LIGHT RYEGRASS CROPS

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25709, 22 January 1949, Page 5

LIGHT RYEGRASS CROPS

HARVESTING METHODS Although there has been a substantial fall in small seed prices since the peak year in 1946, the area harvested ( for grass and clover seed has not declined appreciably. During the years of abnormal prices many crops yielding only five or six bushels to the acre of machine-dressed ryegrass seed gave quite a payable return to the grower provided that harvesting equipment was available on the farm. To-day farmers are adjusting their methods of handling pastures to meet the fall in seed prices. In many cases ryegrass areas, which have been harvested for a few years, are badly contaminated by goose grass. A few years ago many of these would have been harvested for either grass dr clover seed, but the practice of taking an early hay. crop, followed by heavy grazing to eliminate goose grass, has become more common. This season a number of light crops, which are reasonably free from Inferior grasses, have been harvested by a stripper attached to a light motor truck. Others have been harvested with the ordinary grass seed stripper. In the last few seasons some farmers have direct headed ryegrass over white clover and later harvested a clover crop. In North Canterbury this year a few have adopted a practice, new, at least, to the district. The ryegrass seed crop has been direct headed and the seed placed in partly filled sacks and hung over a fence to condition. The mower and tedder follow straight after the header, cutting and placing the material in a windrow suitable for picking up with the hay baler. In some cases, header, mower, baler and tedder have been working in the one paddock on the same day. The work has been facilitated by seasonal conditions, for most crops harvested in this way were threshed i and baled before the rain, otherwise the hay could not have been baled so • soon after the mower. The hay so • produced is not of first class quality, j but is bright, and in some cases has I a fair percentage of clover. The j average yield of hay . from the ' paddocks handled in this way is ■ slightly more than one ton to the ecre j and the average yield of machine- : dressed rvegrass seed is estimated at > about 14 bushels to the acre. For handling light grass crojjs the > practice has much to commend it, for not onlv is seed and useful hay produced. but the paddock is cleared of any straw that could, if left, provide ■ shelter for such pests as grass grub - and porina.