WAIMANA FARMERS COMPETITIONS ARE JUDGED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 85, 21 August 1950, Page 4

WAIMANA FARMERS COMPETITIONS ARE JUDGED

At a meeting of the Waimana branch of Federated Farmers last week Mr E. R. Marryatt, Fields Instructor, reported on the 1950 hay and silage competition. He said that in the hay section,-there had been 24 entries as against 11 last year. The winners of the hay section were J. Addison and Sons first, as well as second equal with R. F. Warcllaw. In describing how he had judged the hay he said:— “Hay is what you make it. If you cut stalky paspalum and Californian thistle or sweet vernal and ribgrass you cannot make clover hay; you cannot even make good hay: for the first essential in haymaking is clean pastures. The hay should consist only of the better species of grasses and clovers. Accordingly 25 of the 50 points allowed for “material made from” go to species present in the hay.” “The main, aim in haymaking is to save leaves for that is where the nutrients are. Most nutrients are present in the leaves before flower-

ing commences and least when the plants have set seed. For this reason pasture must be cut at the right time. A grass-dominant crop should to cut not later than the early flowering stage and a clover-dominant crop not later than full bloom. Really good hay does not contain seed. Accordingly the other 25 points of the 50 allowed for “material made from” go to stage of growth at which the crop was cut.” “To make a good job of curing you aim to save leaves and you also aim to save colour for well-cured hay of high feeding value has nearly all the natural colour of the grasses and clovers. Of the 30 points allowed for*“quality”, therefore, 10 are allowed for colour, 10 for leafiness (that the leaves have not been lost and are still there), and 10 for freedom from mustiness.”

“To make a good job of storing you must provide sufficient protection from the weather and from stock. So of the 20 points allowed here 15 are allowed for “protection from the weather” and 5 for “protection from stock.”

Congratulations “I heartily congratulate the winner of this year’s competition, Mr J. Addison on the really excellent job he made of his winning hay. This was first-class clover hay baled. and stacked in the open. It was good hay because he made it good hay. He made it from a clean clovery pasture; he cut it at the right time; he saved leaf; he saved colour; ’and he made an excellent job of curing and storing. The stack was only small but there is hardly a waste straw in it. It was ridgedroof with eaves, topped with loose hay and. covered with a creosoted sack cover. I think that nothing could be more creditable at the present time with our limited knowledge of stacking baled hay than to win a open hay competition with baled hay stacked in the open. It is a splendid recommendation for the method of stacking and I have written it up for the Journal of Agriculture. ' “I would also like to compliment

Waimana farmers generally on their methods of stacking hay and protecting it from the weather. I think that Waimana stacks generally are better than those in any other district I know. Possibly you farmers are better off for corrugated iron than farmers of other districts but you certainly put what you have to a very good use. And I particularly like the lengthwise lean-to type of roof away from the prevailing rain. I have not seen better stacks of baled hay anywhere and I wish to pay a tribute in this connection to the method of stacking worked out by Mr Les Addison. I do not know of a better method and no one will go far wrong in adopting it. This has also been written up.”' Silage Section

There were 17 entries in the silage section this year compared with eight last year. The winner was Reuben Loonely, H. C. White was second and Kelson Bros, third. The fact that this is the second year of the competition and in both years H. C. White has taken second place and others have done well shows that it is possible consistently, to make good silage when the ensiling process is understood. Mr Marryatt also said that the three main types of silage were marked on the basis of a maximum of 25 points for the “fruity” (F) type, 13 points for the “sweet, overcooked” (SO) type, and 12 points for the “sour, acid” (SA) type. Seventy-five per cent of the silage in the competition was the s fruity” desirable type and the remaining 25 per cent was classed as “sweet, overcooked” and resulted from using material too advanced in growth and or not excluding the air soon enough. There was only one pit entered in the competition and

strangely enough the silage examined in this pit was classed as “sweet, overcooked.” The reason for this was that all that could be examined was at the top of the pit and also the material that went into the pit was considerably dried out when it went in. When dryingout of material which is being ensiled occurs through unfortunate circumstances a good plan is to replace the moisture by pouring some water, or better still, some whey over the stack or pit during building or filling. “The other point about this year’s silage is that: Only the best silage

was entered for the competition and there seems to be more than usual of the “sweet, overcooked” type of silage being fed out. There is no doubt that feeding value has been ♦ lost when you go for quantity at the expense of quality and I wish to stress the importance of cutting ♦fields for silage early and in the leaf stage of growth and so making better quality silage as well as getting more and better grazing from the pastures which have been cut. The best fields to use for this are those which have been fed out on during the winter and consequently have had a build up of fertility as well as of white clover. However, to be cut early these fields' must be shut up early and this is a fioint which could well be considered now.”