LAYING DOWN LAND TO GRASS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1991, 15 May 1885, Page 2

LAYING DOWN LAND TO GRASS.

Sfi; if(]\\\\ Wj'sfll}) a well known writor on fayminp)ajtejff, cuntrjbuteß fto fqllqw: ing to the columns'of the N. JS. Agr-ieid-. twist:— ■ . v •■ i >

Permit me to make a contribution to the diijCusßJon now in progress in -jaitt colums on the best method of laying down land to grass, by a narrative of my own personal experience- in conducting that process, About thirty-five-years ago 1 I resolved to lay down to grass about Jl acres of land at Edington Hill, as "an adjunct to tho stie'd. |t is yery light, weak soil, with'nq natural fitness for yielding a good iiyard of old grass: but was selected for its convenience of situation, for being d.ry, fairly \ye!)'sl|ol: tered, and having" a constant supply of water. It had just then carried a good crop of turnips, which were eaten off by sheep, and was thus clean and jn good, conditio!), Peing a.nxjoijs to do tl|o thing well, I went to a qonsiderable qxpense in providing a mixture of seeds of natural grasses, along with the clovers in ordinary use, and sowed these, about the end of April (Northern Hemisphere) without a corn crop. It happened that the weather was dry for several weeks after Bowing, so that at first the braird was very partial; but at last rain fell, when the seeds brairded well, and with them an excessivo growth of annual weeds, which by and by got so liizurianfc that I feared my attempt was to end in failure. Atlasjif set a squad of mowers to work, iyh'o'cut quite a heavy swarth of this'rubbish'. :; 'l was soon gratified by finding that! had interposed iritimo to save the seeds from being smothered; for in a short time they came away thick and vigorous, and proa-, pered ever after. Wlujntlie s.eed.B. werg sufficiently established to stand it, large quantities of turnibs, with cake and corn,

were consumed by sheep on this field every sptinp, Stimulated by this annual manuring it continued to yield quite a remarkable quantity of good grass down to the end of my tenantoy in May 1877. A few years subsequent to this experiment in sowing grass seed withjßj| a corn crop, I discovered, by what I Jfflycall a happy accident, that a valuable forage crop could be taken, not only without harm, but with positive benefit to the seeds. A severe and prolonged snowsfconn had rendered it necessary to feed the sheep on the farm ofßawburn, in Lammermuir, then occupied'by £JT, so long that by the end of itthe Btore of hay was quite exhausted, and; had to be replenished, if possible, before another winter. As it would have caused serious inconvenience to reserve for mowing as much of the.grazing land as.would lumiJ sufficed for this, purpose,, jj resolved & sow tares, to be made"irito' hay, on a 2iF acre field, then due on the ordinary rotation to have carried a crop of oats after turnip, and sown up with small seeds. I used for this purpose the 'small Kcenigsberg tares, as being less liable than the large Scotch tares to lodge and smother the small seeds. The tares produced a heavy crop, which I had no difficulty in making into hay of excellent; quality. When in due time-it came to'be served out to the hill sheep they decidjto preferred it to the meadow hay, aajpirove better on it. I had purposed to mow this tare crop when in full j bloom, but a heavy fall of rain so lodged it' thatl had for the safety of the seeds, ; to out jt before it had quite reached this stage, 'As it was, the Beedß were unharmed; anl'l never had a more successful take of young grass than on this occasion,. . Thej, first trial having been so successful, .I,continued to resort to tho same expedient; > both at Edington and Rawburn, as often as need required, and with unfailing success. The only oliangel made was that, always after this first instance, I used a mixture of oats and tares—2 bushels of each peracfo—both because this produces a heaw forage orop, and one less liable to smother the grass seeds, I never, had any difficulty in cutting, down such crops with the ordinary reaping machine; and my rule was to cut as soon as the- oats were fully shot. This is usually about the end of July, so that the seeds had a long time to get established before winter.- My unvaring experience ' has been ; that by. the following spring the seaH thus treated proved to-be the earliest and best young grass I ever had. Bay made from this mixture of oats and tares cut green is much relished by all kinds.of stock, which thrive upon it, Let me say that if showery weather occurs, when tho hay-making is in hand, great \care be takdn not' to allow the- 'cocks to stand long.oh tKo"4me' ! site,'else the speds will bo' damaged': and' alsdV thaf when carried, the stacks' should be thatched as'fast as they are built; as "this kind di stuff is very liable to damage from rain'. Let me add another caution. Pigeons; both wild and'tai)ie,'are so fond of tares that unless they are vigilantly'herded early and late, from the. moment'ol bairding until the second leaf is out,' the crop will ilievitably fce'ruiried by these' vermin. I claim, fhen, for jhis' pla'n-ht sowingsi)>all jeejk ' crop of mixed/q'ajs'and^ares; (l), than? entirely' "aypids' the 'risk irom 'annual weeds nhibli'^'incurred''wjieji' "seeds' aire sown witliput'any ul protectingcrop'; (2) 'ft giygs cwp ed into iiay (pr silage, it pye'fprred}, VjiiPß being mown before its seeds, have even besjun to form, has no appreciable effect m lowering the fertility of the soil; (3) it affords beneficial shelter to' the young grasses and clovers at the stage of growth when they especially need it; and (4) from bpjpg relieved from this crop &fehe very beginning of auiliiiiiff r ample''time#get welj-rooteij and '-flaw lished before winter. they will usually make such rapid' and luxuriant growth af this, stage, and present SO temptlng'a'pastur'efor lambs, that unless % owner exercises a strong' bofn overhimself'''and'his shephefdj"there"»| the utmost' }j,tei|e||af)tp imm being done by over-grazing' at' the yery onset. Tho plan now described |g' no mere theory, but is tlie record of iong-cbnlimied diversity oF stijli) i[n(J 'climate. ' L"qarj reqommend it to others'with fliprcjugji cjm.: fideneel.' 1 ''"" ' k '. l '''