THE WAIPA POST Printed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. THURSDAY, 5th JULY, 1928. THE IMPORTANCE OF TOPDRESSING.

Waipa Post, Volume 37, Issue 2179, 5 July 1928, Page 4

THE WAIPA POST Printed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. THURSDAY, sth JULY, 1928. THE IMPORTANCE OF TOPDRESSING.

THE address on "Latest Developments in Top-Dressing," given by Mr C. J. Hamblyn at the recent Farm School conducted in Te Awamutu under the auspices of the Farmers' Union, was very informative, and that it was interesting was proven by the "barrage" of questions with which the lecturer was "bombarded" when he concluded his address. Mr Hamblyn spoke as a practical farmer who had had facilities for studying the scientific aspect of his calling, and that he was fully abreast of his subject was freely admitted. He stressed the importance to this district especially of a fuller realisation of the best methods of top-dressing pastures, pointing out that whereas much of the used land in the earlier years was devoted to cropping, nowadays almost the whole of the greatly extended area is laid down in grass—and in most cases permanent grass. It was not desirable to break up this pasture land again, so top-dressing became popular as a means of renewing its productivity. Top dressing was an economical method of rejuvenation, if the fertilisers were applied sensibly. He gave instances of how wrong methods followed had resulted in costly failures; and then he put forward the correct method, quoting quantities and mixtures best suited for applying to varying types of land. There is no one fertiliser that gives, universally good results, irrespective of the class and condition of land, he said, and- proceeded to detail how a landowner can determine what class of fertiliser is best suited for the land he intends to treat. Mr Hamblyn said he had no de~. sire to be specific as to a particular district's requirements, but from his. (and other instructors') investiga- 1 tions in the matter of soil survey, there was little doubt that Waikato productivity can be greatly augmented by a careful consideration of manurial values. It is interesting to note that agricultural statistics for last year show there were more than 165,000 acres of grass land $n Waipa County, but when we quote the area of land top-dressed last year in the whole of the Dominion as 1,521,259 acres, it would seem that Waipa County provides nearly one-tenth of the whole of the land that is topdressed, for Mr Hamblyn said, if we remember correctly,, that about 84 per cent, of the grass land in the county was top-dressed. Of the 15251,259l 5 251,259 acres of land top-dressed ifi the Dominion about four-fifths! (actually 1,286,938 acres) is in the Nonth Islanjt, South Island's total thus being 234,321 acres. It may be noted that most of -"-- land in the North Island has never been cultivated but is cleared bush-land surface sown, whereas in the South Island aite a fair proportion of the total area now in grass and top-dressed was formerly under cereal crops. It is claimed that the best success in top-dressing in the South Island was achieved in the moister climate of Otago and Southland, and that the greater rainfall in the North Island has to do with its- success north of Cook Strait.