GRASSES.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 281, 16 June 1875, Page 2

GRASSES.

The following, from the pen of Mr. J. D. Canning, of Poraugahau, on the subject of grasses, appeared lately in the Hawke's Bay Het aid; and which containing, as it does, a fund of useful information to country settlers generally, we transfer to our columns fortheir perusal- : —

Sir, —Haying been solicited by several of the leading members of the Hawke’s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society to read a paper on so i.e future occasion, on the adaptability of English grasses for the purposes of permanent pastures, &c., (which I have promised to do), after reconsidering the question I think it will prove more beneficial if you will kindly give a space in your columns for various extracts and comments thereon which I may from time to time submit for the consideration of a large proportion of your subscribers deeply interested in this subject. A residence of over 20 years in this province, during which time I have been wholly engaged in pastoral and agricultural pursuits, and have had many opportunities of testing the merits of many of the Railing varieties of permanent pasture grasses, emboldens me to bring this subject before my fellow-settlers, many of whom are old friends, and have with myself taken equal delight in endeavoring to ascertain what kinds of grasses are best fitted for the use of permanent pasture. The old cry of “ Bye grass and clover, nothing lihe it,” has at last proved fallacious, and now that the time has arrived when from various causes we are bound to seek for “ pastures new,” I hope to be assisted in what humble observations I may make by those of my fellow-settlers or others who are more competent than myself to lend a helping hand. Ido not hesitate to say that of all works I have consulted I have found none to equal in point of general information, where prac-. tice is combined with science, that published by George Sinclair, F.L.S., F.H.S., being the result of experiments instituted by the Duke of Bedford, and printed in the year 1825. This word is deservedly admitted to be the authority of the day, and is, I believe, the best extant. I purpose making copious extracts from the same, and shall comment slightly on each variety in succession, eventually reducing the whole to a paper to be road before the Pastoral and Agricultural Society, when I shall court discussion, practical or otherwise, calculated to enlighten us on the all important subject, viz., —What is the most efficient plan to be pursued in laying down our lands for the purpose of permanent pasture or otherwise? And what are the different varieties of grasses essential to the same ? —I am, &c., Jno. Davis Canning. Oakbourne, Wallingford, May 29,1875. I shall commence with the variety named agrestis vulgaris, fine bout grass. My reason for so doing is, that I find very recently the seed of this grass has been introduced into this province, highly recommended by some of our Southern confreres. On its being mentioned to me that it was found to be one of the most valuable of grasses, I confess I was at sea, the very name— vulgaris— implying to the contrary. “ Parnell ” justly observes :— “ This grass is said to be disliked by cattle generally, and is not of sufficient importance to merit the attention of agriculturists. It grows on heaths and pastures, sometimes at an elevation of nearly 2000 feet above the sea.” Practically I know nothing of this grass, having ranked it amongst the weeds. It may be suitable to dry, sandy, and, comparatively speaking, arid soils, and situations such as Taupo, but that it will never take a place amongst the leading varieties I leave those perusing the following extracts from “ Sinclair ” to judge. The adaptability of soils to grasses is what we all have to consider ; and whereas agrestis vulgaris may prove serviceable where none other of the finer varieties of the English permanent pasture grasses will flourish, still it must be remembered that great caution should be exercised in not introducing any other varieties than those whose properties have been thoroughly tested into so fertile a district as Hawke’s Bay. I have carefully gone through the whole of this family, and herewith furnish copious extracts, which are well worth perusal by those who do not possess Sinclair’s work, as also by those who are practically acquainted with the agrestis tribe. As more or less of a creeping variety, it necessarily follows that it impoverishes the soil; but, on careful examination, and from the fact that some of the varieties, such as agrestis stonolifera vel latifolia, termed, florin, as also anguslifolia, are found in the best of English pastures, we are justified in selecting them for a place in the mixtures I shall hereafter propose to select. I now give you the following extracts from “ Sinclair,” calling, your special attention to the merit s of florin or agrestis stonolifera vel latifolia, which I unhesitatingly select as the best of this family. At page 237 we are given the following sound advice:—

“ The chief properties which give value to a grass are, nutritive powers, produce, early growth, reproductive powers, or the property of growing rapidly after being cropped, and the facilities it offers for its propagation by seed. If one species of grass could be discovered that possessed all these properties in a superior degree to every other, the knowledge of distinguishing the different species of grass with certainty, that of the soilsand subsoi s best adapted to their growth, and their natural habits, comparative value, and merits of the different plants would then be more for curiosity than utility. But the results of these experiments have proved that a combination of all the merits and properties which give value to a grass is not to be found in a superior degree in any single grass. Indeed, if such w-as the case, it would seem singular that nature, for the same purpose, finds it necessary to employ so many.” “Sinclair,” page 132, says: — “The different grasses, and other plants, which compose the produce of the richest natural pastures, arc in number, twenty-six. From

the spring till the end of autumn, there is not a month but what constitutes the particular season of luxuriance of one or more of these grasses: hence proceeds the constant supply of rich succulent herbage throughout the whole of the season, a circumstance which but seldom or never happens in artificial pastures, where the herbage consists of two or three plants only. If the best natural pastures be examined with care during the various periods of the season, the produce will be found to consist of the following plants : — Alopeeurus pratensis (meadow foxtail), dactylis glomerata (round cocksfoot), festuca pratensis (meadow fescue) (meadow catstail), anthoxanthum odoratum (sweet scented vernal grass), holens avenaceus (tall oat-like soft grass), vicia sapiens (creeping vetch), lolium perenne rye) grass), bromus arvensis (field brome grass —frequent), poa annua (annual meadow, or Suffolk grass), arena pratensis (meadow oat-grass) — which afford the principal grass in the spring, and also a great part of the summer produce. Avena flavescens (yellow oat-grass), hordeum pratense (meadow barley), cynosurus cristatus (crested dog’s tail), festuca duriuscula (hard fescue), poa trivialis (rough stalked meadow grass), poa pratensis (smooth stalked meadow grass), holcus lanatus (woolly soft meadow grass), trifolium pratense perenne (perennial red clover), trifolium repens (white or Dutch clover), lathyruspratensis (yellow vetch or meadow latliyrus), festuca glatira vel duriuscula (smooth fescue) — which yield produce principally in summer and autumn. (To be Concluded.)