EARLY PASTURES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 365, 28 October 1932, Page 7

EARLY PASTURES

PROMOTION OF GROWTH BY JUDICIOUS MANURIN.G. Early calving enables dairy farmers to get a hig Yhlume of production from the herd before the dry summer spell — a period difficult to make pro--vision against in the way of growing crops. Lucerne in many areas eertainly helps, markedly, hut its growth is limited to certain areas of New Zealand. The aim of many is to get at least two-thirds of th'e _ season's butter-fat production before Christ-' mas. Where autumn calving can he practised practically all the production is obtained before the dry weather sets in. - . It is folly to bring cows in early and starve. them. Early calved cows want highly nutritious feed to enable them to produce the rapidly-increas-ing supply of milk. Hay is of little ■value, ensilage certainly helps, likewise roots, hut nothing will producemilk or bring cows to the flush quickly like young grass does. Young grass is, in fact, a highly nutritious, digestible and wholesome food for stock. Grazing trials show that dairy stock fed on grass alone maintain weight and give liigh milk yield. The problem before the farmer then is how can he produce an adequate supply of early spring grass. Nitrogen, used wisely on suitable pastures, produces early grass. One cannot more expect to get a good response from feeding a poor pasture than by feeding a poor type of beast. The better the type of ani-' mai the better it can utilise the feed supplied to it. So it is with pastures. The greater the content of rye-grass and better types of berbage plants, the bigger returns nitrogen will give. Rye Supreme. One sometimes hears th'e statement that sulphate of ammonia suppresses elover. Clover is a valuable plant in any pasture, but in excess it is liable to cause bloat, and crowd out grass. Further, -it is a short season produce!*. Rye-grass gives the feed in late autumn, winter and early spring, when feed is so much appreciated. The use of nitrogen do'es not destroy the growth of clover, but strengthens the rye-grass, and evens up the ryewhite clover balance, making for a' herbage growth less liable to hloat, and giving more feed over the 12 months. In a number of instances too small quantities of nitrogenous manure have been applied to ensure adequate growth. It is of little avail giving insufficient food to an animal if it is to put on flesh or fill the bucket. So with pastures. It is no use giving too small doses of fertiliser on dairy pasture to get the hest results; it has been found that not less than 11 cwt. per acre of sulphate of ammonia should be used in conjunction with other fertilisers. Where phosphates were not used last season the use of ammoniated super (two parts super, one part sulphate of ^ammonia) is strongly advocated at the rate of three to four cwt. per acre on, uairy pastures.