GRASS LANDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 November 1940, Page 2

GRASS LANDS

POINTS IN MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENT OF PASTURES CLEAN CROPS ESSENTIAL. In the rush of harvesting operations and general stock work at this time of the year, frequently other important work for the improvement of pastures and stock feeding is overlooked. For instance, some of the pastures on the farm will have "got away" from the stock and will require topping with the mower to eliminate rough growth and to bring on fresh green growth. As a general rule on dairy farms it is necessary to top all these paddocks which have not been cut for hay or silage. Uneven growth is thus dealt with and certain weeds, such as buttercup, rushes and thistles, may be temporarily checked by this means. It is important in districts which are liable to attacks of facial eczema (i.e.. districts where a ■ drought may occur in late summer or autumn followed by a rapid flush of grass) to make provision both for the period of drought and also for the period of flush growth which follows. The measures advocated by the Facial Eczema Management Committee, which supervised investigations of the disease in the Waikato, are that farmers should provide adequate supplies of hay and silage, or of annual crops, that use should be made of paspalum or cocksfoot-Mont-gomery red clover pastures, and that special areas of mature grass should be saved. These precautions should be taken so that the pastures will not be allowed to become too bare or too closely grazed, and so that there will be ample feed to maintain stock safely until the autumn flush of grass is safe for stocking purposes..

PRECAUTION AGAINST DROUGHT. The saving of hay and silage is one of the best possible precautions against drought, but supplementary feeding alone will not prevent facial eczema if stock are grazing immature herbage. For both sheep and dairy farms it is a wise and safe policy to shut up in late December as much as one-quarter of the farm to provide mature herbage for grazing in the dangerous autumn flush. By commencing supplementary feeding early in the summer, the closing of this area is made possible. In these districts where ample rain may be expected in December and January it is frequently profitable to topdress at least some parts of the farm at this time. In particular paddocks cut for hay and silage may benefit. Owing to the heavy demand on fertiliser works for deliveries from January to March it is often not possible for some farmers 'to receive their orders on time. Accordingly, if those farmers who can profitably topdress in spring or summer do so, it w’ill help to relieve the demand in the autumn. MAIN CROPS. During December the main crops which may still be sown are swedes, soft turnips, chou moellier, late-sown rape and lucerne. For the production of good winter feed December sowings of chou moellier are possible. For sowing in early December swedes give good results but for late in December or in early January soft turnips are more suitable than swedes.

The varieties of soft turnips mainly used for late sowings are Hardy Green Globe and Imperial Green Globe. Soft turnips are usually drilled in 7-inch or 14-inch rows, 12 to 16 ounces per acre being sown in the 7-inch rows and 8 to 12 ounces per acre in the 14-inch rows. The turnips may also be broadcast at the rate of 21b of seed to the acre. A dressing of from 1 to 4 cwt per acre of a fertiliser such as a mixture of superphosphate and ground limestone in equal parts may be sown direct with the seed, but straight superphosphate should not be sown in contact with the seed.

ESSENTIAL WORK. From December onwards extra attention is required for many crops sown at an earlier date. Roots ridged in October or November require thinning during the month. A proper horse-hoeing prior to the thinning is also important. In the North Island crops such as swedes are not so frequently sown for intercultivation as in the South Island, but crops like maize, pumpkins, mangels, sugar beet, carrots, and potatoes all require intertillage, while mangels, sugar beet, and carrots require thinning and weeding as well. Potatoes require hoeing, weeding, and moulding up. The attention paid to crops at this time is amply rewarded by the results later obtained. No matter how good the seed and manure and how well prepared the ground for a crop, if weeds are allowed to smother the crop a large part of the time and money spent will be wasted. Weeds not only compete with the crop for plant food and sunlight but also for moisture, a great loss of moisture occurring due to transpiration from the weeds. In a dry season this may prove a big factor in reducing the crop yield. Conservation of moisture is also effected by keeping the top few inches of the soil in a condition of mulch.