CO-OPERATIVE EXPERIMENTS AT MATAMATA.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 3, 20 September 1916, Page 214

CO-OPERATIVE EXPERIMENTS AT MATAMATA.

MANURIAL AND ROOT-VARIETY TRIALS.

J. W. HADFIELD,

Instructor in Agriculture, Auckland Education Board.

The experiments recorded below were conducted during last season by members of the Matamata branch of the Farmers' Union 5 in co-operation with the Department of Agriculture. The following took active part in the experiments: ? Messrs. J. McCaw, “ The .Tower,” Matamata; J. W. Simpson, Matamata Flats; E. and A. Bowler, Peria; E. C. Banks, Matamata Flats; J. Cranswick, Matamata Flats. The experiments were under the supervision of Mr. G. de S. Baylis, Fields Instructor for the North Island, and it was due to his assistance and kindly criticism that many improvements were effected in laying out ,and operating the trials.

The soil of the Matamata Flats, where the experiments were carried out, is of a light and friable nature, and seems to be benefited by heavy rolling. It is all well drained, but very poor. in lime, and to a fair extent poor also in organic matter. The' soil on Messrs. E. and A. Bowler's farm at Peria is situated on higheland, and is of a somewhat heavier nature, but is still a friable loam. It will be noticed that all experiments were carried out on land that had previously been in pasture. The rainfall for the season was not normal. The soil in every case was moist enough to germinate the seed, , but the very dry weather which followed, accompanied by the cabbage-moth, checked the development of the crop. Following the very dry and exceptionally hot weather of January and February there were good autumn rains, but they were too late to be of much benefit at the time. By May some of the farmers reported that their swedes were going bad, and that they would soon be feeding-off. It was therefore decided to commence harvesting without delay, although in many cases the roots were not quite mature. Particulars of the rainfall, as recorded by Mr. J. B. Starkey, of Kiwitahi, are as follows : 1915 —June, 7-09 in. ; July, ■ 5-22 in. ; August, 2-57 in. ; September, 4-48 in. ; October, 5-49 in. ; November, 6-78 in. ; December, 1-74 in.,: 1916 January, 1-08 in. ; February, 1-57 in. ; March; . 4-35,in, ; April,., .3-49 in. ; May, 4-17 in. June, 3-38 in.

The manurial experiments were laid -out with the object of ascertaining the' profit, ; and it became necessary to decide on a fair valuation of the crops, in this case swedes. At a representative gathering of about fifty farmers held at Matamata on 18th May it was decided that, owing to the unfavourable season and the consequent scarcity of swedes, the price should be fixed at ss. per ton. Members gave instances of crops during the current season selling at ss. and over per ton which in normal seasons would fetch little more than 2s. 6d. The Department of Agriculture fixed the prices of the manures at pre-war rates per hundredweight as follows : Superphosphate, ss. 3d.; bonedust, Bs. ; dried blood, 12s. 6d. ; basic slag, ss. ; basic superphosphate, ss. ; guano, 4s. 9d. ; sulphate of potash, 15s. 6d.

; MANURIAL TRIAL: SWEDES.— McCAW. This experiment was laid out with the object of discovering the most profitable manure for swedes in the Matamata district. As past experience has proved that phosphatic manures must form the basis of any mixture , used, it was decided that during the first year an attempt should be made to ascertain the relative value of the different phosphatic manures. This has been done partly in this experiment and partly in the phosphate and lime trials conducted .on Mr. Simpson's farm. It was thought that information on this point would then form a basis from which in future years it should be possible to build up and compare mixed manures , , Preparation op the Land.— Th( land used was part of a worn-out pasture. It was skim-ploughed in June, 1915, and received a second plough ng in November, 1915. It was rolled and disked twice, tineharrowed, rolled, and sown on 16th December, 1915. . The cost of growing the crop (one acre), exclusive of manures, was as follows :

£ s. d. Two ploughings at. 7s. 6d. .. .. .. 015 o Three rollings at is. ' .. .. ..030 Two diskings at 2s. .. .. .. ... 040 One harrowing .. ... .. ..016 Drilling .. ’ . .. .. .. ... 02.6 Seed at is. per lb. .. .... .. . ’ ..009 Rent .. .. .. .. ..100 Total cost .. .. .... .. £2 6 9

Planting.—One acre was devoted to the experiment, the area being divided into thirteen plots. Seed was sown on the. flat at 11 oz. per acre, in drills 14 m. apart. The variety used for the trial was Elephant, which was being sown on the farm at the time. Seed and manure were not mixed together before sowing. .

An attempt was made to sow all manures at the rate of 15s. worth per: acre. Sand was mixed with the manures to make equal bulk in sowing, and to modify as much as possible the tendency of some manures

to run too freely in the drill. In spite of this precaution the residues left in the drill after sowing each plot were not equal. Allowance was made for these residues, which accounts for the slight variations m value of manure applied to each plot.

Harvesting.— A definite proportion was harvested from each plot on 17th May, 1916. The swedes were topped and cleaned, and the tops and roots weighed separately.

Results.— The results can be seen in the accompanying table, by an examination of the profit and loss columns. Plot 2in the experiment received 2 parts of superphosphate to .1 of bonedust, which is the manure most commonly used in the district. Plot 3 received superphosphate together with the same amount of nitrogen in ' the form of dried blood ,as was present in the “ bones and ■ superphosphate ” of plot 2. The results would seem to indicate that the nitrogen in “ bones and superphosphate ” does play a part in the excellent results obtained from this mixture. * ■ •

Basic slag and bonedust, either singly or mixed, have given the poorest results. On the other hand, superphosphate mixed with either of them has given the best results. This would seem to indicate that the crop requires both quickly and slowly available forms of phosphoric acid. It certainly indicates to a very marked degree, both in this experiment and in the phosphate and lime trials, that slowly available forms by themselves are not to be recommended. The no-manure plot gave no yield, though the germination on all the plots was excellent. The loss from this plot, it will be noticed, is less than that sustained by the bonedust plot, although the latter gave some yield. It was noticeable while harvesting that there were fewer rotten swedes on the plots receiving lime. The four check plots of superphosphate were probably worst in this respect. , , . . ■

PHOSPHATE AND [LIME TRIALS : SWEDES.—J. W. SIMPSON.

. The object of this experiment was to discover the most profitable lime and phosphate manure, and the one that could, if necessary, most conveniently replace basic slag. It was thought that the information thus gained, together with that obtained at the other manurial trials, would form a good groundwork upon which to build up mixtures for future trials.

Preparation op the Land. — The land used had previously been in grass for nine years.. It received only one ploughing, during the first week of November, 1915, which was followed by two diskings. It was again disked three times early in December, chain-harrowed,. and sown on 14th December, 1915. The cost was as follows

... £ s - d. One ploughing at 7s. 6d. . . . . ..076 Five diskings at 25.. . ... . . . . . 010 o One harrowing ... .. .'. ..016 Sowing .. ' ’.. . .. .. ..026 Seed .. ■ .. .... . .. . . 009 Rent .. .. .. . i :. ..100 Total cost .. .. ..£223

Planting. — The experiment covered 1 acre, which was divided into eleven plots. Seed (Crimson King) was sown on the flat at 9 oz. per acre, in drills. 14 in. apart, and was not mixed with the manure.

It was intended to apply manure at the rate of 15s. worth per acre, the lime, where used, being charged extra at £2 per ton. It was thought that this price would also cover the cost of mixing. Where used, lime was added at the rate of 48 lb. per acre—approximately 15 per cent, of the mixture —at a cost of rod. per acre. A small amount of sand was used in some cases to bring the mixtures up to equal bulk, and the residues left behind account for the difference between the amount actually applied and that originally intended. . . . ,

Harvesting.— A definite proportion was harvested from each plot on 16th May, 1916. The swedes were topped and cleaned, and the tops and roots weighed separately.

Results .—'The yields throughout were very poor, owing to disease and unfavourable weather. Taking, however, a proportional view of the results, we have the two mixtures superphosphate and burnt lime (basic super) and superphosphate and basic slag topping the list. The latter mixture came first in Mr. McCaw's trials, and there, as in this experiment, is demonstrated the unsuitability for this land of insoluble phosphatic manures used alone. It may be worth noting that the mixture “ super-guano-lime ” is an . improvement on superphosphate alone, in spite of the bad results obtained from guano, which formed about half the mixture. It is another indication of what was mentioned in connection with the preceding manurial trials, that a soluble and insoluble phosphate mixture is better than either of'these forms when used singly. MANURE QUANTITY TRIAL: SWEDES.— W. SIMPSON. This experiment was laid out with the sole purpose of finding the most profitable amount of manure to use for swedes on the Matamata Flats. During this, the first trial, it was decided to use the most popular mixture in the district— I part of bones to 3 of superphosphate. It whs thought that when results were forthcoming from the manurial trials this experiment could be carried out with other mixtures which may prove themselves to be of value. The importance of such an experiment as this is obvious, since it is for the purpose of settling a point of great consequence to farmers. The experiment was carried out in the same paddock, and alongside of, the phosphate and lime trials on Mr. Simpson’s farm.

Planting. The experiment covered half an acre, and consisted 'of seven plots. One plot received no manure, the others received amounts increasing by i cwt. —from i cwt. to 6 cwt. per acre. Unfortunately, the drill would not sow 6 cwt. per acre. It was therefore set at 3 cwt., and the plot in question was drilled twice with the manure There is little doubt that this was very much against the plot, and it would probably be fairer to exclude the 6 cwt. plot, from our comparisons. In sowing the 1 cwt. plot the drill was set at 2 cwt., but the mixture sown

was half sand and half manure. This may also have caused slight variation —if anything in favour of the plot.

Other Factors. — The cost of preparation of the land, the variety used, and the method of harvesting were, the same as for the phosphate and lime trials. ‘.. . . . ’

Results.— accompanying graph shows the' cost of production, the line of yield, and the line of profit and loss. It might be mentioned that the proportion of profit from the use of manure will be influenced by the price. With swedes at a high price the proportional profit from manuring becomes greater. In other words, given high prices, one can profitably manure more heavily. The fixing of the price then becomes a matter of importance in an experiment of this type.

VARIETY TRIALS. Trials were conducted with swedes and soft turnips. The following tables show the yields per acre, also the percentage yields. Every fifth plot throughout the trials was a check plot. In spite of the fact that the land selected for the experiments appeared quite uniform there is rather marked variation in the check plots. For example, in Mr. Cranswick’s trial, plots 3,8, 13, and 18 were check plots, receiving the same treatment, and all sown with Garton's Superlative. The yields, however, gradually increased from plot 3 towards plot 18, as follows : 10 tons 18 cwt., 13 tons 15 cwt., 15 tons 18 cwt., 16 tons 9 cwt. We must therefore suppose that the yielding-power of the land gradually increases from plot 3 towards plot 18. It would then be unfair to compare a variety growing near plot 3 with one growing near plot 18. It is therefore necessary to take into account the varying nature of the land, as follows : : If plot 3 yielded 10 tons 18 cwt. and plot 8 13 tons 15 cwt., it is reasonable to suppose that the increase was gradual, and this gradually increasing yielding-power is termed the “ natural yield ” of the land. The following table shows in the second column the actual yields, and in the third the natural yields, of plots 3 to 8.

If we give the value 100 to the check plots it remains an easy matter to find out what percentage the actual yield is of the natural yield, thus :

Actual yield. x 100 Percentage yield. Natural yield \

In comparing the varieties it is manifestly unfair to compare the actual yields. The percentage yield forms the only fair basis for comparison. . . ’ ' ' ' . v • ' • VARIETY TRIAL : SWEDES. CRANSWICK. . Check plots sown with Garton’s Superlative. Seed at 9 oz. per acre. Manure : 1 of bones to 3 of superphosphate at 3 cwt. per acre. Sown 15th December, 1915 ; harvested 15th May, 1916. Previous history of the land : Ploughed out of grass in March, 1915, sown with Western Wolths grass, and grazed till November. Ploughed the middle of November, rolled on the furrows, disked twice, rolled again, and drag-harrowed twice.

VARIETY TRIAL : SWEDES.E. AND A. BOWLER. Check plots : 1 Elephant. Seed at 15 oz. per acre. Manure : 1 part of bones to 3 of superphosphate at 3 cwt. per acre. Sown 13th December, 1915 ; harvested 15th May, 1916. Previous history of the land : Ploughed , out of grass in July, 1915, and twice tine-harrowed during August. Ploughed 6 in. deep in November and sown. • 1

VARIETY TRIAL : SOFT TURNIPS.—E. C. BANKS. Check plots : Imperial Green Globe. Seed at 90Z. per acre. Seed and manure mixed. Manure : 1 part of bones to 3 of superphosphate at 3 cwt. per acre. Sown 21st January, 1916 ; harvested 14th May, 1916. Previous history of land : Grass for nine years. Ploughed November, 1915 ; disked five times, and tine-harrowed twice. ‘

concluding note.

. In conclusion, it may be mentioned that the exceptionally unfavourable season reduced most of the yields to such an extent that it is still rather doubtful what results we might expect from the various manures in a normal season. Even in a normal season the results from one trial cannot be considered conclusive. They will undoubtedly require to be repeated three or four times, but at each trial some manure mixtures and some varieties can be thrown out.

ofOrder * Merit. to per Acre. .... Value Manure actually applied. Cost producing Crop. Cost Acre. per Acre. per Value Profit per Acre. Loss . per Acre. 5s. per Ton.Profit per Acre. Loss . per Acre; ■' Tops. Roots. Total. 5s. per Ton. .. d. s. £ £ cwt. Tons Tons d. £’ £ s. d. ' . £ s- d. s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. I ; basicslag, Superphosphate, 13 269 9 5 15 18 4 4 i n 3 II 0 in 3 2 bonedust per 12 9 269 6 IO 18 15 8 17 4 1 '7- 6. 7 0 17 6 nitrogen), cent, .. 3 ; per 13 3 .269 0 3 I 8 5 18 4 1 .4 6. 4 6 146 nitrogen), cent, 4 Basic 12 3 .6 O 3 *3 14 15 3 1 0 0 19 0 100 5 of (average Superphosphate, IO 269 2 7 5 15 15 O 3 0 15 5 15 0 0 15 5 plots) 6 'sulphate of 13 '.o 269 219 16 15 114 3 0 -13 . 0 12 9 0 13 0 potash, .7 Basic 13 9 9 6 14 4 5 I i 14 9 5 0 I 14 9 8 ; . 9 13 269 6 0 3 5 13 4 18 4 I 4 7 6 1 16 . 0 . I 4 - 6 1 16 0 9. No manure . . . 2-69 9 269 IO Bonedust, . ... _ 12 9 69 6 2 0 1 12 14 ,08 2 11 0 8 6 2 11 O

Manorial Trial: Swedes. — J. McCaw.

ofOrder Merit. Value Manure, per of Value Manure actually applied. Cost producing Crop. Cost Acre. per Acre. at per Profit Acre. per Loss: Acre. .per Tops. Roots. Total. s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Tons cwt. Tons cwt. Toris cwt. £ s. d. . £ s. d. £ s.' <1.. — I s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Tons cwt. Tons cwt. Tons cwt. £ s. d. £ s. d. £ s. d. Superphosphate, burnt lime 15s. lod. . . 15 3 223 2 17 6 2 3. 11 3 13 6 3 6 6 O 9 O I ■ - lod. lime Superphosphate, . slag, basic Superphosphate, 3 15 16 0 223 ,3 6 17 18 3 3 16 1 3 IO II 6 13 6 13 366 6 6 3’ 090 083 Superphosphate, basic slag, 15s. 16 0 223 2 18 3 I l6 II IO 13 6 366 083 3 limestone, d 0 Superphosphate, 15 i° 223 218 I i 8 9 11 IO 19 2 14 9 0 3 4 lod. 15s. 15 10 .223 2 l8 I 1 8 - 9 11 IO 19 2 14 9 0 3 4: 4 lime, 15 223 2 l8 I I IO 8 3 9 13 2 8 3 0910 lod. . 15s. 15 10 2 2 3 2 18 I 1 .10 8 3 9 13 - 2 8 3 0 9 id 5 of (average Superphosphate 15 0 2 2 '3 2 17 3 1 4 7 18 9 2 256 on 9 ' ■ : .... 15 0. 2 2-3 ' 2 17 3 1 4 .7 18 9 2. 2 5 6 .0119 6 basic 0 3 17 13 0 4 4 3 0 4 7 Guano, 4 3 7 0 2 4 16 4 0' 4 7 8 limestone, . ground 15 3 I 11 0 3 4 6 id 7 9 limestone, Guano, 15 3 18 2 9 14 3 15 4 IO slag, ■ • • 0 I 3 3 0 9 14 3 9 6 3

Phosphate and Lime Trials: Swedes-J.W. Simpson.

Manure (i of Bones to 2 of Super). Cost per Acre. Value of Manure. Total . Cost. Yield. Value at 5S. per Ton. Profit. Loss. £ s. d. s. £ s. d. d. £ s. d. £.’ Tons cwt. s. £ s. d. d. £ s. d. £ £ s. d. s. d. Tons cwt. £ s. d. £ S'. d. £ s. d. No manure 223 2 223 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 2 2 3 i cwt. bones and cwt. bones and 2 2 3 2 O5II 2 282 3 7 15 o 1189 5 0 9 5 II .2 8 2 7 15 1 18 9 0 9 5 super 2 cwt. bones and super cwt. bones and 2 2 3 2 O II IO 2 2 14 I 3 9 13 . °, 283 ii 0 5 10 IO 2 14 I 9 13 2 8 3 0 5 IO super 3 cwt. bones and super cwt. bones and 2 2 3 2 O 17 IO 2 3 0 1 3 12 17 o 3 4 3 17 042 IO 3 o I 12 17 3, 4 3 0 4 2 super 4 cwt. bones and super cwt. bones and 2 2 3 2 i 3 9 2 3 6 0 ■3 18 4 i 4 11 0 3 I 5 0 9 3 6 O 18 4 4 11 0 1 5 O super 5 cwt. bones and super cwt. bones and 2 2 3 2 198 2 3 11 11 3 17 16 i 4 9 0 9 0 17 I C8 3 ii II 77 16 4 9 0 0 17 I super 6 cwt. bones and super cwt. bones and 2 2 3 2 1 15 1 2 3 17 4 3 14 9 i 3 12 3 15 0 5 1 ~i 3 i7 4 14 9 3 12 3 0 5 1 super

Manure-quantity Trial : Swedes. —J. W. Simpson.

/ No. of Plot. Actual Yield. Natural Yield. Yield. Percentage Percentage Yields. 3 (check) Tons cwt. IO l8 Tons cwt. IO l8 cwt. 18 IOO IOO 4 8 19 II IO 78 5 II 12 12 2 96 6 l6 12 12 14 130 7 12 IO 13 7 94 8 (check) - 13 15 13 15 IOO

Plot. < Variety. Germination. Yield. Percentage Yield. I Elephant . . .. . . .. Per Cent. Tons cwt. II 19 124 2 John Bull . . . . . . . . 66 13 8 130 3 Garton's Superlative (check) . . 96 10 18 IOO 4 Sharpe’s Ne Plus Ultra 86 8 19 78 5 Sharpe’s Purple-top . . .. 60 11 12 96 6 Sharpe’s Paragon .. . . .. 90 16 12 130 ■ 7 Sharpe’s Coronation Green-top 82 12 10 94 8 Garton’s Superlative (check) . . 96 13 15 100 9 Garton’s Pioneer Turnip Swede 96 11 9 80 IO Garton’s Incomparable 96 14 2 2 96 96 ii Garton’s Keep Well . . . . 82 14 9512 Garton’s Monarch .. .. 98 11 .5 73 13 Garton’s Superlative (check) . . .. 96 15 18 100 I 4 Sutton’s Magnum Bonum . 50 11 19 75 15 Sutton’s Champion . . 74 12 6 78 16 Sutton’s Up-to-Date. . 82 15 7 95 17 Hurst’s Monarch 98 19 13 120 18 Garton’s Superlative (check) . . . . 96 16 9 100 19 Hurst’s Champion . . . . .. ■ 82 - 9 13 58 20 Crimson King . . . . 82 15 4 ■ 9i

Plot. Variety. Germination. Yield per Acre. Percentage Yield. I Hurst’s Monarch .. . .. Per Cent. 98 Tons cwt. 22 3 131 2 Hurst’s Champion . . 82 24 9 136 3 Elephant (check) . 18 19 IOO 4 Sharpe’s Ne Plus Ultra . . . . 86 22 IO 113 5 Sharpe’s Coronation Green-top .82 l8 II - 88 6 Sharpe’s Ai Purple-top 82 18 II 88 6 Sharpe’s Ai Purple-top ...... 60 21 1 96 ' 7 Sharpe’s Paragon .. 90 22 IO 97 8 Elephant (check) . . 24 3 100 9 Garton’s Monarch 98 22 14 97 IO Garton’s Superlative 86 24 9 108 ii Garton’s Keep Well . . 82 24 2 2 no no. 12 Garton’s Pioneer Turnip Swede 96 19 5 91 13 Elephant (check) .. .. 20 II , 100 I 4 Garton’s Incomparable 96 20 7 100 15 Sutton’s Champion . . . . .. 74 18 II , 93 16 Sutton’s Magnum Bonum . . . . 50 22 3 in W Sutton’s Up-to-Date. . 82 18 II ' 95 18 Elephant (check) . . 19 IO 100 19 Crimson King . . . . 82 15 II 81 20 John Bull . . . . .. 66 18 15 98

Plot. Variety. ■ Yield per Acre. . •• Percentage Yield. I Sutton’s All the Year Round .. .. Tons cwt. 8 8 82 2 Sutton’s Purple-top Aberdeen 5 18, 58 3 Imperial Green Globe (check) .. . . IO 3 3 IOO IOO 4 Sutton’s Favourite Purple-top . . 5 7 53 5 Sutton’s Early Sheep-fold 8 .11 84 6 Sutton’s Purple-top Mammoth . . ' . . 12 IO 123 7 Sutton’s Green-top Six Weeks 15 0 0 147 147 8 Imperial Green Globe (check) . . IO 3 IOO 9 Sutton’s Perfection . . .. . . . . 5 7 53 IO Sutton’s Paragon .. .. . 11 12 116 ii Sutton’s Green-top Aberdeen 3 15 39 1.2 Sutton’s Early Six Weeks ... 8 7 86 13 Imperial Green Globe (check) . . .. 9 13 IOO 14 Garton’s Hardy Green Globe 8 18 94 15 Garton’s Stobo-blue .. I IO 17 16 Garton’s Lincolnshire Red Globe 8 1.5 94 17 Sutton’s Green Centenary 4 6 . 46 18 Imperial Green Globe (check) .. . . 9 2 IOO 19 Sutton’s Pomeranian White Globe 9 6 103 20 Sharpe’s Standard Green-top . . . . ' . . 2 IO 28