LAND STOCK & CROPS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 52, Issue 145, 31 March 1932, Page 7

LAND STOCK & CROPS

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By "The Tramp.") The matter of the liming of xiastures is one about which advice is often given without any evidence to support that advice, says the "N.Z. Journal of Agriculture." The orthodox view of former times that liming is practically always economically sound cannot now be .accepted. In New Zealand liming of-grassland has produced very diverse results. Sometimes liming is obviously advisable; at other times it gives no apparent .result. In view of this, expenditure on liming should not he incurred without evidence of success attending its use under circumstances similar in essential respects. Liming by itself is seldom financially attractive. It is as a rule unwise to resort to lime ,as a substitute for those more costly artificial fertilisers, such as superphosphate and basic /slag, the worth of which has already been proved. However, if these latter manures are not giving satisfactory results the use of lime in conjunction with them is well worth a trial. The point probably of major current impartaiice is that liming, as a cheap alternative to other top-dressing of proved value is, as a rule, false economy. It has already been remarked that liming is sometimes obviously advisable; when this is so, liming of course should be according to financial ability. 1 Wherever pastures are known to respond satisfactorily, a special endeavour should be made to top-dress newly established grass. Sometimes young pastures deteriorate .appreciably because of a slight initial lack of fertility, and it is usually more profitable to prevent early deterioration by means of suitable top-dressing than later on to renovate the swards which have suffered because of failure to topdress in the early stages. Generally autumn harrowing of pastures is very desirable. Whereas on new and vigorous swards the main purpose of the harrowing may be the thorough distribution of droppings, on the other hand, in the case of old matted swards in particular, it may be very desirable to secure' sufficient penetration of the harrows to tear and aerate the turf. Both effects are so valuable that harrowing is now considered _ an essential link in the chain of practices constituting good pasture-manage-ment. The recent needed and general rains have brought a welcome change-in the colour and growth of pastures over wide areas. In regard to feed for the coming winter and following spring, because of this change some farmers seem likely to become possessed of an unfounded* feeling of, security. The point of practical importance is that the changed appearance of the pastures is apt to" be deceptive as to its effects on winter and spring feeding. While the extra growth that the rains ensure will be most valuable as a means of keeping up the condition of the stock prior to the difficult late winter and early spring period, it is desirable' to bear in mind, firstly that many farmers are facing the period mentioned with unusually low reserves of feed; secondly, that partly because of the possibility of early cold conditions, the growth of grass is not likely i to be so substantial as current appearances would lead one to expect; anil, thirdly, that, in any case, the growth is likely to bo of a. lush, immature nature," lacking the value for winter feeding that characterises . the more mature growth frequently available for winter. These considerations indicate that much .reliance cannot safely he placed upon the results from the recent rains, but that cropping measures suited to strengthen the feed position should generally be pushed on as much as possible. The mtfst important step that may yet be taken in this connection is probably the sowing of cereals. If relatively early'feed is definitely desired, barley or white oats should be employed, but in districts where such oats suffer severely from rust _ they should be employed only if it is intended to use them simply as a catchcrop for ..green feed, and not to let them develop eventually into a grain or chaff crop. When early feed is not specially desired, Algerian oats—which rightly are popular, for green feedmay well be used; they can be fed oft and then used to produce good chaff. Oats for winter and spring feed and subsequent grain or chaff production should, if possible, be sown, not later than April or early May, and it will usually provo profitable to fertilise them with lewt. to 2cwt. per acre of superphosphate, while if the crop is to he grown on land exhausted appreciably by previous cropping it may be advisable to use ammoniated superphosphate, so as to correct to some extent the shortage of nitrogen. For the purpose of building up the maximum possible supplies of winter feed care should be taken to turn into silao-e or hay, before frost injury has occurred, any available green maize or millet. Silage should be made in preference to hay if the green material available is not so small as to lead to undue wastage in ensilage.