N.Z. PASTURES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 459, 17 February 1933, Page 2

N.Z. PASTURES

MANAGING METHODS IMPRESSIONS> GAINED ON TOUR BY AUSTRALIAN • EXPERT. ' ; GETTTING BEST ' FROM LAND. Sydney, Saturday. Mr. C. E. Ahrens, assistant-agros-tologist of the New South Wales Department of Agriculture, has just returned from a tour of New Zealand. In an interyiew he said he was very much* impfessed' with the' way farmefs in the Doininipn regarded grhss as an all-sufiicient crop. In niost cases the farmers did not resort to supplementary fodder crops. The making of grass ensilage " and h'ay, when there was an'abuhdance of grass, was the recognised practice, and intensive grassland farming was becoming more and more popular. The siih-division of areas into three and five-acre paddocks, and the rotatiorial grazing of them, was colnmonly regarded in Australia as the only saf isfactory me:tbod ' of dairying/ while in New Zealand it was almost invariably associated with, fat lamb raising. Allied practices, including mechanical treatment, such as frequent harrowing, were carried out extensively. Mr. Ahrens said he was definitely of the opinion that the dairy farmer in New South (Wales could considerahiy incr'ease his rate of prodtlbtion by following the principles of grassland farming adopted in New Zealand. The leading dairy farniefs in New South Wales were admittedly working on this plan, but th'e proportion was much smaller th'an in New Zealand. New Zealand certainly seemed to get the most out of its land. During the ptast year Mf. Ahrens devoted much of his time under the direction of Mr". J.' N. Whittet to research wofk inVolving the use of fertilisers. By alternately mowing and grazing trial plots quantiative results were" bbtaiiied; by "cliemicar analysis results could be determined, 'and 'so the value of a particular ' fertiliser treatment estimated. This modified technique for ' pastufre investigation work was an outstanding feature of the work at tbe plant researeh station at Palmerston North, and Mr. Ahrens welcomed the opportunity of obtainihg the latest details. He also secured fiitich valuahle information on the improvement of strains of various grasses and clovers, iseed-testing and seed certlfication work.