THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 221, 17 September 1924, Page 13

THE LAND.

FARMING IN THE KING COUNTRY GRASSING VIRGIN COUNTRY. CABEFTJX SELECTION OF SEEDS • : IBKPERATIVE. (By "AI.CHOBITE.") The sowing of new lands, particularly the large areas of virgin country after a burn, is a question that should demand the closest care and examination as to the quality of the seeds being used. A large" quantity of seed is marketed and sold Ivhich, in appearance, seems clean and good value, but which in reality contains bad impurities and is "cheap," so that the writer feels no hesitation in warning farmers against inducements to p_rchase seeds on the matter of price alone. Unfortunately, when seeds are in short ] supply, with an increased or undiminished- demand, a considerably, smaller percentage of the visible supply is dressed to a high standard of purity, and consequently a correspondingly large percentage of second and third quality seed" is placed on the market, very many lines having never been near a cleaning machine. Thus, it will be readily recognised that while in good seasons the maxim, "the bestTis the cheapest," should always be a seed buyer's principle, it is even more imperative that in a season beset with short supplies., and many temptations, leading to adulteration, it should, positively be the primary rule in the purchase of all farm seeds. Too. great care cannot be taken, a? lines are frequently treated in such a way by unscrupulous foreign dealers .that- a. low grade sample will pass as first-class quality any but the most expert judge. i-"Where The Seeds Come From.' -': It'must be remembered that the bulk of the finer, seeds, used in New Zealand are .imported from almost all corners of the globe. For instance, England grows and:-exports to this Dominion, swedes, soft turnips, Essex rape, mustard, red clover, cowgrass, white clover,' crested dogstail, ryegrass,, poa trivialis, alsike, poanemoralis, - . ' We get from Russia timothy, alsike, - red clover, and cowgrass. Austria supplies us" with white clover, alsike, timothy, and red clover,* whilst Holland sends us beets, Essex rape', .-Western wolths, etc. Much of the cocksfoot sown here is imported from Denmark,-as is - also meadow fescue, meadow foxtail, etc. France grows _ and exports red clover, crimson clover, lucerne, trefoil, mustard, and white clover. From Germany we get'- sheep'si'. fescue, red fescue, hard fescue, fine-leaved fescue, lotus major, brown top, rape, poa nemoralis, florin, poa trivialis, poa aquatica, crested dogstail and white clover. North America sends us red clover, alsike, timothy, : meadow fescue; red top and poa pratehsis. (Kentucky, blue grass). It will, - therefore, be recognised that, as a result lof the seeds coming to us from all these distant'quarters of the earth, that the chances ...of* buying noxious weeds for seeds is always "on the cards." The use of impure seed is the most serious economic mistake in. grassing operations, and much of this waste is caused by failure, of the- land owner studying the question as a simple business proposition. ■ The true value of an article is generally indicated by-the;'price:*t -which it is offered, for _ale._ ;lf '& iawi'jprice is asked, it should be obvious that, generally speaking, there is,some-'reason -for this which is jiot disclosed to the purchaser. The : farmer *who looks for cheap seed—and his class js, unfortunately", large—should at least, know, just what he is buying,- when, if he has any business capacity,, he will probably realise that what is cheap at first sight is - bound to prove actually very dear iv the future. It can be taken, as a general rule that when seeds are, offered below true market value that' they are j ot good buying. - Under-Seeding. A timely word of-"warning against ie growing under-seeding iay be of value to the less experienced irmers;V: Instances have- been brought nder notice where valuable and extensive areas of good country have been seeded with only? 141b" per? acre. To expect a good sole of grass from such a sowing is absurd, for it will eventually involve an impoverished pasture. A minimum .owing to obtain even fairly profitable results, should; not be less than 241b on burns, and 451b on ploughed land per acre. Actual experience pi manyyears, and under varying conditions, "amply "confirmed that decision. It.will'be far more, profitable to farmers in .every sense, to sow 60 acres, with the seeding recommended than 100 acres under-seeded. The question, apart from permanently destroyed land, should-'be viewed as a business proposition in the light of-feed-ing value of the pasture, to which it f would he better if more attention, was paid. _ More than two-thirds -of the King Country is not within 50: per cent of its real pastoral capacity, and results can.be considered only relatively. The take of grass ou fair average "country, where 25-301b per acre is sown after a burn, would astonish the most sceptical" as to the wisdom of the policy advocated. & .. Superfine Seed The Cheapest. I For the welfare of the farmer directly, and the Dominion indirectly, it is to be hoped that landowners will not be induced, to purchase inferior seeds at low figures, in preference to . securing good seeds at higher prices. : Such a result would mean that the occupiers of farms where inferior seeds were sown would suffer considerably, and the real .able of. the pastures b.e permanently destroyed. As before stated, at no period should the stipulation for absolutely nothing hut the best quality be made with greater insistence than when values are high and seed scarce. The fact that prices are high is proof that there is a demand for all that can. be produced, and much poor seed is therefore offered. This is just the. opportunity sought for the too .successful practice of adulteration. - - ' • . . Such adulteration, in many cases, is impossible of identification by ordinary farmers, and thehfrequently only with* the aid of special apparatus. In periods bf high values, cleaning, on account of cost, is frequently not carried to such a ; -degree, of,_ perfection.-as _is. ' usually the case. The heavier the-clean-ing the less weight of the finished product for .sale,:.and these facta alone should *ut farmers on the alert.

Over-stocking' Of Pasture.. A factor which is exercising an influence of * most deleterious nature on pastures is the growing tendency to over-stock. . ..•',.'. '.'.''.':.* ' Whether the prices for stock are good or otherwise, this policy is one of the; most ill-advised a farmer can pursue.' It results in the eradication of many; of the best quality grasses, and the consequent occupation of the/-area by non-profit-producing weeds and plants, which, once established, will rapidly increase, thus diminishing enormously the i earning capacity of the pasture. . On ploughable land the result will he that the pasture will have to. be resown before its time, but on bush lands, of a steep hilly nature the damage is practically irremediable. ' - ... v In fanning activities, .as in other matters, -it is, 'preferable : to-.. prevent' trouble than to look for it—as those farmers do who fail to use care and discrimination in selecting'their grass seeds, and neglect, to protect their pastures when they are established.