The Farm

Cromwell Argus, Volume LXI, Issue 3163, 18 May 1931, Page 3

The Farm

TOP-DRESSING OF CURRENT IMPORTANCE.

{journal of Agriculture.)/ Many important matters generally call for attention in April and May. Pasture toil-dressing promises to be ono of the most important of these. If for any reason top-dressing usually carried out earlier has not been done, it is well to remember that there is much in favour of April-May application of phosphatie fertilizers. Phosphates applied in the AprilMay period can be expected to assist in the provision of feed for stock through the difficult July to September period. Hence any farmers who may have to face a probable JulySeptember feed-shortage should strain their resources to the utmost to carry out top-dressing in April or May. In this category of farmers will be that extensive group which, has not built up substantial reserves of silage or grown adequate supplies of roots and hay. Especially should farmers who are wintering more stock than they wintered last season give thought to the feed that is in prospect for July to September. Little but disappointment usually comes from increased stocking unless the greater number of stock is treated "' '—' :is well .as was the previous smaller number. It is certainly late in the day now to take steps which will enable a greater amount of feed to be grown for the winter and early spring, but one of the things which wiil assist is suitable top-dressing-. Pre-winter top-dressing generally begets specific valuable results which thoso who are proposing to practise spring top-dressing should not overlook.

In considering these results it is necessary to bear, in mind that, as a rule, manures are used to the best advantage on New Zealand grassland only when, as far as possible, they even, out the rate of grass-growth throughout tho whole year. It is in this connection that pre-winter topdressing with excels. In the first place, it gives increased feed when feed is often critically. needed in late winter and early spring. In the second place, the increased winter feed resulting from autumn as compared with spring top-dressing means a smaller growth in summer, when there is 110 special need for extra feed, and when in fact, it is often "somewhat difficult to deal satisfactorily with additional grass growth. From this it is clear that, as a rule, pre-wiutor top-dressing assists in a most desirable way 111 levelling out the rate of grass-growth, and that a farmer must have a really weighty reason to justify his substituting a spring top-dressing for a pie-wintcsr one. If it is impossible to carry out all top-dressing with phosphates in the autumn or early winter, a special endeavour should be made to carry out at least some of it in the autumn. When it becomes necessary to spread top-dressing over both autumn and spring it is usually advisable to select for autumn attention those fields which are best fitted to respond to stimulation during winter and early spring. Generally these are the welldrained fields, well sheltered, 1n which rje-grass is most prominent.

The period during- which autumn lop-dressing may lie done is advancing. Tlio matter is mentioned now because generally such top-dressing is better done somewhat late than not at ail. But any considerable further delay is distinctly undesirable, particularly in the colder districts where the winter grass-growth is relatively low. If top-dressing is not carried out until close to the season when pasturegrowth is ;>t its minimum, then a considerable portion of the benefit already mentioned as coming from it will most Mitel) he misled, TREATMENT OF YOVN-G PASTURES. .Special care should be taken in the treatment of young . pastures. The plants", having been given a suitable opportunity to establish themselves. should' neither be allowed to become long and productive of flower-heads nor ho continuously eaten down closely To keep the plants desirably shortened hack it is usually best to turn in a relatively large number of stock for a short time only. This avoids the selective haul grazing 01 the. most attractive species, and the neglect of other species, which is apl to occur in cftsea of light slocking. Pi'opejrly controlled grazing/, which prevents too rank a growth during the youth of a pasture, leads to stooling - - out of the plants, and consequently to a denser sward which, more effectively covers the soil. Persistent close grazing of young pastures is especially hutmful, IjecHUfjo it means that the plants are not allowed i<, build up the strong root-systems upon which the future vigour of the pasture depends. Stock should not be grazed on young p.itjturoii if the ground is soft, as it is apt to l>c because of rain, U\v fi:anip; ling of wet, soft ground will lead to killing-out of plants and poaching of the soil in such a way as to favour eventual invasion of. \yeedo. At times, for various reasons, certain species in tr\ young, pasture ilo not establish as successfully as could reasonably be* expected under the conditions generally exporfehcetl in the locality. For instance, rye-gross

plants may be iveakly where ryegrass would bo expected ordinarily to persist. In such cases at this season a top-dressing of sulphate of ammonia usually in combination with superphosphate, may bo advisable to build up the vigour of the young rj-c-grass and to enable it thereby to establish itself permanently. Particularly in the case of young- pastures is increased fertility duo to top-dressing- likely to be worth while, because during a critical stage' it assists superior plants to compete "successfully, against invading 'inferior kinds. HARROWING OF PASTURES. In the older farming countries the value of animal manure "is rated so highly that costly and careful provision is made to bring about its most effective use. It is specially stoied ; special machines are manufactured for tile purpose of. distributing it on the fields ; it is often the subject of legal provision in leases m order that there be no neglect in respect to it. This care in the older countries contrasts sharply with the neglect, and, indeed, the abuse, of animal manure in New Zealand fanning. The contrast is probably due to the fact that, as a rule, what we can obtain easily wo seldom value properly. In New Zealand we can obtain the benefits of our animal manure much more easily than is the case in tho older countries. And so it is not surprising that we value* those benefits much less than do the older countries. From our system of farming it follows that storage of the manure is unnecessary, and that much but not all, of the necessary distribution is brought about naturally. . Yet many neglect the small and inexpensive attention which is needed here to satisfactorily complete distribution, and without: which harm instead of benefit is apt to come from animal manure on our pastures. This modicum of attention is supplied bv suitable harrowing of the grassland. At this time of the year harrowing is often urgently nscded on fields. This is because! of the annual droppings which have accumulated as the result of heavy summer stocking. The longer these remain undisturbed the greater will be the subsequent development of those rank patches of growth which are definite evidence of ineffective utilization of animal manure. On the other hand, if thev are thoroughly distributed in eood time the fertility of the whole field is improved. Apart from its value in distributing manure, autumn harrowing of grassland is at times specially desirable in dealing with fields which arc covered with matted arowth which could profitably be broken and loosened.

LIMING. Lime mav be applied to pastures in April or May. Superphosphates and ground limestone (carbonate) may safelv be mixed, if desired, and ap plied as one dressing, but superphosphate and burnt lime should not be mixed, except when one is certain that the mixture will '*•». Attributed without any delay. If a mixture of burnt lime and super is allowed to stand for any considerable time it will set into a hard mass. When superphosphate and lime are to be applied during the same period, but in separate dressings, the lime, if it can conveniently be arranged, should be applied before the superphosphate. Approximately 2 tons of ground limestone are equivalent in their ultimate influence on the soil to r ton of burnt, lime (100 lb of ground limestone is equivalent to 56 U> of burnt lime when both are pure 1 ). As a general rule, considering only the -.effect on the soil, it is not of material importance whether ground limestone or burnt lime is used, provided the dtessings of limestone are about twice as heavy as those of burnt lime. Hence their relative costs generally should determine which forms of lime should be used. Certain special circumstances, however, may lead to departure from this rule. For instance. if speedy action of the lime is desired, as in the removing of soil-sourness for the better control of crop-disease such as cluh-ro'ot, then burnt lime should bo used. Again, the cost of transport and handling,, as distinct from the cost of material, if relatively heavy, may justify preference for burnt lime, as it gives a. similar soil-effect with approximately half the material. Tn«W»ed, the costs of transport and handling are at times so heavy as to make expenditure on liming either not worth while or at least not as attractive as expenditure on other top-dressing material, such as phosphates. Ordinarily supplies of. lime in the soil tend to be depleted* because tin* lime is washed down and leached away. Hence the working of lime info the soil is to |:e avoided as simply a means of hastening loss. ADOPTION Of CRASS KNSILAC i;. It is extremely likely that next year, profiting from the experience of nejghljqurs, many more farmers will adopt the practice of grass ensilage for the first time. Particularly to those who are adopting ensilage for the first time, but also to many others who have already had experience with it, a word of warning may be fittingly given now in respect to feed reserves. The fact tiui't it is intended to save gratis silage for the first time next summer gives little,; if any, justification for. slackening oft' in regard to special feed provision during the coming year. This should be kept in mind constantly when planning tho next year's cropping programme. In introducing any sound farming system in which ensilage is a feature an essential step is the building up of feed reserves sufficient to' enable one |o face without anxiety an unfavourable period in which there may not be only a minimum amount of surplus summer grass-growth available for ensilage, but also a specially heavy demand for reserve feed. ]f proper building up of feed reserves is not carried out it it «<asv to imagine the state of affairs should the first year in which il is proposed to make a feature of ensilage mark the commencement of a period of unfavourable conditions for grassproduction. The food saved fhrouixh ensilage would be scant, and if the ensilage were not accompanied by the growing of other special crops, then rim autumn and particularly the following winter would be trving tunes. Safetv as regards teed provision should be a first consideration. Fnsilage is an excellent inert ns of cabling and maintaining a safe* position, but it is most unwise, as the above considerations illustrate, to ahruoi.lv transfer dependence in a marked degree from special crops such as turnips and mangels, to ensilage,