FOOD FOR STOCK

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 June 1940, Page 9

FOOD FOR STOCK

SUPPLEMENTARY FODDER CROPS PLANS FOR NEW SEASON. PREPARATIONS NOW ESSENTIAL. (Published by the Masterton District Primary Production Council). At the present time farmers will bo concerning themselves with the coming cropping season, not only with planning the season's work, but also with preparatory ploughing particularly where old pasture is to be turned over. Run-out grassland is, in any case, producing practically nothing at this time Of the year and there is little to be lost in ploughing now. On the other hand early ploughing not only allows the turf to decompose more thoroughly but also Vastly improves the soil through exposing it for a fairly long period to the elements. It has been clearly established both by experience and experiment that by exposing soil to frosts, sun and air during the winter, a much better tilth is obtained much more readily than when ploughing is delayed into the warmer weather.

A factor which has an important bearing on the practice of cropping is the present state of the pastures. While many hesitate, and perhaps wisely, to plough up first-class pastures there are few who will deny that profitable cropping is possible as an intermediate stage in the renovation of pastures which have been spoiled by excessive haying, by “pugging” or which have failed through the poor quality of the original seed. Crops which can be sown in spring and early summer and which are of importance in this district include the following. For the sheep farmer, rape

is unquestionably our best fattening crop and is still most, popular despite its susceptibility to pest and disease attack. Some make a practice of sowing an area of rape and an area ol peas, the latter being a safeguard against the failure of the former. For wintering crops we have practically all the roots, swedes, turnips, mangels and chou moellier, etc. For the dairyman the range is similar. One of the most important periods for the dairy farmer in this district, is the summer and all know how rapidly production falls in face of a shortage of succulent feed at this period. Soft turnips, green lucerne and millet are three favourites for this period and these can almost be regarded as “cash” crops, so direct is their influence on milk production. In the Wairarapa no dairy farmer can afford to be without one or more of these supplementary sodrees of summer feed. There is no doubt that an extension of the area under supplementary crops is one of the quickest ways that a farmer can increase the productive capacity of his property. There is little doubt that, in many cases, this can be done with substantial profit to the owner and but rarely is any actual cash loss the result, unless periodically as a consequence of an unusual season. There is a tendency to make sweeping statements to the effect that this or that crop does no pay. Where cash crops are concerned it is easier to draw up a balance sheet but this is impossible when the return from the crop is only received after it has passed through an animal —it may be measurable in flesh or butterfat but more often is only received in terms of animal thrift and health which cannot be measured. One basis can be used, however, to calculate the value of a crop and that is by comparing its food value with that of a commercial feeding stuff. For example the food value of barley, weight for weight, is about ten times that of swedes, so that if barley is worth £lO a ton. swedes are worth £l. Similarly other crops could be valued per ton as follow: —Potatoes, £2 10s; mangels, 19s; sugar beet, £2; turnips. 12s; chou moellier, 255; average, £5 10s; and average silage, 225. These figures are very approximate but serve as a guide and show how cheap are home-grown crops compared with bought feeding stuffs. Take for instance mangels which are so unpopular because of the amount of work involved. Even if all labour was contract, the total cost per acre should not exceed £l5 to £2O, 50 tons will, it is considered, be accepted as only a fair crop. So that, at the worst, mangels would cost about 7s per ton to produce while on the basis of relative food value 1 compared with barley they are worth 19s, bearing in mind, that if the farmer has the labour available, his cash outlay in growing mangels would bo more like Is per ton. In any case farmers can, if they wish, do their own calculations and they will find that home grown foods, particularly for pigs, represent a highly profitable venture.