PASTURE PLANTS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20421, 16 December 1931, Page 18

PASTURE PLANTS.

LATEST RESEARCH. " FARMERS VISIT LINCOLN COLLEGE PLOTS. Among the most important research work that the Canterbury Agricultural College is doing at Lincoln is that concerning pastures, and the work being carried out in this direction was explained to a party of oyer 300 farmers who visited the College plots yesterday. The occasion was ''Farmers' Day,'-' organised by the College authorities and held each year. Mr J. W. Calder, of the College staff, 'explained, the work to the visitors. The first section observed was that devoted to red clover experimental work. Mr. Calder said that it was carried out with the object of establishing a red clover type which, did not have the pre-, sent characteristic of its family. of dying out of the pasture to such an ex tent. He pointed out examples of good and bad varieties among the hundreds growing separately in the field plots, and demonstrated some which had the most serviceable type of growth —lowgrowing with a wealth of foliage able to stand up to hard grazing. The method was to settle on a plant of such a suitable • type and then collect the seed. A male and female plant had to be selected and isolated in a cage. Humble bees were then caught, and after complete overhaul to see that no other pollen was carried were released in the cage for cross pollination purposes. He pointed out the method of selecting the hay types and also the methodical work of selecting the best families and multiplying from them to secure commercial seed. The red clover investigation of types had been 'in progress for. two years, he said. 'Cornish Variety. One interesting feature was the explanation of a Cornish variety which was undergoing a ,field trial with the others. Mr Calder said that' it came from seed established in pastures iu its home country for 400 to 500 years. He added that the type was one which was going to have a sphere of usefulness in Canterbury. It was late in seeding and although that meant that it could not be harvested and seeded in the same season as the New Zealand varieties were it meant a better growth of foliage, and gave it superior grazing qualities. It had been sown in an acre paddock used for severe rotational grazing and although that was nearly five years ago the red clover still persisted. He did not consider that it could be said to replace Italian ryegrass or the; usual red clover, but as a permanent pasture plant it had certain definite advantages. Mr Calder explained to the party similar work, of research being carried out in connexion with both ryegrass and cocksfoot. He said that from one plant cutting of the latter ftss than one square inch in size by seeding from it an acre had been established and from that acre 2801b of seed secured. The lots were checked under strict conditions and were grazed regularly bo : that the test was a splendid one for pasture resoarch work. Referring to ryegrass the instructor said that by means of the ultra, violet' test used now at the College it was pos-'

sible to tell whether any .particular sample, was true perennial , ryegrass or not. '.'lf samples were 'submitted by farmers to the .College, the information required could be sent to them after four or five days.