INFLUENCE ON PASTURES.

Waipa Post, Volume I, Issue 16, 9 June 1911, Page 4

INFLUENCE ON PASTURES.

INTERESTING DAIRYING EXPERIMENTS.

During the course of his experiments with pastui'es at the State Farm at Moumahaki, Mr Primrose McCoilnell has made special observations as to the influence offertilisers on the milkproducing qualities of pastures. Mr McConnell's report on the subject contains a good deal that is of special interest to dairymen. It claims that it must be at once admitted that the effect of an experiment to determine the influence of fertilisers on the milkproducing qualities of pastures cannot be easily determined. " A definite conclusion," he says, " can only be arrived at after a considerable period of time. Even then the average, rather than the actual results, has to be accepted. In Great Britain experiments of a similar nature have been carried out, and in one item they agree —namely, that judicious manuring of pastures yields a handsome return in an increased flow of milk. Of the difference between the manured and unmanured plot there is no shadow of doubt. It is when the results of plots manured with different fertilisers are compared that difficulty arises. There is invariably an increase in the flow of milk when the cows -are removed from the unmanured to the manured plot, and an invariable decrease when removed from the manured to the unmanured ; but when removed from a manured plot to another manured plot the difference is often so small as to be scarcely noticeable. It would seem that when the flow of milk is increased by the removal of the cows from the unmanured to the manured, it is very difficult to secure a further increase by removing the cows to other manured plots." Before quoting further from Mr McConnell's report, it is necessary to state that there were three experimental plots, and to give some particulars of them. No. I was unmanured. It was grazed for 24 days, the yield per cow per day was 221 b, three months' yield per cow was 5281 b, and three months' yield on the supposition that twelve cows are milked was 63361 b. On No. 2 the fertilisers per acre were : —lO cwt of ground unburnt limestone, 2cwt of superphosphate, and Iqr. of potash. The cost per acre was £1 is 6d, and the cost of the plot £3.9s iod. It was grazed for 34 days, the yield per cow per clay was 241 b, 3 months' yield per cow was Bl6lb, 3 months' yield on the supposition that twelve cows were milked was 97921 b, the financial gain per cow for three months by manuring (milk 6d a gallon) was-8s yd, and the total gain for three months (for 12 cows) £5 3s. No. 3 received 3cwt basic slag, icwt kainit. The cost per acre was £l Os 6d, and the cost per plot £3 6s 7d. It was grazed for 34 days, yielded 251 b

per cow, yielded 8501 b per cow per plot for the three months, yielded 10,2001 b as for 12 cows, the gain per cow for three months was 10s and the total gain for three months was £6 6s Bd. Mr McConnel proceeds: "In this series of trials, however, there is an appreciable gain by plot No. 3 over plot No. 2. The plots are each 3% acres in extent. They are part of a paddock of 17 acres which has been some years laid down in grass. At the date when fertilisers were applied the grasses principally in evidence (in descending order) were : Chewing fescue, cocksfoot Yorkshire fog, sweet vernal, crested dogstail, and a fair proportion of clovers, principally white. The divisions afford each plot an equal share of hill and hollow, and good and bad soil. The-ground (unburnt) limestone on No. 2 plot was applied a month previous to the sowing of the other fertilisers. The latter were sown on August 11, IQIO. Weighing of the milk . was commenced on October I, and continued for three months. When changing the cows from one plot to another, during the first three days on any plot the milk was not weighed, so that the effect from feeding on the previous plot should disappear. The three days on which the milk was not weighed are credited with the average yield. The cows were pastured a few days on each plot and moved on to another.

" Twelve cows were grazed on the 9M acres (three plots) during the whole of the three months. 'Of this number only six were tested, the others not being in a suitable stage for that purpose. The grass on* each plot was grazed as equally as possible. It will be seen from the following table that the unmanured plot carried the twelve cows a, much shorter period than the manured plots, and yet, if anything, it was always the barest. The six cows tested were giving slightly over their average flow, and all were in calf, so that the periods of coming in season could not affect the yields of milk. The object of employing a greater number of cows than was tested, was to test the full grazing capacity of each plot As the

experiment is oniy in us infancy, it would be somewhat unfair to summarise on the above results. The experiment is at present at a standstill, as another is being carried out with various forage crops at the request of the Eltham Farmers' Union. Perhaps it would be still more interesting if an additional plot were fenced off and top-dressed with a nitrogenous fertiliser. One point is perfectly clear —namely, that basic slag has almost immediate results —despite many opinions to the contrary. This fact is also abundantly proved in this year's root crop."