SILTED AREAS

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 15, 25 March 1938, Page 1

SILTED AREAS

RECRASSiNC COMMENCED ENCOURAGING’ RESULTS ' Some sowing of silted pastures has been undertaken on the Goast and at Mliriwai, and some of the results are* encouraging, states the P.B. Herald. This/was noticed by, officers oi the Lands' Department akd of the Department of Agriculture on inspections bet made into flood damage.. Mr. E. M. Bates, B.Sc., instructor in • agriculture in Gisborne, said that some very good i germination results had; been secured by those who sowed immediately after the silting and on areas where the moisture Had been retained fairly wellVv/'Y- 1 - Some of the other- farmers who sowed without cultivation, however, were not so fortunate. They were mainly those in places where the silt was not very deep and who delayed sowing rather long, the silt drying out and cracking badly before germination was complete. j Large Proportion Sown •.A large proportion of the farmers vwlio had suffered from silting had spjpi grass seed already, ani Mx Bates advised them that as soon as practicable they should make some effort to break the crust of slit either by the use of slicep or with harrows. This could be most usefully done after rain had fallen. “It is anticipated that some of the immediately sown areas will he satisfactory,” Mr Bates continued, “and when once able to be stocked there should be little further difficulty.

“I was really surprised to see how well the paspalum lias come through the silt, and I consider that those farmers subject to silting, even if only occasional silting, should establish paspalum on such areas. “I found that paspalum had push. I'd through the silt a fair depth, and although it is only a month after tne flood it had mads in some cases a growth of 9in. A disadvantage of paspalum is that it comes on rather late pi tiio spring and becomes rootbound if not properly controlled by stock, but it blends especially well with rvegrass and white clover, particularly in silted areas. Paspalum could be used to advantage on. the £ oast and Muriwai areas where further flooding is not unlikely.”