Page 22 Advertisements Column 1

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21245, 17 August 1934, Page 22

auctions. H. MATSON AND CO. r MANGOLDS. I mangolds. 1 Mangolds that have been properly fitted have now matured, and should contain their lull sugar content, making a balanced ration if used with Hay for all classes o£ stock. We note in another part of this issue •that they are being retailed, on trucks at 10s per ton, and 8s ex pit, and this iseems to us to be an excellent opportunity for farmers to make use of them. Considering the low prices of foodstuff generally, mentioning that many hundreds of tons of Hay have been sold this winter in the vicinity of 30s to £2 per ton, it is surprising to us the very low condition of the majority of the dairy herds in Canterbury. Farmers would be well advised, therefore, to start feeding up their herds before they calve. As we have said before, where a good-conditioned cow should be at her full production about ■Jive davs after calving, a great number of the cows in Canterbury do not aeach that point until two months alter, owing to the fact that they have to commence by building themselves up An condition. ENTRUST TO MATSON'S YOUR FERTILISER ORDER. THEY ARE IN ATTENDANCE AT EVERY SALE, BESIDES BEING EASILY GOT IN TOUCH WITH DAY OR NIGHT BY TELEPHONE. IF YOU WANT YOUR ORDER FOR MANURES SENT OUT PROMPTLY AND TO DATE, ORDER FROM THE PRIVATE FIRM: , H. MATSON and CO. MAKING GRASS PAY DIVIDENDS. Is not this the problem facing nearly every farmer in New Zealand? Just consider this fact: 33,000,000 acres ot the occupied land in this country arc under grass, and less than 2,000,000 acres under all other crops combined. Grass, therefore, is by a long way the most important "crop" in this country. There are comparatively few farms on ■which grass does not occupy the greatest acreage. Probably grass is the farmer's most important capital equipment on which he has to pay dividends. How much value has land that is bare of plant cover? (unless it has valuable minerals underneath). Not only in New Zealand, but in the Empire, grass is the most important of all crops; it has been estimated that the grasslands of the Empire carry five hundred million head of live stock. 2t would not be hard to prove also that grass is the most important "crop" in the world, in fact, it has been said that "whilst grass does not produce any fruit in earth or air, still, should the harvest perish for a single year, iamine would depopulate the world.' The present writer will never cease to wonder why it was that grass up until comparatively recent years, was so long neglected; in fact, we rather looked upon grass, did we not, as something which occupied the ground between one crop and another —it was too common to be appreciated, something like the air we breathe. However, this would make the theme for a philosophic study and the main concern of every farmer to-day is to make his grass pay dividends. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY "GRASS": It means, does it not, many types of grasses, the useful and the useless, the permanent and the temporary, and so on. It also includes the important family of clovers. Of recent years farmers will have read much of the .importance not only of the various species of grass, ryegrass, cocksfoot, clogstail, brown-top, etc., and of clovers, v/hite and red, but also of the strains within the species; the true and false perennial ryegrasses, for instance. Space forbids any discussion of these, but it may here be stated that the main object the farmer must keep in mind is to secure over his farm the greatest percentage of what may be termed "good" grasses and clovers. We know also that good grasses are the ones requiring the best treatment from the point of view of fertilisers. The question of the types of grasses, clovers, and of strains of these, will be a matter for each farmer to decide for himself, since it is a question of suiting them to the particular environment and of treating them according to it, and to the particular class of animals grazed upon it. It is extremely fortunate that New Zealand possesses some of the most superior strains of grass and clover in the world, and the excellent work done by the officials of the New Zealand Plant Research Station, in isolating these strains, of certifying to them, and of making them available for farmers, cannot be too highly praised. Credit must also be given to the progressive farmers who have so readily taken up the question of sowing down ■what are known to be superior types of pasture plants. To make grass pay dividends then, the farmer must pay attention to the type of pasturage from which the dividend i~ to be secured. In many cases, the question of altering the type of pasturage on any particular farm is a matter of slow evolution. However, science has placed in the hands of the farmer a means by which he can quite readily make his present pasturage pay good dividends, namely, by top-dressing with fertiliser. TOP-DRESSING PAYS DIVIDENDS. It has been stated that New Zealand farmers lead the world in regard to the top-dressing of their pastures with phosphate. Phosphate is the plant food most needed by New Zealand pastures, and throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion farmers have found that it pays and pays handsomely to apply phosphatic fertiliser to their grasslands. Experience and experiment has taught most of them a good type of phosphatic fertiliser to use, a suitable quantity to apply, and the time to apply it. Much more has still to be learned in this connexion; nevertheless, investigations have shown that a large number of farmers are getting most handsome returns from their top-dressing practices. We also know to-day that due attention must be paid to lime application on many areas if full value is to be secured from the use of phosphates. Potassic manures also must riot be neglected. So much has been written, and so much advice given on these points, that it would be superfluous to enlarge upon it here. MANAGEMENT OI' 1 PASTUKKS Possibly tlio greatest advance made furd to pastures paying dividends lien all. the lines of improved management of em land. JLe.seareh work in England allowed that trass kept short has almost the equivalent ieeding value of linseed oil cake. 'the value of rotational grazing has heen demons!niled, Although a great deal more needs to be doiio by many New Zealand farmers to get the fullest value from this system of grazing. Tho management of grassland to get maximum results is a very difficult matter, but H in ono which New Zealand farmers are tackling earnestly, particularly from the n*ed for greatest production at the lowest unit fosfc. Wo <'rn coming to tho-conclusion that tor maximum returns nd vaults to be grazed hard when the pasluro u l' I ''"'" 1 " ing at its maximum, and that it is not advjgablft to gnuo 100 closely when the pasture begins to full ol'C in growth; namdv, winter, nor in winter or early spring, and not in. the dry month:* of suiniDi'r, rim p"*" ticnlar tvpo of management to f>nit a tield will depend largely on the type of land, on Urn pasturage, ami on the type of st"--{tracing on it, and the arlual teclini(|ue c only bo "worked out in detail by tho individual farmer. SAVING- SURPLUS tiItASS "J"ho caving of surplus pasturage »s rn A standard practice on many farms in NfW Zealand, particularly on dairy farrnß. The making of ensilage, and particularly of cutling it in tho *hort stage of growth, and el having hay, avo practices which aro horoniing more appreciated each 5 ear, particularly by dairy farmers. The truth that farmers nra realising U fcflat gross ift tho cheapest and most nutritious food for stock, and that tho Haying of surplus growth secured in the periods of maximum growth for feeding out in periodK of pasture scarcity is a rrioM, ceonnmi*al moans of ensuring high fctork-rarrying rapacity throughout tho year. On a largn fiumbnr of farms in New Zealand, nothing «>fch«r than prraßß is used for Mock feeding, although there iw a caws in many regions for tho use of supplementary crops with Krastt and grass-products to ensure mariTuium iflturna. $10835