Farming History Made: Fertiliser Distributed by Plane
Jul 19, 2018 0:54:57 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 19, 2018 0:54:57 GMT 12
I just happened upon this in the WAIKATO INDEPENDENT, dated the 12th of AUGUST 1946:
FARMING HISTORY MADE
FERTILISER DISTRIBUTED BY PLANE
EXPERIMENT ON HAURAKI PLAINS
Fertiliser was distributed by air for the first time in New Zealand last week, when a Whitney Straight monoplane of the Aerodrome Services branch of the Public Works Department spread copper sulphate over 1200 acres in the Hauraki Plains. Distribution of the copper sulphate from the air was an experiment that proved a complete success. The task was accomplished in an area where top-dressing by machine is not possible because of the rough nature of the country, and manual distribution, even if labour were obtainable, is unpleasant.
What the aeroplane did in eight flying hours would have taken a man 50 hours. The experiment resulted not only in a saving of time and human effort, but also lowered the cost and proved that future similar work is practical as well as possible. With a modern aircraft, carrying a higher pay-load, the job could have been done in two and a half hours.
The area top-dressed was peat country and deficient in copper. The amount of sulphate distributed was 3½ lb to the acre, sufficient to make up the deficiency and thereby prevent stock disease. It was not essential that the distribution should be very even, for the primary object was to give benefit to stock, not to the pasture.
No claim is made that the experiment means that large areas of hill country could be fertilised, for then the amount distributed would have to be much greater. Superphosphate, for instance, would need to be spread at the rate of about 100 lb an acre, an accomplishment which would need a great deal of prior experimental work. But peat country, in New Zealand, invariably deficient in copper, amounts to 400,000 acres; it is found in both islands, and, where in large areas difficult for top-dressing machines, could be top-dressed from the air. The country needs only a comparatively light dressing.
The area top-dressed was Lands and Survey Department land, four miles south of Waitakaruru and ten flying miles south-west of Thames.
The actual distribution was done last Friday and Saturday, though preparations started the Tuesday before. Bad weather hindered the work. The work was done by Mr O. Anderson, pilot, and Mr J. Frizzall, aircraft engineer, both of Aerodrome Services, and Dr I. J. Cunningham, of the Department of Agriculture’s research laboratory at Wallaceville, and was the result of original planning by Messrs D. O. Haskell and A. Pritchard, of Aerodrome Services.
Conditions for the experiment were far from ideal, rain falling part of the time. The humidity of the atmosphere made the free running of the copper sulphate difficult. As it was, the sulphate had to be treated to make it run smoothly.
The aeroplane was operated from the Thames aerodrome and made about 24 flights before the task was completed. The distributor of the copper sulphate, a venturi tube, was underneath the machine; the slipstream forced the fertiliser out at the necessary speed. The pilot made his run at 100 miles an hour at 100 feet, with or into the wind, and at 50 feet with a cross-wind. He started and stopped the flow of copper sulphate before and after each run as precisely as possible, having a control lever at the side of the cockpit. The point of starting the runs. was marked by a flag by Dr Cunningham on the ground. The pilot of the aeroplane piloted the Tiger Moth which recently flew in two tons of food and other supplies to the back country of South Marlborough. Mr Frizzell was the engineer on that occasion, too.
FARMING HISTORY MADE
FERTILISER DISTRIBUTED BY PLANE
EXPERIMENT ON HAURAKI PLAINS
Fertiliser was distributed by air for the first time in New Zealand last week, when a Whitney Straight monoplane of the Aerodrome Services branch of the Public Works Department spread copper sulphate over 1200 acres in the Hauraki Plains. Distribution of the copper sulphate from the air was an experiment that proved a complete success. The task was accomplished in an area where top-dressing by machine is not possible because of the rough nature of the country, and manual distribution, even if labour were obtainable, is unpleasant.
What the aeroplane did in eight flying hours would have taken a man 50 hours. The experiment resulted not only in a saving of time and human effort, but also lowered the cost and proved that future similar work is practical as well as possible. With a modern aircraft, carrying a higher pay-load, the job could have been done in two and a half hours.
The area top-dressed was peat country and deficient in copper. The amount of sulphate distributed was 3½ lb to the acre, sufficient to make up the deficiency and thereby prevent stock disease. It was not essential that the distribution should be very even, for the primary object was to give benefit to stock, not to the pasture.
No claim is made that the experiment means that large areas of hill country could be fertilised, for then the amount distributed would have to be much greater. Superphosphate, for instance, would need to be spread at the rate of about 100 lb an acre, an accomplishment which would need a great deal of prior experimental work. But peat country, in New Zealand, invariably deficient in copper, amounts to 400,000 acres; it is found in both islands, and, where in large areas difficult for top-dressing machines, could be top-dressed from the air. The country needs only a comparatively light dressing.
The area top-dressed was Lands and Survey Department land, four miles south of Waitakaruru and ten flying miles south-west of Thames.
The actual distribution was done last Friday and Saturday, though preparations started the Tuesday before. Bad weather hindered the work. The work was done by Mr O. Anderson, pilot, and Mr J. Frizzall, aircraft engineer, both of Aerodrome Services, and Dr I. J. Cunningham, of the Department of Agriculture’s research laboratory at Wallaceville, and was the result of original planning by Messrs D. O. Haskell and A. Pritchard, of Aerodrome Services.
Conditions for the experiment were far from ideal, rain falling part of the time. The humidity of the atmosphere made the free running of the copper sulphate difficult. As it was, the sulphate had to be treated to make it run smoothly.
The aeroplane was operated from the Thames aerodrome and made about 24 flights before the task was completed. The distributor of the copper sulphate, a venturi tube, was underneath the machine; the slipstream forced the fertiliser out at the necessary speed. The pilot made his run at 100 miles an hour at 100 feet, with or into the wind, and at 50 feet with a cross-wind. He started and stopped the flow of copper sulphate before and after each run as precisely as possible, having a control lever at the side of the cockpit. The point of starting the runs. was marked by a flag by Dr Cunningham on the ground. The pilot of the aeroplane piloted the Tiger Moth which recently flew in two tons of food and other supplies to the back country of South Marlborough. Mr Frizzell was the engineer on that occasion, too.
