COCKSFOOT CULTURE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 June 1938, Page 3

COCKSFOOT CULTURE

ESTABLISHMENT IN DRY AREAS. USEFUL & APPROVED MIXTURES. The establishment of cocksfoot in pasture mixtures on areas of medium to low rainfall has always been a difficult problem. Cases have been observed where a mixture of 251 b of ryegrass, 101 b of cocksfoot, 21b of white clover, and 21b of crested dogtail have been sown, and it has been found that the s cocksfoot takes from two to three years to become firmly established. In actual practice the cocksfoot sown at this rate per acre is invariably thin, and when the ryegrass begins to run out there are not sufficient cocksfoot plants left in the sward to warrant leaving the area in pasture. One method of overcoming this difficulty has been to recommend an increased amount of cocksfoot, namely, 201 b per acre. With the increased amount the cocksfoot makes quite a reasonable sward along With white clover and ryegrass, but even with the increased quantity of seed the plants still take from two to three years to become firmly estaolished. Recently, it was suggested to a farmer who had had difficulty in the past in establishing cocksfoot successfully to drill the cocksfoot. The following mixture was used: 151 b of ryegrass, 151 b of cocksfoot, and 51b of Montgomery red clover, together with 10 ounces of turnips. The cocksfoot and turnips were drilled with 1J cwt. of reverted super, and the ryegrass and Montgomeryshire red clover was broadcast. The area was sown early in January, and when inspected six weeks later there was an excellent strike of all species, the cocksfoot plants being as well grown and as firmly established as the ryegrass. A further inspection of this area was made recently, and the cocksfoot has stood up to the grazing very well indeed. Under the above system the cocksfoot was far enough advanced to. withstand the grazing by sheep. With the broadcasting of cocksfoot, the ryegrass is ready for grazing long before the cocksfoot, and in the feeding a large number of cocksfoot plants are p.ulled up and kicked out by the stock so unless a heavy seeding of cocksfoot is. used in the mixture to allow for the heavy death rate, a poor establishment results.

The drilling of cocksfoot for seed purposes, together with white clover, can be recommended, but on no account should red clover be included, because the red clover will be in full growth when the cocksfoot is ready for harvest, and where a binder is used for harvesting the clover gets into the butts of the sheaves and makes it difficult to get them dry for harvesting.

PAMPAS GRASS EXCELLENT CATTLE FOOD. EFFECTIVE AGAINST DISEASE. Pampas grass has proved a very valuable fodder for cattle and sheep both during the winter and summer and many Waikato farmers have already established plantations of the grass, which they are finding invaluable for supplementary feeding. Outstanding success with pampas grass has been obtained by Mr Alex McClean, of Waitakaruru, who states that pampas is a deep-rooting plant, supplying minerals not reached by grass and which appear to be necessary to maintain health. At the same time, he says, it gives the necessary roughage to provide a balanced diet. Mr McClean reports that some of his sheep and cattle showed signs of facial eczema, but that he immediately turned all his stock on to pampas with the result that affected stock have recovered. He states that where stock are infected they eat the pampas readily. For many years Mr McClean has made no hay or ensilage nor done any cropping, but he has always had supplementary fodder from his pampas plots. The demand for rooted plants has become so widespread that he has put down several acres of nursery. He is more convinced than ever that the strain of pampas grass he has developed offers a solution to many of the problems ‘facing the farming community today and from the point of view of health of stock, labour, economy and a permanent supply of fodder he has certainly proved this in his own case.