UTILIZATION OF POOR LANDS.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume V, Issue 1, 15 July 1912, Page 22

UTILIZATION OF POOR LANDS.

EXPERIMENTS AT LICHFIELD.

Jas. Duncan.

A number of experiments are' in progress on the 1 Selwyn Experimenta Farm, Lichfield, Auckland, with the object of discovering the most suitable grasses and forage plants for the pumice country of the North. Recently I visited the experimental plots at Lichfield, and found that the majority of the. plots were in a satisfactory condition.

Lucerne : Of this plant I| acres had been put in ; it was generally good, and in parts showed very satisfactory and encouraging growth. It will be mowed, and then top-dressed with slag. I consider this plant, from the present appearance, a decided success on these lands.

Eight plots of different varieties of swedes and turnips were put in with different manures to each plot. Turnips and swedes were sown too thickly. Where weeded and thinned the results, were good, but where not thinned and weeded the results were poor. From present appearances it is evident that had the plots received fair cultivation there is not the slightest doubt they would have been a success. The ground on which the experiments were tried had been used for other experiments previously .for some years and was rather dirty, while in the past season the weather was all against getting the ground clean.

It is too early to form an opinion regarding swedes, but of the soft turnips Green Globe, Red Paragon, Early Six Weeks, Devonshire Greystone, and Purple-top Mammoth are very good. Hardy green kohlrabi is also doing very well.

Following are the names of the different manures used on the above eight plots, viz. : Plot No. 1, slag, super, and kainit; results fair. Plot No. 2, slag and guano ; results good. Plot No. 3, guano ; results good. Plot No. 4, .super and bone; results very good. Plot No. 5, slag and bone ; results good. Plot No. 6, slag and super ; results fair. Plot No. 7, super ; results fair. Plot No. 8, slag ; results fair.

Besides the above plots 4 acres of new ground were ploughed up, and the following experiments were then carried out: | acre of swedes and turnips (broadcast) ; 1 acre of barley and vetches mixed; 1 acre of sheep’s burnet; f acre of tall fescue ; J acre of sainfoin ; J acre of serradella ; J acre chicory. " .

These were all put in without manure, and the following - have done well: Turnips, Cape barley, and vetches, sheep’s burnet, serradella, and chicory —all being very good. Tall fescue and-sainfoin were complete failures, there being no appearance of them. It is proposed to plant next season an acre of lucerne on this land.