IS IT A CURE?

Waikato Times, Volume 112, Issue 18704, 2 August 1932, Page 11

IS IT A CURE?

COMBATING THE GRASS GRUB. SUCCESSFUL EFFECT OF MANURING While troublesome only in -patches in Hawke’s Bay this year, the grass grub has been causing much concern among farmers in the Waikato and oilier parts of the North Island, says a Hawlce’s Bay. paper, where considerable areas of land have been denuded of pasture, and many suggestions have been made to deni with the pest, which hitherto has defied eradication on a large scale. Mr W. Rayner, the well-known ■Romney breeder, of Masterton, has, however, been experimenting with manures, and it is believed that he has found a solution for the problem, "I have- been trying different manures to combat the grass grub,” states Mr Rayner. “Last year I had a paddock at Clareville which was fairly bad with the grub, and this year 1 top-dressed the whole of this paddock with 2cwt. per acre of special grass manure, composed of superphosphate, Nauru phosphate, bloo* and bone and potash, to which was added icwt. of slag, and two bags of lime per acre. On five acres of this same paddock, 1 put an extra hund-red-weight of Nauru to the acre. It is Wonderful how llie stock concentrate on the five acres which received llic extra hundredweight of Nauru.” “Although in the,past I used tons of Nauru, 1 was not aware that it "Mas specially favoured by stock, and think perhaps it may be the combination of manures which causes the sheep 'to like this particular paddock. I dug part of ttiis land where the Nauru was put on, and the grubs seemed ‘to be very few, and were down about six or seven inches, whereas on the oilier portion of the paddock there arc some to be found about an inch or less from (lie surface."