IMPROVED PASTURE

Press, Volume C, Issue 29554, 1 July 1961, Page 7

IMPROVED PASTURE

Broken River Work 1 In six years of trials on | the Broken River ex-peri--1 mental area in the Upper : Waimakarire catchment it had : been shown that improved (pastures could be establastoed ; for not more Uven £ 5 an acre 1 and that with an annual top-1 ! dressing of 1 | cwt of super- ■ 1 phosphate to the acre an aver- ; ! age herbage production of' i about 4000'ab of dry matter i ,to the acre could be achieved. | I the field superintendent of i the Department of Agriculture. Mr A. R. Dingwall, told ■ the “Farming as a Business” course in Christchurch. Production Experience at Broken river had shown that annual production could range between 3000 and 80001 b of dry matter to the acre according to the i season, said Mr Dingwall, and that normally 80 per cent, or more of this production occurred during the period ; from mid-Ootober to the end iof December. ! “Thus on a dry matter pro- . duct ion basis oversowing and i top-dressing can convert I country that, in its natural ! state, requires up to five acres ■ ;to support one sheep to a 1 i potential of three or more sheep to the acre, but It can do _ i so only provided aid the herbI age grown can be efficiently I utilised throughout the year,” Ihe continued.

“Obviously if the full potential of this sward improvement is to be taken advantage of the farm programme must incorporate other feasible practices such as the growing of special purpose pastures, including lucerne, and of forage crops, and in the conservation of winter reserves to even out seasonal feed production with seasonal feed requirements. This vital question has not yet been satisfactorily answered in the high country. . . ."