Correspondence

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 99, 18 February 1892, Page 2

Correspondence

EARLY SOWING. TO THE KDITOH OF THE STAR. Sib — Your Asbnrst correspondent appears to me to be somewhat at sea in his letter of the 9th inst. regarding the cor* rect time for sowing bush land. His advice is couched in rather dogmatic language too, but his intentions are doubtless good, and we must receive his remarks in the spirit in which they are tendered, as some advantage must inevitably accrue from a correspondence on a subject of such importance, Your correspondent has evidently studied his subject but little when he says that the properties contained in ashes destroys the germinating power, as potash is one of the best known fertilisers of grass. This is conclusively proved by the immense growth of grass for the first year following a burn. With regard to the germinating power being destroyed by contact with ashes, I would like to ask your correspondent if ever he saw a field of ploughed land throw a crop of feed grass as quickly as bush land of the same quality covered with a good rich coating of ashes ? My contention and object in writing is to show that your correspondent's objection to sowing in the ashes has no foundation, and that so far from ashes being detrimental they are of immense advantage in bringing on a new crop of grass. With some experience in both early and late sowing, I have invariably found that late sowing is unprofitable, and usually resulted in a heavy crop of thistles and weeds of every description, which, combined with the frosts of autumn, destroy the more delicate grasses before they have sufficient root to resist them. And, further, that early sowing seldom fails to secure a good, early, and clean- crop of grass ; and, to copy the style of your correspondent's straight tip mode, my advice is to sow in the ashes, then if a gbdd shower or two of rain falls you. may turn your stock on before the winter. ; Whereas, if you sow late you will not be able to stock before November. It is said that if a spell of hot weather follows 'the sowing that the germinating power will be destroyed. Well, for the matter of that I have had grass seed lying on a hew burn for six weeks without any rain falling on it, and three months after the first shower have had sheep doing well on it. It is also asserted by some that if a shower of rain falls on grass seed and is followed by a drought that the young plants are apt to wither and die. This may be quite true as regards ploughed land, but on good bush burns, covered with ashes, I have never seen such a result. I am, &c., POHANGINA.