ROTATION OF STOCK.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 269, 6 August 1908, Page 3

ROTATION OF STOCK.

A WAIRARAPA OPINION. With reference'to the sugostions in Friday's Dominion regarding the rotation of stock upon farms, a well-known, practical South Wairarapa land owner., .informed our Wairarapa correspondent that tlieriv -was no doubt that; tho continual grazing of ono par-ticular-kind of stock on tho same land impoverished: the pastures. Thoro, wore few practical. sheep-farmers, however, -who were no.t already in possession ,of this knowledgo, but'.thoy wore not always \ablo to put their information into such practical offect as they might wish;, -It was'not every -farmer .who could afford to lock up his paddocks wholly for, cattle, 'because with'".a"somewhat limited acrengoj the earning power of -tho farm would 'bo considerably diminished. In these cases, the farmer'generally ran a few cattle upon his sheep country, which whs sweetened, to a considerable extent, and the land: never suffered to any appreciable degree. The speaker - stated that ■ the'matter was somewhat serious in the dairying districts, which were too■ much cow-ridden. The results -could be seen in almost-, any dairying district in the Bush and in the W airarapa. The land had become infested- with weeds, which.the' dairy, stock would not cat._ Managers of several of tho'.-dairy factories had voiced the complaint some years'.ago, and had declared that tb'o pastures were- becoming impoverished, and that thG quality of tho milk was deteriorating. They also. w6nt farther in their, statepients' to ; the, offect ■ that the'cows did not give so'much: milk as'formerly. It'would bo wise in tho circumstances for dairy-formers to run a few sheep on their pastures—about , one:-sheep to every-four or five. acres. These animals .would eat up all the weeds, : and their mode- of .life, coupled with the-change, would, seivrt as. an antidote to; the. cow-sickness .which' was threatening the land in' all'directions. Ik: would be impossible; for. tho average dairy farmer to .gjive up his cow farmi worth from £30 t0.;£40 per acre :to ,sheep for any settled period.. The experiment would spell bankruptcy; pure and 1 simple. ''V";; " Numbers of the principal Wairarapa sheep aiid cattle' breeders who can spare' the areas rotate their .stock 'over the/farms. 1 '"A certain .'/paddock .may. run '.sheep . for; : several seasons, .and ''then ,'it is . given, over for. a iilco period'.to/cattle,' andivice versa. - When forced to do so, 'sheep will eat almost anything," and' if : turned •in largo numbers upon a paddock, they wiliest it almost;-"bare. The. new/growth, say farmers, is nriicK im--proved by this treatment." ; ■ -It- is a'fact also that,'some'of'-our'.'dairy. farmers loserve / aportion of their farms for sheep, : wKch. are turned alternately into each' of r 'the paddocks as desired: The'rc.sult • 'is that' .the., land never •becomes sick. Several' Wairarapa> farmers discount -the opinion" Hiat.' land' can be cleansed ; by' running sheep, arid 'dairy-cows,at-.'the "same "time,-;'and it/is-. suggested that where tile holdings • are hot very : laTgo,' the solution of: the, difficulty js' for tho.' dairymen ( to: utiliso manure. Hit 'is.:!e'videht,..ll6wever ) . that-in a large number bf : instancesj. special ; treatment, is required for the pasture lands of the Dominion^owing 'to--.the'..injury which is being, done to-them through continuous graririg. It soms to bo absolutely necessary that, whei ever\possible; ."the land should' undergo .a ■ certain amount, of' tilling;;: A. well-known land would be /ten 'times' more valuable than it is. now.'if .'it. were /only worked, and.'no doubt the increase in: our'; population will 'eventually cmphasiso tho truth /of .'this statement.: 'Oats, and .turnip .crops' sown/ twice alternately,'.followed, by barley and, then .by good grasses, . have accompjished/muchin; the way, of ■' proy;isi)g upon Which sheep,. cattle'; ..find norses 'have grazed . for i years/withr.much profit/.to 'their ..enter-"/„,v[,i«rT-«i.JT ' >