Jan. 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 33 



an opinion amongst some farmers that cow manure is of little value. True, 

 it is not as rich in the elements of fertility as the manure of other stock, but 

 that fact does not make sufficient excuse for the large amounts which are 

 allowed to go to waste on the average dairy farm, where some cultivation is 

 done. 



It is readily allowed that soiling fodder ci-ops (especially lucerne) 

 •continually on grass paddocks, will build up the fertility of the land on the 

 daily farm more rapidly than any other means under our conditions, if these 

 paddocks are in turn made into cultivation paddocks by definite rotation. 

 Every cow will produce an average of 9 tons of manure annually, and soiling 

 crops to stock on pasture will restore the humus and fertility much more 

 quickly tnan pasture alone. The writer has seen crops of 100 to 120 bushels 

 of maize per acre, produced on land which has been built up by pasture, 

 together with the manure of cattle to which lucerne (green or hay) has been 

 fed on the pastui'e. This land had been previously " worn out " by continuous 

 maize-growing without dairying, until its production was only 40 bushels per 

 acre. The combination of dairying with maize-growing is generally resorted 

 to as the quickest means of restoring lost fertility on an old maize farm. 

 This change to mixed farming on the Macleay and Clarence Rivers (which 

 are the lai'gest and among the oldest maize districts), is yearly becoming more 

 pronounced. It is evidenced in the diminishing area under maize for grain in 

 those districts, but it may be reckoned as a good sign, in so far that it means 

 an increased average yield of maize per acre, owing to the increased fertility 

 of the soil. 



The \'alue of lucerne or clover and grass pasture, in combination with 



animal manure, as a means of rapidly restoring lost soil fertility, will be 



dealt with more fully later ; it is to the virtues of horse, cow and pig manure — 



so readily procurable on most dairy farms, because it has to be handled for 



sanitary reasons — that it is at this point desired to draw attention, and to 



the part it can be made to play in the production of immediate and lasting 



increased maize yields. From the figures given it will be seen that it should 



be possible to obtain, fairly readily, at least 50 tons per year of horse, cow 



and pig manure on the average maize and dairy farm on the coast. The 



comparison of the fertility elements in this amount of manure with those in 



artificial fertilisers may be made thus : — 



It contains nitrogen equivalent to 1 ton of sulphate of ammonia. 

 ,, phosphoric acid ,, f ,, superphosphate. 



,, potash ,, ^ ,, sulphate of potash. 



The total cost of these amounts of commercial fertilisers at the present 



time would be about £30. Allowing also for the value of the organic 



matter in the animal manure and the increased crop yields obtained, the 



value of such manure should be £50 or more. The value of cow manure 



from purchased foods like bran, pollard, lucerne hay, linseed meal, &c. — 



which are, unfortunately, largely fed during droughts and bad winters, 



instead of conserved fodder and farm-grown concentrates — is even much 



greater than these figures indicate. During these times and while this 



system of feeding is continued, it should be remembered that approximately 



