FORAGE CROPS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 144, 11 February 1916, Page 4

FORAGE CROPS.

liood permanent pasture 13 the mainstay of tanning in this country, but the up to-date dauv-farmer or sheep-fanner on arable land knows that pasiuie alor:e without a proportion ot supplementary torage crops cannot result in success at the preset values ot land in New Zealand. These .crops cau be readily ard cheaply giown after stubble. Now is the time to get busy. Barley, oats. rye-grass, ta:es (alone and in combination), crimson clover, Western Woltlis ryegrass and cow-grass, chou moellier, thousand-headed kale, and buda kHle are all available for autumn towing. It is a good plan to seed a portion of the stubble to forage crop and the balance to grass. The area devoted to forage crops can be grsssed the following autumn, thus providing an additional area of fresh young grass at that season, while the forage crop can be conveniently and advantageously fed off in conjunction with the grass sown at the same time.

Grass is good; grass plus annual forage c.opj is better. But the farmer has not reached perfection in farm-management until he has added to his resources established areas of lucerne and prairie-grass—-forage and fodder crops of t:<traordinary rmrit and comparatively long duration. There can be no trouble from shortage ot feed on the one hand or over-abundant'; on the other where tbess crops are made to answer for part ot the fodder and forage requirement, for they can be grazed, cut and fed green, hayed or ensil-d according as circumstances warrant or require

Every farmer who 13 not a lucerne grower slould take counsel will) himself. He should be critical of his methods; alocit a very brief review of his experience will bring homa to him occasions when a small paddock of lucerne would have not only losses and saved him much anxi.ty, but would hava added substantially to bis income. An old Scotch farmer, speaking recently of just such an experience, remarked itat it was very easy to be wise ahin haun, after the cvent-a shrewd enough observaticn, but not one with which to casually dismiss such an all-important subject. We want more "go" and enterprise, and less passive resistance to desirable change, with us inevitaMa sequel of vain and futile regret. Now is the farmer's opportunity to be up and doing. The potatopatch, or a few acres of stubble, clean and in good heart, will suffice for a start. Fbugh with a good furrow, apply a few hundredweights ot lime to the suriac, disk or harrow and lightly roll alternately as often as weeds show, finally roll and broadcast 151b to 181b of seed per acrt, cr drill 101b to 121b, using every coulter. Allow at least two and a-half hundredweight oi manure compored of superphosphate 4 psrts, blood and tone 1 part. Chain or brush harrow and roll sgain. Rolling prior to seeding is essential, cr seed will be buried too deep to germinate. Moreover, lucerne, like clovers, Uourishs on a hrm seed-bed. Moisture is drawn upwards, and quick germination results.

Tfierejis no real advantage in needing in r?ws for purposes of intercultivation. With the best intention this proce'B Is sure to be emitted at one stage or other; the weeds get wav and the lucerne 13 settled. Un the other hand, when lucerne is only a few inches high its root has already penetrated to a coribiderable depth. Harrowing over the young plant with tine or spring-tooth at this stage does r.ot injure it, while it cuts out young weeds. Once the lucerce gets away its clo3e growth gives weeds m chance, and the maintenance of the plot thereafter is easy Prairie grass may be seeded with lucerne up to about J'Jib pelacre. The combination is an ideal one. It is, however, a gnat advantage to have a padfuek ol prairie grass for winter and early Spring feed. II not bO Severely giazej in winter, and if cut in summer just as lh<> teed fcr.tr> etcorge, prairie grass will last several years, and when it fcegirs to thin out will often k seed itselt successfully. The initial secdiDg of prairie grass sfe-uld be fairly heavy- say, 451b per aerr.—"Journal ol Agriculture."