The Grass Experiment Lincoln college.

Manawatu Herald, 27 February 1894, Page 2

The Grass Experiment Lincoln college.

Last year a paddock, containing about 20 acres. at the College-Farm^ was marked off into six equal compartments, and sown down sepftv. rately with cocksfoot, perennial rye** "^ grass, Italian ryegrass, meadow fescue, sheep fescue. *3d£lucerne. We visited the paddock' recently, - and were somewhat surprised to BetJ^ the manner in which they, km* - beiog grazed by a flock of aheeg-^s indicating the preference for,«eoje of the grasses over the others. '» -The cocksf >ot was eaten, close down ; the meadow fescue was also^atei* ctaga • the ItalUa ryflgrnnn rrai ontia wHjhq

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closely, while the perennial ryegragsi wa.s comparatively untouched, being ijuite a foot long, hnd in flower. The *heep, if disturbed while feeding on the cocksfoot-, would walk across the ryegrass without putting their heads down until they reached the fesque, clearly showing their marked preference for those grasses over the perennial ryegrass. We could not note the lucerne or sheeps fescue as neither were thick enough to make anything like a sward. Mv Henry Overton a few years ago imported some meadow fescue, and ■owed a well-prepared paddock— one end with perennial ryegrass and the other end with the imported fescue. When he came to graze it the result was exactly the same as that experienced at Lincoln College; while the meadow-fescue was eaten bare, the ryegrass was comparatively untouched. The inference we take to be, that too much reliance is placed on ryegrass, and too little on cocksfoot and meadowfescue. Cocksfoot adapts itselt to almost all classes pi soils (except swamp) ; being deep-rooted, it resists daought in a remarkable degree. We have noticed it on the plains of Burnham (Canterbury) quite green when every vestige of herbage was scorched up with the summer sun. On the other hand, it is useless sowing meadow-fescue on any but good soil. Cocksfoot sown thick enough loses the tendency to become tufty. Dairy cattle are fond of iit, and it is tound to produce butter and cheese of the finest quality. — Press.