FARMYARD MANURE

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1934, Page 25 (Supplement)

FARMYARD MANURE

BETTER UTILISATION URGED. . Mr. J. M. Smith, Department of Agriculture, writes as follows in regard to the value of farmyard manure for stimulatng pastures. “The better utilisation of farmyard manure at a time like this is of extreme importance. We all look with envy on those nice green zones of quick growing rye that appear on practically all of our dairying paddocks, which zones are only the result of a natural application of stock nitrogeri in a liquid form. “In the past thousands of tons of valuable fertilizing matter have been allowed to run into creeks and waste places in this district, and even to-day there is a woeful waste of this valuable manure which manure merchants would give almost anything to imitate by ' artificial means. On many farms in Taranaki today arrangements have been made at the milking shed to catch the whole of the yard washings, and these washings when put out on to our grass paddocks have a. very marked beneficial effect. “One of the natural weaknesses of our Taranaki soils is the lack of humus and the better utilisation of our farm yard manure is an opportunity to increase the humus content of the soil. “That' harrowing is beneficial to pasture land is an accepted fact. If it does nothing else than scatter the stock manure

and distribute it evenly over the sward it is well worth while.. .

“Harrowing as a means of pasture cultivation, however, is a matter that requires a lot more research work on to determine its worth. We talk glibly about aerating the soil; but we- forget that one of our soil weaknesses in Taranaki is an excess of air in the soil, and that what our pasture lands require is consolidation and not aeration. “The severe harrowing of a weak sward or of a sod bound turf must be highly beneficial, or where weeds such as blackberry, "etc., are being dealt with -severe tearing about must result in good. “We come, however, to the high production rye grass white clover sward, dense in nature, healthy and strong growing. Apart from scattering the manure what do we hope for by severe harrowing ? This operation requires close watching, and if harrowing tears out much good grass and clover, then it is probably too severe. “On a weak sward severe harrowing gives an opportunity for strengthening the sward by surface sowing, and where the harrows leave the surface open and loose the sowing of, say, rye and white clover followed by a chain harrowing and a light dressing of manure helps to build the pasture rip. This system of renovating a properly worn out pasture should not be reverted to. as under these conditions the ploughing and complete resowing will prove more satisfactory and more economical.”