wherein the cause of this Iles. It is but a stepping stone on which future scientific workers can build. This is the way in which all scientific knowledge advances. Palatability. A man who has found that there Is a big advantage in complete fertilisation is Mr. H. E. T. Johnson, of Keri Keri, Bay of Islands,' and he was converted io this sound view by the greatly increased palatability of a field to which he applied potash. He applied the potash to five acres and when the cows were put on adjoining fields to which slag and super alone had been applied they used to put their heads through the fence to try and get a bite from the potash treated field, which was eaten close down, though there was excellent feed in the fields they were in. He now intends to completely fertilise all his farm. Jersey Island Blood. A Jersey cow imported to Canada from the Island of Jersey has just established the world’s record for its breed. . Its name is Brampton Basilua (a splendidly made and very typey cow), and her record is 19,0121 b. of milk and 13131 b. of fat in 365 days. In her best month she produced 1946.31 b. of milk and 136.21 b. of fat. Her sire is Estella's Volunteer, and it is interesting to note that there are two of his daughters in New Zealand, one owned by Mr. Jagger, of Auckland, and one by Mr. E. Griffiths of New Plymouth. Brampton Basilua is not a highly strung, nervous cow. Visitors did not trouble her. She varied only 311 b. in the last five months of her test. She is a “big little cow” with dairy quality all over. Do We Want Island Blood ?

The great Canadian record conveys a big lesson to New Zealand breeders. There are those who consider that fresh Jersey blood must be periodically imported from the Island, there are others who contend that"the blood al-

ready in the country is so good that it requires no fresh infusion from Jersey Island. The latter school would have reason on their side were the best cows of the breed in this country mated to the best bulls and if the culling of pedigree stock were as drastic as it should be. There are too few New Zealand breeders carrying out a properly thought out scheme of breeding, the majority working with a conglomeration of strains. In Jersey Island, on the other hand, the breeders are working more to a welldefined plan, and with the severe culling that has naturally to take place, weaker types are systematically culled out, while the best are mated to the best. But where Jersey Island really scores is not pushing their cattle for high production records, and thus they can maintain the desired vigour and constitution in their animals.

New Zealand breeders have, generally .speaking, found fault with? Jersey Island breeders for not testing their cattle more, and have expressed disappointment that the testing that is done has not brought to 'light higher records of production. But it is highly probable that the Island breeders are wise in their generation. They have realised the danger in high records. They regard their testing figures put up under ordinary conditions as good enough indication of the productive power of their cattle, and probably, too, that a good herd average is more important than a few sensational records. There is an increasing number of New Zealand breeders who are taking this view for they are wisely appreciating the fact that it is good average production that counts, and that the breeder who will be on top in the years to come is he who can boast of a high herd average and that not one of the animals he breeds is a low producer. The Jersey Island breeder is following a sound policy, and while he maintains it the Island -will continue to be the Jersey stud farm of the world. Feed and Minerals. It is instructive to note the kind of feed the champion received. The concentrates, of which she ate 241 b. a day during most of the test, comprised 1001 b. of bran, 2001 b. rolled oats, 2001 b. ground oats, 1001 b. gluten (maize), 501 b. linseed cake and 501 b. soya bean meal. She had hay and mangels in the whiter, of which she ate 40 parts of the latter and 121 b. of the former. For minerals she received a mixture of 1 part charcoal, 1 part sterilised bone meal and 1 part salt, given at the rate of 51b. to 100 parts of grain. For the first three weeks of her test her ration was mostly bran with a little of the grain mixture, but the grain was gradually increased after this till from the sixth week on she was altogether on the mixture given above. Apparently she only had grass for the last 90 days of her test, for about foui- hours a day. If New Zealand has lost the world’s production for a Jersey cow, and if Australia, who took it from us, has only held it for a few months there is some satisfaction in tire knowledge that it yet remains within the British Empire. Another Quiet Bull. The leading -Ayrshire breeder of Scot•land and probably of the world, Mr. Thomas Barr, has been killed by a bull that “was as quiet as a mouse.” The late Mr. Barr had one great rival, his brother-in-law, Mr. James Howie, and together they have made remarkable contribution to the work of developing the utility quality of Ayrshire stock. The greatest animal Mr. Barr ever bred was Hobsland Jean V. In her lifetime she produced nine calves. Seven of them were sold at auction at an average price of £506, and two of them were retained in the herd. One of them was afterwards sold to go to Canada at 1000 gns,, while another one was subsequently sold at 1780 gns. Jean V. made a record of 13,4901 b. of 3.61 milk in 45 weeks. The greatest bull Mr. Barr bred was Hobsland’s Lucky Boy. As a breeder of deepmilking cows the record of this bull has probably never been equalled. All his heifer calves in their first lactation exceeded 10,0001 b. of milk. Mr. Barr was 69 years old and he was a man who was held in the highest respect by all who knew him.

Another strange example of the homing instinct has come to light. Mr. Williams, of Barmouth (England), bought a sheepdog at Carno in Montgomeryshire and took it 50 miles by train to its new home. Two days later it vanished. They looked for it everywhere—except at Carno. But that is where the dog was ! It took six days to make the 50-mile journey by mountain roads.

‘ g 1 ” Locality of soil sample. f 3 - , s 4 T £ “ £ Ratio of Silica to Alu- „ ® “ mina in Soil Clay. w w w Percentage of Phosphate absorbed by soil. 9 *? *? boo