THE FARM INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 577, 4 August 1909, Page 10

THE FARM INDUSTRY.

. IMPROVEMENT OF PASTURES. AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION. At tlio Agricultural Conference yesterday (which is reported at length 011 pngo 5 of this issue) an interesting discussion took placo 011 the question .of grasses for pastures. .-Mr." J. G. .Wilson (Hulls) contributed somo notes 011 a number of tho common-or tho less known grasses of economic value) and also fodder plants, and nuulo allusion to replies received to queries sent out as to tlio best grasses and tlio ruling practices in regard to mixing, sowing, manuring, and depasturing' them. Ho hoped Lincoln College would make further .experiments on tlio subject. The . question, of tlie renewal of pastures was 0110 of great and ho noticed. that for . tho southern Crown pastoral areas): which were reported w ho deteriorating, a siwll was recoinmeiidod, - A change of crop was: as desirablo lor hilly land as for tlio llats, • but ploughing was not practicable. Tho best' alternative had been said to bo' to seed tlio, land- With a fodder crop.; •Even ft crop' of thistles, would elfcct improvenient, hecauso 111 •.dying itwould lefive a'siirfaeo deposit of _■ humus gained 'at-tho expense of, tlio-subsoil. Ihoj greatest roiiovatoi'oF all was wlnto clovcr. llio carrying capacity of pasture was not always apparent on inspection. It had been noted that on.Canterbury pastures, - comparatively bare, sheep kopt in good condition whilo it was admitted that sheep on similar pastures in Auckland would starve. Mr. Wilson finally moved: . ' . "That this coiifcroneo strongly urges. tho A. and P. Associations of tlio Dominion

akl other farmers' associations to cordially, ■cb-opcrato- with'tlio supervisors '.of; experiments in both islands, in top-drossmg, and other experiments suitable to the class of farming practised, ■ may be -arranged for ill their various districts, and that for the improvement of the-Government runs, sonic port-ion of one should 1 *" bo set asido for ex--pcrimeutal purposes -so . as, to ■^ascertain.. if-:j any system for , improving'-.t1i0.-pasture can be economically carried out; and, ill order that publicity should .bo, j?iyeit, ; to theso-aud , other co-operative ; oxperiments,.' that -fre-, quent report 3 should be published by. tiio supervisors, otherwise ' the- results . aro not' - known until - thoi-Jearly report is published, ; when son-.otimcs--18 months have elapsed, after tho experiihents ■ havo' been inituitod, and, thereby much-'of; the interest', and vaLio of suoh work is lost." , Mr. Edv/in Hall (Auckland), speaking of the influfeneo iof manures on the quality of grass, said tho : Rothainsted experiments which'ho examined recently in England slt-owed that a-change) ;in<'pastures-followed very quickly on." manuring. .■ ■' Tho- mamired grass contained less woody fibre,. moro .flesh- . forming material, .more sugar aiid fatty constituents, and (in-tho liav) more succulence. To Mr. Wheeler', Mr. Hall replied that die feeding value , had been arrived at boi.il by analysis and liy practical feeding.... ' Mr. Kutherford": (Auckland) said ryegrass and cloverWero'liard' to-beat -on' land that would suit these grasses, b'lit in, many places rye for pasture was no moro permaiicuj/ than Italian ryegrass,'.-;.cocksfoot -superseding- it. Danthonia, which had followed the . fires over tho'Auckland; feni country,'kept, down s mauiika and other growths, -and carried 1 sheep well. Timothy was a valuable grass, and one which wqhld. hold-, in the land for very many years.';\"Generally, speaking, it was best to uso tho' succss-sful native grasses - on poorer grasses, rather than to plough .them up and sow imported grasses. Paspalum dilatatum was .a 1 .grass .ivliich . stock liked. In poor country it was important to get : something which would carry store, stock, - because a farmer could always find mon to do the fattening. ' 1 , . Mr. W. C. Buchanan said the available information as to' the grasses suitable for the various soils was very limited, although it had been noted that forest trees favoured different soils and localities. Lime had marked effect on some soils, but -none on others. He thought the only practicable ' method of improving t-lie Government lands • that had been alluded to would be to surfacesow grasses specially adapted to the circumstances. Farmers themselves were, at a disadvantage in tho work of experimenting to [ | find the most suitable grasses, because tho i "work was expensive. - ; Mr: Clifton ' (Director of Experiment ■ Farms) said grasses wore among the chief i things under experiment at-the northern _ex- > periment farms; Efforts must bo directed to ; choosing tho proper grasses for suitable [ localities,-rather than using standard mix- | tures. In spito of their expense, tho farmers own experiments were the most valuable. The investigations- were being continued > both on -the State farms and on _pnvato , farms. Very suggestive results,had followed :, tho t-op-drc&siiig of an old pasturp at liuas kura,' on a hill sown year's before the De-. 3 partment took over tlio farm. ■ Clover and - alsiko returned in' great abundance. Liino 3 had been ' found very useful in rondenng ■ pasture grass-so palatable that stopk ate it 1 close down. Basic slag also in tho nortli was effective. Of all the grasses that had taken 1 hold in tlio north paspalum was tho best. At J the present timo triafs wero being_cqiidncted B as to the circumstances which affected tlw , feeding values of grasses. f Mr. Macfarlane (Canterbury) expressed a desire'for more .experiment-al ..work. ..in-the . South Island.'• Security of teiiure ivas necessary to encourage farmers to. improve' their e pastures. Ho had improved freehold pastures ICO per cent, by shutting thorn, lip and sowing seeds, of good varieties. -. • ; Mr. Iliggie (M .mganui). said while a dairy farmer could perhaps. afford to apply 4cwt. '•of slag per acre for four years' action— which was equivalent to an addition of about as. per aero to his rent —tlio owner of lulls i could not afford tho samp expense. , They i 4 somo advice.on this point.'.,

The Minister for Agriculture, in some remarks on tho regrassing of Central Otago, referred culogistieally to Mr. Brucc's book on tlie irrigation of that district. Mr: Wilnoii (Hulls) said tl\at although n Main' farmer sold only Ins I)utter-fat, it could 'lm doubted tliat the milk was produced at tho expense of the minerals and other mI'redients of the soil, and fertilisers were necessary. Digestibility of pasture also was important.' He noticed that tho Canterbury A; olid ,1\" Journal'?' stated that timothy was high in nutriment, but high alsd 111 'woody libre. Tho motion was, passed.. BUTTER IN STORE. Tho butter in storo, in New Zealand on July 31 was as follows: — ' - Boxes. < Auckland • ■ ... . 6560 New Plymouth ' ... ; 3890 Patca ... ... 1120 , s Wellington ... , ••• 2382 : Lyttelton IjSS' - Duncdin / ••• 1698. ' Boxes ... TC,145 Tho. quantity 'in: storo on, July 31,. 1008/ was 17,031 boxes. Last, year'tho quantity: oi butter m store was , ainplo for, local needs. J. But . tho, posi; tion was disturbed by a rapid demand from Australia at very high prices. This year there is no indication of any such elemont unsettling tho market, and as the. new season's .Cutter' is likely to begin appearing quite as early as that; of last'season, tho dwindling of tho stored supplies may bo regarded with equanimity. , Tno _ winter, so far, has beon free from speculating. After tho end of this- month/tho new make' will rapidly meot the local consumption!