THE WEEK

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27191, 7 November 1953, Page 5

THE WEEK

HARVESTING LUCERNE SEED Lucerne seed ripens late in the year, | and the crop is often too green to be I harvested satisfactorily by direct heading, says the Lincoln College Annual Review. A recent development in America and Europe designed to improve the harvesting of this crop is to spray with some defoliant or drying agent. A pilot trial conducted at Ashley Dene in early March, using various materials, gave very promising results and indicated that the principle involved was likely to be useful in Canterbury. The materials used per acre were:—penta-chlor-phenol, 31b in 20 gallons of dieseline-water (50-50) mixture; sodium arsenite, 2 gallons of 55 per cent, sodium arsenite in 20 gallons water; sevtox in dieseline, 10 pints in 20 gallons of dieseline; sodium chlorate, 10 pounds in 20 galdieseline alone, 20 gallons; poly-bor-chlorate, 12 pounds in 20 gallons of water. All the treatments, with the exception of the dieseline alone, had the effect of drying off the leaves within two days and the stems within about 10 days. The Sevtoxdieseline mixture appeared to have been unnecessarily strong, and perhaps half the quantity would have been sufficient. When threshed, the treated plots were distinctly drier and produced from 25 to 40 per cent, more seed than the untreated. HIGH HERD AVERAGE The top herd of more than five cows for the Dominion during the 1952-53 season was the Floresta Friesian stud owned by H. J. Dunn, Edendale, Southland, with an average of 5201 b fat in 282 days from the 17 cows tested to June under Official Pedigree Test. The figure increased after a . July test to 13,9801 b milk and 5151 b fat in 288 days. This was the herd’s third successive time as top herd, and . the fourth successive average of over the coveted 5001 b mark. The first was recorded in the 1949-50 season, 3 when 16 cows tested under Govern- ‘ ment O.H.T. averaged 5291 b fat in , 302 days. Under the same test the following season 15 cows created a - record year’s average for New Zea- • land under any system of testing by J averaging 5751 b fat in 304 days. Under . O.P.T. in the 1951-52 season, the herd £ secured an average of 5041 b in 284 days ‘ from 16 cows, also best figure recorded in the Dominion this season. HAY CRUSHING i Excellent results were obtained at 3 Lincoln College earlier this year in J trials of a hay-crushing machine. The ] method has attracted a lot of attention ■ in Canterbury, and the college trials * show that it has certain advantages, the chief being the reduced time required ; to make hay. In a report on the trial, the Annual ' Review of the college says: ' A trial was carried out at the college • with a commercial machine on March 24, 1953. The crop was a light cut of | lucerne estimated at A ton of hay. As ‘ might be expected at this time of the year, the weather was not very suit- ‘ able for haymaking. At 1 p.m. on 3 March 26, heavy rain commenced and 3 continued lor four days causing hay- 3 making to be abandoned. However, 3 some useful information was obtained 3 and further tests are justified during . more settled weather. 1 Results of the trial were: Chemical 1 analyses made of the crushed and un- 1 crushed material before and after rain ( showed no loss of nutrients due to crushing. The weather was partly fav- | ourable and partly unfavourable for 3 haymaking. In these weather conditions ; with this crqp r crushed hay dried to bal- 1 ing point (25 per cent, moisture) in ap- ; proximately 48 hours. Uncrushed hay J was down to 42 per cent moisture in 3 48 hours and could not have been ex- 3 pected to reach 25 per cent, in less « than 72 hours. In other words, in these J conditions, crushed hay reached baling t point in ‘ two days and uncrushed hay 3 in three days. Drying time was re- 3 duced by one-third. This is in accordance with overseas results. t FARMERS’ FIELD DAY f ‘ AT LINCOLN ® s The second general field day for 1 farmers at Canterbury Agricultural r College will be held on Tuesday, e December 1. t The programme will begin with inspections of the stud sheep, the en- P gineering laboratory and workshops r and some of the research projects. It 31 will be interrupted at 11 a.m. so that fl visitors may attend the opening by the 33 Prime Minister of the Young Farmers’ Y Club memorial lecture hall. 3 There will be a variety of choice after lunch. The crop research division of the Department of Scientific and t Industrial Research will be open for f inspection, and there will be organised tours of the college’s horticultural c activities. Y

At Ashley Dene demonstrations will be given on pasture improvement, the construction of a hay bam, and sheep research projects. There will also be a tour of the college farm, during which visitors will see a demonstration of hay crushing, baling and stacking. Other demonstrations of interest will be on lucerne, wheat, fat lamb production, dairy pastures and silage buns and clamps.