MARTON EXPERIMENTAL AREA.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIX, Issue 1, 21 July 1919, Page 17

MARTON EXPERIMENTAL AREA.

THE PAST SEASON'S OPERATIONS.

J. W. DEEM,

Fields Instructor, Wanganui.

The work at the Marton area 'during the 1918-19 season consisted chiefly in the testing of varieties of wheat, and the growing of Algerian oats from seed procured from various parts of New Zealand as against Australian seed for chaff purposes. A comparison was also made between Algerian and Ruakura oats. Some Fulghum and Ruakura oats were grown for seed purposes. Small areas of field beans and peas, linseed, and Azov barley were also grown, while rape and soft turnips were - grown on two blocks for soil-fertility purposes. The latter crops were fed off with sheep.

Referring to the appended tabular matter, it will be noted that in the test between imported rape and colonial-grown rape the latter gave the better results. The colonial-rape plot was eaten very bare, and was slow to recover. It will also be noticed that although Buda kale gave the heavier crop the sheep appeared to do better on the rape. Buda kale came away fast after being fed down and provided a good picking, while the rapes made very little second growth. The comparison between rape and Buda kale confirms the feeding-tests carried out at Moumahaki Experimental Farm in 1912 and 1913, and reported in the Journal of June, 1913, page 586 —namely, that although kale produces a heavy crop it does not appear to have anything like : the fattening-qualities of rape. The rate of increase in weight of the sheep when they went from rape to Thousand-headed kale, and from Buda kale to Red Paragon turnips, is very interesting, and emphasizes.the relative fattening-values of Buda kale and rape (see Tables 5 and 6).

In the second series of feeding-tests between three varieties of turnips and kohl rabi the weather was very dry, and the enclosures became dust-beds, the roots being covered with inches of dust, consequently the sheep did not do very well. The figures are only interesting in so far as they show how long a given area of a fair crop of turnips will carry a definite number of sheep under adverse circumstances without the animals losing weight.

In the turnip varieties Hardy Green Globe and Red Paragon gave the heaviest yields.

In addition to the crops mentioned, Keepwell swedes were transplanted from half an acre for seed purposes, and from this area 240 lb. of seed (uncleaned) were saved. An acre of lucerne was sown in the middle of December and has done well.

The earlier part of the season at Marton was very wet, and in consequence all cereal crops were late in being sown. Good harvest weather was experienced, the autumn being very dry.

.Remarks. Plot i.—Sheep did well. Plot 2. — Sheep did rather better than on plot i. Rape fed very close and slow to come away. Plot 3. —This was the heaviest crop, but sheep did not appear to do so well as on plots 1 and 2. Probably lost weight owing to being kept on an extra 5 days. • Plot 4. —Sheep from plot 1 were put on this plot, making a total gain for the two plots of 138 J- lb. in 35 days. Plot 5. —Sheep from plot 3 were put on this crop and gained 118 lb., making a total gain of 149 lb. in 48 days. Plot 6. —Sheep just held their own, weather being unfavourable. Plot 7. —Did rather better than on plot 6. . . Plot 8. —Sheep just held their own. Crop rather heavier than plot 7,- but feedingquality not quite so good. ’ Plot 9. —-Sheep did not do quite so well as those on plot 8 ; crop not so heavy as on latter. . . . '

Note.-Plots 12 and 13 were grown for seed.

. * Crop spoilt by bean-rust. f Yield greatly reduced through people helping themselves to green peas.

Plot No. . Variety. Area. Seed per Acre. Yield per . Acre. Remarks. : Acres. Bushels. Bushels. I Major . . I 5if Nice wheat. 2 Purple-straw Tuscan . . I ■ Q f “3 . 5i 51 3 White-straw Tuscan . . . I 2f 47i 4 Marquis ...... I 2| 44 . : ■ . I - 5 Firbank . . . . I " 2 3 33i 33i 6 Marshall’s White . . i 3 3° 30 7 Huron . . ' i 2 f o 2 24 24 Wet land. Wet land. • 8 . Yandilla King i 2-J-21 20 z 3 Germination bad. 20 Germination bad. 9 Comeback . . .. . I o 2 2 3 i6| Poor crop ; inferior soil. IO Thew .. . . 1 o 2 2 3 3 s- , Drowned out with heavy rain.

TABLE I.WHEAT VARIETY TEST. Sown 20/9/18; harvested 6/2/19. Manure, i j cwt. basic superphosphate per acre to each variety, with exception of Purple-straw Tuscan, which had if cwt.

Plot No. Variety. Area. Seed per Acre. Yield per Acre. Acres. . Bushels. Tons cwt. lb. I North Canterbury Algerian ... Acres. I Bushels. . 2 Tons cwt. lb. 410 . 2 Double-dressed Rangitikei Algerian I 2 3 16 0 3 Wairarapa Algerian . . . . I 2 3 11 54 1 4 Farmers’ dressed Rangitikei AlI 2 3 11 54 4 Farmers’ dressed Rangitikei AlI 2 3ii7 gerian I, 2 .3 11 7 5 gerian New South Wales Algerian I 2 3 10 5 8 6 Ashburton Algerian '. . • I . 2 3 9 42 7-Double-dressed Australian Algerian I 2 3 5 8 8 Ruakura . . . . I 2 3 4 7i 9 North Canterbury Algerian. I -.2 . 3 ' 4 15 IO Wairarapa Algerian . . . . I 2 ' ■■ 3 2 36 ii Australian Algerian (not doubleI 2 2 15 53 . dressed) I 2 2 15 53 12 dressed) Fulghum • . . . : .. . . I 2 85 bus. (threshed). 13 Ruakura . . . . ... 4fV o 1 9°f „ . ■ 2| 90J „

TABLE 2. —VARIETY TEST OF OATS FOR CHAFFING. Sown 12/9/18 to 14/9/18; harvested 25/1/19. Manure, 2 cwt. basic superphosphate per acre.

Area. Variety. Amount of Seed sown per Acre. Yield per Acre.' • Remarks. 2 acres Azof. . .. 2 J bushels 51 i bushels

TABLE 3. —BARLEY. Sown 9/11/18 ; harvested 14/2/19. Manure, 1 cwt. superphosphate per acre.

Variety. Area. Date sown. Seed per Acre. Date harvested. Manure per Acre. Yield per Acre. Beans* .. Acres. 2 I/10/18 Bushels. 3 21/2/19 2 cwt. basic Bushels. 19 Peas : Stratagem f I .14/12/18 4 ' 20/3/19 super. ’ Ditto 32 Peas : Blue Imperial f 14/12/18 .3 25/3/19 37l Linseed . . 3i 2/10/18 1 I7/2/1 9 23

TABLE 4. —MISCELLANEOUS CROPS

Plot No. Variety of Crop. Date stocked with Sheep. Number of Sheep. Number of Days carried. Results in Weight. I Broadleaf Essex rape - . . 6/3/49 15 16 Gain io8| lb. 2 Colonial rape .. .. 6/3/19 15 16 ,, 136 lb. 3 Buda kale . . 6/3/19 15 21 „ 31 16. 4 Thousand-headed kale 24/3/19 15 19 . „ 30 lb. 5 Red Paragon turnip ■ . . 29/3/19 15 27 „ 118 lb. 6 Kohl rabi . . . . 2/5/19 20 20 9|lb. ' 7 Green - top Yellow Aberdeen turnip 2/5/19 20 20 „ 3ij lb8 Hardy Green Globe turnip 2/5/19 20 22 Loss 41 lb9 Fosterton Hybrid turnip . . ' 2/5/19 20 22 ' „ 26 lb.

TABLE 5.- —-FEEDING-TESTS-SOIL-FERTILITY CROPS. Area of each plot, f acre. Manure, 2 cwt. basic superphosphate per acre. Each crop sown 17/12/18.

■ Place. Year. Increase in Weight per Sheep. Rape. Buda Kale. lb. lb. Moumahaki Farm . . 1912 7-30 2-40 ,, . . 1913 7-84 ; 3-68 Mar ton Area ... 1919 7-25 2-07

TABLE 6. —FEEDING COMPARISON BETWEEN RAPE AND KALE.