A PAYING CROP.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1967, 11 October 1888, Page 3

A PAYING CROP.

Those of our farming friends who are seeking to discover what crop it will pay to grow, might perhaps do worse than to turn their attention to the grass known as the tall fescue (botanically festuca elatior). In Mr Mackay's admirable handbook to" the- " Grasses and Forage Plants useful to New Zealand," published by the Government, we find the following information as to the grass referred to : — " This grass, which is closely allied to the meadow fescue, grows from four to five feet high, and cheifly m moist low ground. It is most useful m permanent pastures, being an early as well as a nutritive and productive grass. Its growth is stronger than cocksfoot, and its roots are deeper. It is suited to dry weather m light soils, and holds the soil m windy localities. It grows too coarse m good land for any stock except cattle. In hill pastures sheep like it, and it keeps green when other grasses are parched. It has been grown aneoonafuHy for seed, m. H&rrko'aBay, particularly by Mr J. D, Ormond, on his property near Hastings. The j practice is as follows :— Choose rich heavy soil, and sow it with 301 bof seed to the acre. When the crop is ripe it should be cut at once, the seed being liable to shed with the first wind. It should be threshed also at once on the ground with a flail on sheets, as half the seed would be lost if carted to a granary. The average produce of 6eed on the best land is from twenty five to thirty bushels, averaging 171 bto the bushel. During the last two years a thousand bags of it, averaging 801 b each, have been shipped from Napier to London at 9d per pound f.0.b." This it will be seen is equal to a return per acre of (roundly) from £16 to £19, and as the demand is said to bo large, and likely to continue so, the prospect should be good enough to induce the placing of a considerable area under this description of crop. We learn from the " Akaroa Mail " that the settlers of the Peninsula have already begun to turn the above information to advantage. Messrs Masefield Bros, of Gough's, having planted a considerable area this spring with the tail fescue with a view to see how it thrives m that locality. Some of onr Ashburton farmers might do worse than to follow suit.