GRASSLAND FARMING

Hokitika Guardian, 9 December 1932, Page 8

GRASSLAND FARMING

SOUTH WESTLAND NECESSITIES

Mr G. A, .Holmes, M.Sc., J3.Agr., who lias beeir-Gn ,a ; visit: to • South Westland, expressed to a meeting of Koitorflhii ■ ■and -Matainui farmers last ; week his- appreciation of-the possibilities ofvSoutii Westland where he could see- tremendous scope for development when economic conditions improved.

Mr- Holmes-stated-that a good deal of land in South Westland could •be economically improved even at pr-sent prices-by means of burrowing, sur-ace sowing,- and top-dressing, but-to m.ike the best job of the letter class lands ploughing was'-essential. On some of the farms visited excel--' lent pastures .were to bo .seen but many -of the . paddocks were run out and contained a -grbat deal of moss, “button-weed, ,J \oik:,hire fog, s„e.t vernal, and rushes. The-first step, especially in improving land in this ondition, was clean ploughing. This ,yus be.vt accomplished by ‘the use c.f i sharp ‘scoop skimmer in front of tho beam. By ploughing with the skimner attachment the . surface weeds could be thrown into the bottom of the furrow, whereas by the ord.nary methods used a good deal of tho weeds grew up round the edge of the furrow. It was' essential when sowing Ignd to grass to have the ground clean on the surface and to have it vyorked. fine and firm. Most of the Westlgnd soils worked down well and care must be taken that the surface did not set after sowing grass. Establishment of Pastures.

Farmers of . the district were not concerned to any extent with cropping, and future developments must lie in tho direction of improvement of p.stures and in the better utilisation of the grass produced.' When ' sowing grass on ploughed land it was good practice to endeavour to establish a

ward of the best grasses and clovers iirom the start, and to secure this liming was of special benefit. A dressing of 6 or 7c'w;i of ground burnt lime should 1-e.nnni’od a few days before sowing the gra^s, Those farmer* who had a grain drill should sow the cocksfoot and timothy ’iy mixing it with the manure and sowing it.through the coulters at {-bout the depth one would sow turnips. This ensured the early establishment of these' grasses and prevented the "sheep from picking them out of the ground in their young stages. The manure used must be one which would not “burn” the seed; either basic super or a complete grass mixture was satisfactory/ and ljcvyt per-acre w-r.s "the minimum that should be used. The rest of the -grass mixture should be broadcasted . and lightly covered with chains or home-made brush harrows. Tn a district ; with such a reliable rainfall grass could be sown at any time from November to March and a covercrop was scarcely necessary although about J bushel of oats could be sown with the grass especially for a -. late autumn sowing.

The following grass mixture was re-comme-ided j-Mllb; Akarou cocksfoot fdr'lled), 41b Tirnot 1 y (drilled), lfilb certified perennial .ryegrass, 31bs Alsike, 31b red clover, lib white clover (certified), lib uoa triviali-s. Meadow foxtail - might be included for- heavy drained swamp soils, and lotus major for the poorer classes of land; the latter was very valuable for rougher conditions and surface sowings.

Improved Strains of Grasses and Clovers. A good deal had been heard recently regaining the certified strains of ryegrass, cocksfoot,, and white clover, and the lecturer explained the value of these improved selections. The sowing of cert fied perennial would undoubtedly. give a dense sward which would keep out weeds of all descriptions. Up till the present the seed had been too expensive, but it seemed likely that next harvest in Canterbury would result in a-much larger production of this seed arid consequently lower prices. Farmers should insist on getting seed ;f good germination as -much of the seed formerly saved had been very poor in this respect.

Management of Established Pastures

The chief factor in pasture management was the handling of the stock to avoid either over-grazing or undergrazing. On the West Coast both cattle and sheep were essential to good control and a proper balance should he kept up. Dairy-farmci s would find the system of rotational ' {razing very suitable -to district conditions and its adoption would result in much higher returns. Any tendency to patchy grazing must be counteracted by control of the stock, by tripod harrowing, and by “topping’ with the mower in early summer.

Top'Dressing. The value of top-dressing was so well know in the higher-rainfall districts that it would bo unnecessary to go fully into the arguments in favour of this practice. The kind of fertiliser to use,' and, the time of application were the important points, and a good deal of judgment was necessary on the part of the farmer who should carefully watch the results both for tho immediate effects and for the lasting opacity. For dairying pastures a top-dsresing of 2cwt per acre of basic super in early August could be recommended; for sheep pastures and for much .of the best quality land from 2 to 3cwt of

basic ‘ stag applied in February or March, and for, paddocks closed up for luvy. or ensilage 2cwt of ammomated super applied in November. J'asie slag was of special value not only for its phosphate content but also for its iron and other ingredients; it always made the pastures much darker in colour and greatly improved the feeding" value.