Laying Down Land to Grass.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 30, 3 July 1885, Page 4

Laying Down Land to Grass.

I Mr John Wilson, ;v well known writer on fanning matters, con tributes the- following to the col v runs of the N. B. Agriculturist : — Permit me to make n, contribution to the discussion now m progress m your columud on the b<\vt method of laying down land to grass, by a narrative of my own personal experience m conducting th:it. process. About thirty— tlve years ago I resolved to lay down to grass 11 acres of land at Ellington Hill, as an adjunct to the lambing shed. It is very light, weak Boil, with no natural fitnesj for yielding a good sward of old glass, but wks'splocted for. its convenience of situation, lor being dry, fairly well sheltered, -and;, having a constant suppiy of water, ju had just then cjarxi^dii ?»Q(l:crop of; turnips which were eaten off by.; the, sheep, and Avas th u-j clean . and m, • good condition. Joeing anxious/to dp the. thing well, I went to a considerable : iri providing a mixture of seeds of ifnTtural grasses, along with the clovers m ordinary -\\sv," and 'sowed these, about the end, of .April (Northern f ternisph r efe) without a ..corn' crop. It 'happened' that the weather was dry for several~ weeks after sowing, so | that at first / the braird was very partial 9 ; but at 1 last rain fell, when the .seeds brairded well, and with them an excessive growth of annual weeds, ; winch by and .by got so luxuriant that }.£' feared my attempt-was to enil m ' faib^re. At Jast ; I set ■' d? squad of I mowers, tp^work-, ,vi?ho. out quite* a ; heavy-.swarth. ofjthis rubbish. ;I was tsopn-igratifie^r^y . finding: that I had j interposed. in time to sare. the seeds: ! from being smothered.^ foe m; a .abort j t^nie ../they ; ,canie away thick atid t vigorous', and.ijjrpspored ; ev.e'i? .< 'after. ' | W hc-n ;,,;jtho r seedi ( .were, sufficiently ' | established to stand it, large quanii|lies of turnips, with calces arid corn, were, jconsn med by ; sheep on this field e t yery j spring. Stimulated byl- this ■annual .manuring. it< eon.tin.ued'to;yk > ld-'--lqsite a, veniarJbiJ>le;quantity fof *gopd: jgiass; ,dp, wn, ,tp , the. ; Gnd ..of luyi tehan tcy< |in;|aa'y'.'lB77l^ ; ;': • vn ."■■•X*. ,'i\-\s ■••• -i-;i ( -Alfew^yjiiars istiboeqifent -to " t h fs r experiment V;iii) :; sowing- grabs' seeVr' witko.ut-a coiw ci'Oj^ 4 "d'i^c'overecl; ' by what I may call a happy accident;' •that a valuable forage crop could be •ta^en, not only without harm, but Swith positiweibenent to.the seedk A Isevere arid prolonged snowstorm had rendered it , necessary ;t(> . feed '■ the slieep pn] the, farm : of; Rawbuf n, m i Lainmermuir, then occupied !by- me, ' isd long that by the end Pf.:it the Istore of; hay, :.was.quitei exhausted, and 'had to- be -i-epleuished, if possible;' ibefpre another 'yjin'tec.-: As it would ihaye caused serious inconvejvience to Ireserve for mowing as much as the grazing land as would ha vo sufficed Sor ,this purpose. -I resolved tp sow itaresi &> beinade m pjiay, on a 26--|acre field, then due on 'the ordinary :rotation> to have carried a crop of oats jafter turnip, and sown np with small l=ee(ls. ! C> l used .for-'tKis.-'p'iVrpose the krriair^K'oiftigsbt'r^tai'es.'as being less; liable lh&ri> tlie; large §cotch,,!tares to. lodge and smother -the*' small seeds. The.,t.ares '• .produced a; heav.y crop, 'which I had no difficulty m niaking into hay: of excellorit quality. : Wheii m due -time it came toi'bc >erVed put j;otlie iill slieej) they. . dedicledly preferred it' to' the mead.ow hay, ;and throve, better on it, , I had purposed to movifMthis tare crop wheri m full |>l6btti, but a heavy; -"fall : 6f raiii so iogedsat !tliat I liad ; fp.r the' ; safety -rif ill e'seeds, tb ! ciit it bpf p.re= it bad qiii te yeachjed this .was, the seeds 1 uiiuai'ineU, ' and .V L :ne,vcr l^ad a more successful take ot -youjug grass than on this occasion. The first t>ial having been 1 soisiiccessftil, 1 con- - dinnod,.tp.;respvl'!fco the same expedient,. dotl.v^iEilingtohj arid , Rawb^rnv ixs'';Ojften as n^ed required, and with unfailing siiceossl Theohly change ]| made was that, always after this first ihstanc^, I u«ed a mixture of oats and tares=^2 bushels of r each, per acre -f-bot'h I>e3i:iie his produces a heavier fora : ge"o{*i>pi'arirl' i 6ne' less liablo to slnothei" the grass see.ds, ; I never had ahy difficulty in' cutting down 'such crops" with [.the ordinary reaping n^acfeine ;and.;.my rule was to : cut aft sodri.as the oats were fully shot, tihis-is'risuallyabout the eridof July, so that the seeds had a long time to vg^t established before winter. My unvaririg experience has been that by 1 lie following, spring the seeds thus treated proved to be the' earliest and b6st young grass I ever had. Hay made from this mixture of oats and ta|res cut green is much relished by f^i||l kinds of stppk,- which thrive" upon it] Let me' say that if showery weather occurs when the uay-inakirig is ii n .Hand,, grea t '.care to be ta ken -n ot <lo|a|lo^ i tb,e i .cocks tp, stand long; on tl^^ain.o'site^else the seeds will be da'n?age'd ; and/ als,o, tl)at when carribd, 'U hb stacks should be thatched as fast as<the.y are^built, as this kind qf stuff is; very liable to damage from raiu. Let meaddanotiieioaiition^ Pigeons, ■frothrwild and^taTrie, are so T6ud,' ii of tares tha^tinless ...they . are vigilantly herded early ..and late, from, the mpmerit'of bWirding until the second leaf is out, the crop will inevitably be rujued by these vermin.,. 1 claim, th£n, for this plan of sowing small seeds along with a "forage crop, of mijxed* bats and tares ; ( 1 ) that it enjirely avoids the risk from annual^ weed's which is incurred when ..seeds are stiwri-wiChoiitiWy jirotectin » crop; (2) it gives a valuable greet crop to ;be pOiiyerteU into' hay (or silage, if t preferred) Yhipfi be|"? mown beiptip its seeds h ye eyon bjSgiin lo ', form, has' ho ? a preciable efifept m lowering ihe fertility of the t oil j (3) it affords beneficial shelter to the j^fpurigV grasses" knd clovers a the' jjstage of grow h whe i they especially neejd \t', and (4); from being elieve I from this drop' at the . very beginnin 'j . of autumn the Weeds have' amjJe time to Iget' well-rooted and establish 1 id belibre winter. r , ; Indeed, they vr'.fl' usually make siich^ rripid and luxn iianj; grpw'tfi at ! t^? stage, and pres ut so tempting a pasture foi lambs, t wit • unlpss fee o.vner exercises a Bprmg 'control, both over himself ftnd his ishej herd, there .is ihe utmost i'ls c of , irremediable damage being don- by ovej'-grazipg! ** the i.yery onset. <T\fe plan now descnlbedis^ no. mere theory, buttasjlhe; record f ofr.long-conti .ued practise, ,v a*iarge ! scale, and uuvler ! grea (Hv rsi|y of, spila. and cli n ttty; :1", can recommend it to others with coutidencc. ;