WANGANUI DISTRICT SOIL FERTILITY

Wanganui Chronicle, 26 November 1948, Page 6

WANGANUI DISTRICT SOIL FERTILITY

“Taken as a whole the soil of the provincial area is of a kindly nature and,, when once brought into good heart, turns off good stock,” stated evidence given to the Royal Commission on Sheep Industry by the Wanganui Provincial Executive of Federated Farmers.

"A very large percentage of the area is of low natural fertility and yet it has been proved beyond doubt that the natural fertility can be built up and added to by good farming practice ai-d by fertilisers and lime,” stated the evidence. “It cannot be too strongly stressed that, in our opinion, fertiliser is not by any means the only answer to increased fertility; it is certainly an important factor, but there are other necessities which come first.

“A brief review *of the causes of steady loss of fertility in a great deal of our hill country is worthwhile. When the bush was felled and seed sown on the ash, for from 10 to 20 years the fertility was high, and it was quite common to have two to three sheep per acre, plus cattle. Gradually the fertility secured from the ash was used up, and the pastures began to open up and let in weeds and scrub. Instead of reducing sheep carried and increasing the number of cattle, it was common practice*to reverse that order and to increase dry sheep carried in an attempt to deal with weeds and scrub, and cut out cattle, and by such methods the reversion of much good country was brought about. Much of the land felled out of bush was taken up in small blocks, and while the fertility from the ash lasted, returns were reasonable—as the fertility waned, so the owners had difficultv to make a living, and to do so had to run ewes and breeding cows until this disastrous method of farming this type of country finally put them off the land, at the first recession of prices for wool and meat. LOW FERTILITY AREAS. “As a consequence of the above facts we have today very large areas of low fertility hill country heavily infested with manuka scrub, hard fern and, in addition, but over a lesser area, gorse. Much of it is abandoned, a lot of it farmed with dry sheep to skin what cream is yet left to be taken off, and a small—far too small —area being farmed with intelligence and courage, and gradually he ing brought back to fertility and profit. When hill country reaches this stage of reversion it should be noted that the capital in the land has been also lost and that the incoming man has the advantage of all capital previously employed in felling, sowing, fences and buildings, etc. In other words the land reverts to its basic unimproved value. THE IDEAL SET UP.

“The ideal set up to handle low fertility country is in conjunction with good fattening country, *so that by rotation of stock all the profits that accrue are secured to offset costs of increasing fertility on'the hills. Unless this is done the vagaries of the store stock market will, in the end, kill the effort. It implies also, that the low fertility country must he farmed in

large blocks and that adequate capital resources are available so that the long-term view of profits can be taken. Where gorges are so bad that cattle losses make it uneconomical to run cattle the country is better abandoned and allowed to revert to native bush, and if farmed now abandoned after taking what returns can still be secured by gradually lessening carrying of dry sheep. It is not practical to do much in the way of fencing gorges in low fertility country, and yet it is remarkable what some men have been able to do to alleviate this menace to cattle by way of tracks out of such gorges.

"If the property is capable of carrying some cattle, not less than 3-year-old steers should be put on to the maximum the place will carry. Only the heavy steer can effectually crush this country. The scrub is cut, subsequently burned, grass seed sown and topdressed with fertiliser. It is essential that the correct balance between heavy male cattle and dry sheep be maintained, and the work of such heavy cattle has to be seen to realise how effective it can be. CORRECT STOCK BALANCE. "It should be noted that it is essential to keep the correct balance between heavy cattle and dry sheep on all our hill country up to two ewe capacity, and when this balance is right, consolidation and increasing predom-

inance of the better grasses and clovers takes place, slowly at first, but with increasing momentum if fertiliser and lime can be applied. Soon the grass sward begins to tighten up, and it will be noticed worms begin to play their part, and this can be accentuated by transplanting worms into the pasture. But it would appear that sunlight, and therefore a certain amount of sweetness in the soil, is necessary before worms become noticeable. On some of our hill country dressing with lime can and should, be given, as early in the rehabilitation process as is practicable, but as the lime requirements will prove to be up to and even more than a ton per acre, it will readily be seen that as lime costs as much to pack and hand distribute as fertiliser, the amount which can be supplied is a matter of economics. “It will be seen, then, that heavy rattling-, cutting of scrub, burning and seeding come before fertiliser and lime. Too much stress cannot be laid on this. Too often can be heard the opinion that ‘give the back country cheap superphosphate,’ and all will be well with them, whereas in effect to applv any fertiliser to much of our partially reverted hill country in its present state would be quite ineffective, and useless. SANDSTONE COUNTRY. “So far as the sandstone country is concerned, it has been substantially proved that phosphate and lime are an essential to its rehabilitation and development when the country is ready to receive it. Generally speaking, however, the results of topdressing on our better rubbly blue papa country have, to say the least of it, been disappointing. 'Evidence will be submitted bv Mr. F. K. Pearce, who for 20 years has experimented with fertilisers on this class of good country, and done his best to find the answer, but, as yet. with no satisfactory results. We feel, therefore, that too much stress cannot be laid on the urgent necess 5 ’ • for experimental work in the hill country as to its requirements in fertilisers. What is required is widespread experimental areas, with the cooperation of the farmers in the particular arias, so that results of wool yield, stocking and stock results can be definitely established. “It should be pointed out that just such experimental work as this has been asked for and urged on many occasions, but little, if anything, has been done, and yet if the right answer can be found we have many thousands of acres of what today is one ewe country which could rapidly be made to carry two ewes. If such could be brought about the cost of all the experimental work would be returned manyfold to the country as a whole. “So it will he seen that we know that fertiliser and lime are an essen tial. to a very large area of our hi’’ country, and we feel once the right tvpo of fertiliser is found, for a fur (her large area. And, therefore, ho\ essential it is that fertiliser and linv are economical possibilitise to our h ; ’ counti''- to Roon it in heart and steadi ly increase fertility.”