COWS’ PASTURE PREFERENCES FOR STUDY

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29342, 22 October 1960, Page 8

COWS’ PASTURE PREFERENCES FOR STUDY

F is hoped hat trials at Tai Tapu, Greenipark, Invercargill and on the Taieri will indicate what preferences eows have for pasture,species and what variations there are in these preferences from month to month and season to season.

Town milk supply farmers attending a field day this week were shown the trial area on the property of Mr R. G. Humm at Tai Tapu by Mr H. W. Mclntosh, consulting officer of the Dairy Board, who is co-operating in this project with Mr D. J. G. Davies, of the Department of Agriculture. Mr Mclntosh indicated that this trial followed the work done by Dr. Watkdn and his fellow workers at the sub-station of the Grasslands Division at Lincoln, where measurements were made of the palatabdlity of pasture species under grazing by sheep.

Mr Mclntosh said he did not think that he had ever spent a more interesting time than he had watching the sheep on the Lincoln trial. It had beep interesting to see how they had concentrated on certain species before they moved to others. Some of the species looked beautiful but when the sheep put their noses within an inch or two of these plants they had stopped and moved off. It seemed that these grasses exuded an odour that put them off.

These trials indicated that for sheep perennial ryegrass fell short of the minimum standard for palatability from November to February, New Zealand Grasslands cocksfoot and Timothy were not unpalatable at any stage, new long rotation ryegrass was unpalatable only in January, prairie grass was not liked in February and March, Welsh tall fescue was disliked in October and November, phalaris cross was not preferred from February to April, and Yorkshire fog was out of favour in September, October, December, January, and May. Too Long Mr Mclntosh said his feeling was that for too long farmers had been growing pasture species because they liked them. They ha’d not troubled to find out what the old ewe or cow liked. On Mr Hunam’s property the trial area was sown last March, and after taking a cut for silage it should be possible to begin grazing in about a month’s time. There are three areas of slightly less than seven acres each. On one paddock there are acre strips of phalaris tuberosa, prairie grass, short rotation ryegrass. New Zealand Grasslands cocksfoot, timothy, and Welsh tall fescue. On the headland there is a mixture of all these species, with the main pasture of prairie grass, cocksfoot, timothy, and short rotation. This will mean that when cows first come into the paddock they will be introduced to all of the species and will not have become accustomed to particular species before they are cross grazed over all of the varieties.

On another paddock, a pasture of one bushel of prairie grass, 21b

of cocksfoot, 21b of timothy, and 41b of short rotation ryegrass has been sown. It is thought that this might be an ideal mixture from a palatability point of view and the object is to see whether it contains palatable species all the year round. In still another paddock prairie grass, cocksfoot, and timothy is being grown with short rotation at 31b, 41b, and 51b to the acre, to determine the maximum

level at which ryegrass can be included in the mixture without exerting a suppressing influence on other species. In all paddocks 11b of white clover, lib of cowgrass, and 11b of alsike have been included.

On the property of Eggleston Bros., at- Greenpark, perennial ryegrass will be tested for palability as well as other species and part of each species will be spray irrigated.

Dry matter production will also be measured on all trial areas.