ROUGH WINTER FEED

Hokitika Guardian, 25 June 1927, Page 1

ROUGH WINTER FEED

WEST (OAST GRAZING PRACTICE,

tßy HARVESTER in the "Lyttelton Times.”) Every grazing district has its critical time of year, when fewest sheep or cattle can be carried, when stock must be sold or else fall off in condition, with ruinous results to its future pro-fit-earning capacity. In Canterbury that critical period is February, but on the AYest Coast, in the valleys of the Grey. Hokitika, etc., it is mid-Spring, say September or October, or even later. In AYales the critical period is much the same; flic grazing conditions are somewhat similar, and the rainfall is very heavy, so that a good deal of interest for West Coasters attaches to a careful pasture management trial just completed at the Welsh Plantbreeding Station. AYELSH PRACTICE.

To meet the shortage of iced in midspring. progressive Welsh fanners sow Italian ryegrass with their oat crops in spring, so that after the oats are cut they have a ryegrass pasture available for the period of scarcity next spring. The difference of opinion has risen over the question of when and how often to graze the Italian rye between the cutting of the oats and the critical' period—whether to feed it off once after harvest to or iced it both in autumn and winter, or to allow it to grow absolutely ungrazed so as to provide an abundance of rough feed for spring. If the question were being asked here, it would receive two very different answers in Canterbury and AA’elland. On the East Coast we would say, “ Feed it off as often as it will stand it, so ns to secure fresh young growth tor the spring.” On the AA est Const we would say Leave it grow rank and rough among our stumps and rushes so as to provide a reserve ol' rough food for our critical period.” Now, it is not intended to affirm that the result of tho AYelsh trial about to he described are applicable in their entirety to AYest Coast conditions, hut the conclusions arrived at are so outstanding that they should cause ns to consider our ways and make tentative modifications in our procedure. THE TRIAL DESCRIBED.

A field sown down in the ordinary way was divided into four main blocks. Half of each bi'ook was mowed, and half grazed at various intervals, the mowed half being used to determine the amount of feed that the sheep on the other half were getting at each grazing. Block 1 was left ungrazed till the critical period in mid-spring, that is, it represented the pure 11 rough feed ” system . Block 2 was cleaned up by sheep just after harvest and again in early winter; that is, it was pro-grazed twice before the critical period: while Block 4 was grazed monthly from harvest till the same critical period. THE RESULTS. The total amount of food produced during the whole period on the four blocks was as follows—the figures indicating pounds of drv matter per acre:— lb. Block I. no pre-graze 1012 Block 2, pro-grazed once ... 2200 Block ,1, pie-grazed twice ... 2355

Block 1. grazed monthly ... .‘3521 This proves conclusively that prograzings give the most feed, and that the •‘rough feed” system is very wasteful in total feed produced.

Since, however, it is the critical period of spring that is under consideration. it would he fairer to show tin' amounts of feed available at that time under the different systems of grazing. They are as follows': lb. Block I. mi pre-graze 1012 Block 2. pro-grazed once OUI Block pro-grazed twice ... 710 Block I. led monthly 200

This ,il course, shows the state of things to ho expected. Tho more recently a held is grazed, tln> less feed there will he for the next grazing: but it is to be noticed that the block tliaL was cleaned up in autumn, (Block 2) gave almost as much feed as that which had been left entirely ungrazed, showing that the autumn growth was not saved for the spring, but merely withered away if it were not fed off. i*a ratability.

But it is well known that grass left from summer till the succeeding spring consists largely of dead or withered stalks and leaves, while that fed off once or twice in the interim will he all green leafage. That the "rough feed” i.s very unpalatable is shown by the following experiment:

All the four blocks were thrown open to the sheep for a few days at the time of the final feeding off', and the numbers of ewes grazing on each block were noted on three different days. They were as follows: Sheep Per acre. Block I, no pre-graze ... 1.5 Block 2. pro-grazed once 7..'A Biock J. pro-grazed t wice ... LA. I Block I, fed monthly 2D..A That is the rough feed was so unpalatable that the sheep were actually starving themselves on the green leafage, rather than eat the abundance of rough feed freely available. XI ■TR ITT YE PROPER TIES. This aspect of the matter was. emphasised bv chemical analysis of the green leaf, the stem and the dead leaf, showing tho following amounts of useful food material in the various stages :

Per Cent Escfu! food, in green leaf ... 25.00 Useful food in stem .... .. . IS.CO Useful food in dead leaf 11.01

So that, although the ‘'rough feed" system gives somewhat the most feed in spring, that feed is both non-nutri-tious and unpalatable, ft will neither fatten nor fill.

Considering both the total hulk of feed available during the critical period and its nutrient value under the different systems of grazing, we get the following gross nutrient values ok the spring feed available: -

Block I. no pre-graze ABO Block 2. pie-grazed once . IiOB Block J. pro-grazed twice IAA Block 4, grazed monthly ... 201

Thus from the point ol view of spring feed alone, the best procedure is to clean up the pastures in autumn. say March in our climate, and then leave them till the time of greatest scarcity. This method gives more nutrients in spring, ns well as giving an extra grazing in the previous autumn. CONCLUSION. Of course, due allowance must be made for the difference between sheep and cattle, and for that between Italian rye and cocksfoot; but, eien so, this experiment conveys useful information. Many graziers punish one field in autumn =o as to save another

for curly spring; while this trial indicates that- if both arc reasnnbly led down in autumn they will provide valuable feed then, and when spring comes will furnish a greater bulk of nutritive Iced than if they had never been .grazed in autumn at all.