CULTIVATING GRASSES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1315, 19 December 1911, Page 8

CULTIVATING GRASSES.

m'ErtliSTOG EXPiIKT OHXIDXS. ..The .vital importance, of the!grass cro] 'mid the necessity., for . ; more cure in iu 'cultivation i.s dealt with by Mr. l'rimrosi Al'Council, in an inlerostiiii,''article in'Uμ 'Agricultural- Department's. '"Journal. ■"We'hhvi'.V. says Mr. M'l.Wnpll,•• "heoi •long accustomed"..tfl'.placowheat' a.nd\sqm< of the otliercereal-i'.m.thc, front'railk'ii! to their importance, lovjeUiiig, .01" bVer looking; the fact that the successful.,cul •tivntioir.of'rprrals;depends' - 'to-a.great' ex tent on the '/successful • cultivation,'", n: grasses and their, ullies in the first . in stance; the latter, directly and indirectly ■providing tlie manures' (artificial -.flm other) without which cereals Could not hi successfully (jrbwn. .' ; ... • "I might'go still further and state thai all wealth 1 is, directly or. indirectly, pro duced ,by. I lie cultivation' of.'mcmi)ers"'o] tlie..gra?s.fitiiiil,y, nnd a very littlo-p'rob -ing limler the surface will convince, th< most Fcoptical ot'.'the truth'. of. : such.V£ stafc.mcnh .'..Speaking;'in. a direct sensi only, grasses n'rb thu' greatest nied.iiuiis oj -wealth-production under the:sun, and'thi ■yearly -wealth directly produced .by.'Hiei.i consumption'.reaches, a- fabu!oii3 : ituti Thus it may lie concluded thaf a know, ledgfl of", the: .bosk 'system', of cultivafioij and'of . tho" varieties'', mdst sui.table.;foi certain , localities,' is of-the most vifai importance' to ■ farmers - generally. ■ T|i( suitability ofa'p-rass or grasses , ,-f or,fjif •forciit .".localities can only bo detenu met by experiment. .Of late"years, _a numbe.i of new glasses'have'been hrouqht. undc.i notice, but for temperate climates and. or -medium .'to good.soils I am of. , npinior .that we shall eventually return to Hie ol( mixtures, varied'to suit locality and soil Of course on ■ poor soils and under ex 'home, climatic. ; condition? -tuany- of tli( new pra??es wiHundoiibtedly be of'incal culable value. Tho man who can -proline* a grass,-..0f any. variety whatever, thai will grow satisfactorily in instances when the land is. now devoid of vegetable life ' will perform a .work the importance' • 0] 'which"cannot be, estimated. Improving'.Older Grasses. . ' • ■ "A great work will undoubtedly be don< 111 the near future iu the wny of improv;.ing. tho-older'grasse.i- by the system ol selection, and no time or money spent.in this direction-can be said to.be thrown away. Many-experiments have, been carried, out to determine thcirelative feeding values of the various grasses, bnt; as in many, other instances,, scientists have failed to.'agree, so much so that a'few prominent men are beginning to venture an opinion that at present wo are.suffering -to some osfent from 'balanced ration albuminoid cnrboltydrato' fover.' Of courst I recognifc the advantage ,of a balanced ration, but it is a well."known;fact ithal certain .grassec, even ' when sown- ulone .will have little feeding value 111 one piid dock and'high feeding, value- in another Kven the' despised 'Yorkshire, fop/ which is air absolute' weed in one'locality.- has been known to.give surprising. results'.ir another, showing that a single grass, under certain.-. circumstances, - may contain .. within - itself; • a • balancet ratian, pi ,, something' at least oo,uiv nJenl. .As;, .to Itlie.. nutritive .value [ ol somi'. of. the'.well-known .grassiest I)r VuelckiT , puts them, in-' the. ' followin(lescemling order:—Mellow foxtail, shccj>'< fescue,. evergreen meadow", trra-s,, varibii: : li'M"ed ffs'euo;.- .rqugk.. s.talkpd ".msjacloV) grass)'pprbnhial ryf-*rass, .timothy. ..MVeei vecnaU ..Italian iTye'-gvass,- and, c6cksfo6t Perhaps sonic of us may be excused if An doubt the above table,' when comparec with practical results. One of the Greatest Essentials, One of the' greatest essentials in thi cultivation of grasses.is the use of pure sound seed. . . . The . purchaser 0 seed should jnsiat on'a guarantee, of. thi pr-r.c-.ni-ase of purity and .germination, an< lifak'ri a test of the germination on hi own account.by placing a few seeds be I.ween damp , folds of blotting paper o; flannel. ;. .--. . A first-cliiss. sample 0 woll-harvested grass-seed.should smell liki good h.iy, have a bright appearance,.ant come up to a certain weight per bushel 'i-ho following table may be some guide a; to the weight - , and percentage of sennina tion, of the seeds most commonly in use:Oermina Pounds tion- . per per Name. buslieL cent. Timothy IS 35 Meadow! foxtail 12 85 i'eren'lial rye-srass 30 % Cocksfoot ::............'. 22 ' '95 Crested dogstail 33 . 95 Sweet vernal 14 . "0 H:>rd fescue : 2-f 90 Tall f0eue......'....' 23 ' 93 Sheep's fesenc 27 ■ 80 fiolden oat-grass; ;...- 12 . TO • Italian, rye '. 24 .Oβ. . Smooth-stalked meadow grass 32 7.i Hough-stalked meadow-grass 30. OS Lucerne 6.1 , 03 I'ercnnial .red clever .- 65 . OS Bvo.id or. red.clover 65 9S Alsivke clovcv ..:..' 65 .18 Trt-'foil clover .: .'. ;..:'.: 65' 03 White clover' '..:.., 65 . 03 Birdsfoot-trefoil 65- 94 Although I have put the clovers all at.on weizht, in actual fact they vary a.poimi or two per busliel, but. Colli,, is nea enough'for practical : purposes. . The weights Zealand-grown.seei will.be,'os a rulc, greater than those give: in the. above table; they will alsol -as : '; rule, give better .results--than"the Britisl or European seeds...and' I.'fper'b'urel.tha the u*e of seed from acclimatised grassc will lead to more satisfactory results. .- mixturo may be made'up from tho'a'bov table that'will be-'found to. suit mos localities; but it would be presumption 01 my. p-irt to pretend to advise on tin matter, as I have already stated that th <t.is-cs and clovers most suitable for eei tain localities can only bo determined b, exnerime-.it. . . ...-., [■'or'damp, low-lying soils 0 mixture 0 timothy and alsyko clover is the. mos suitable. Alsyke, however, lasts for thre years only. . ■ . .' ' l'rairie grass (Bronius unioloides) nin; probably in the near future fake the plac of ryegrass in permanent pasture's, be in-r of a more permanent nature. 111 disadvantage of sawing this jrriss with mixture,, however; is that stock are, s fond-of it that -they are apt "to. eat 1 out- entirely .and reject the. other gra ? seProbably better results v will; be ;obtaiue from this .grass, by growing it bv itse t. Clovers and a little lucerne should b sown with all • grass-feed mixtures, no only on account of their feeding yaluc ' but also because of the. fact jtUat, 111 stead of exhausting'the soil, they ronovat it bv laying m> ,a store of nitrogen;.th roots; also supply humus for the toUowin: crop. The Preparatory Cultivation. A3 ; to the- preparatory cultivation fo fras?-'co(!s' I am prepared to find tba IJiariv authorities will-not bo at' onp.witl mo 'in my opinion for I maintain tba thorough, and .almost as.deep, cultivatioi is as necessary for this ■ crop-as for an: other, with this escDption, thativhen (iee; cultivation is undertaken it must h dono enrly, and' thoroughly. consolidate by hoavv'lulling before sowing Ibo scejl Of course I- do not advocate a plough in'.' deeper than tho ploughing for pro vioils crops of the rotation. The deer est ploughing shnnld always precede th root crop. It is true thatjunny of th grasses are surface fenders, but in i«: experience T have never found that evfci a surface fending plant will despise ; d«oply cultivated uml well aeratwl. soil Tho ordinary "scratch" given to tho toi as a prepiu-'atiou for grass seed has no thin"- to commend it. The cultivation 0 grasses on th(: latter system will give' i good resnlt for a short time only, i>ll a pasture formed on such lines has neve the same wear-and-tcar in it'if.' one form o<l br thorough preparatory cultivation The 'plan of sowing the gr:iss-H>ed lmmr diiitely after a corn crop cannot he to strongly condemned. At that singe tho soi is generally iu a state of exhaustion, nui tho jterct'iitage of weeds is at the high (■it. . . . The grnss crop is . . tho nio?t important on tins farm • an< vet. I hero is no farm crop which general ly speaking, receives such 'careless culti vation. The idoal tinio to sow. is aftfr a rno or other fnriigo crop ha* be-on fed on th land. Under careful cultivation, the.lam at Mil's «toge will Ik clean and in gooi heart. Iliipc may be.smi-n with the gras p.nd i:lo\"cr seeds to advantage and. som farmers even mainl-aiii tlut the gr.i-v grub'is never so prevalent'is 0. paj' lll ' which, baa' boen seeded down ffitE uj/i

As,to the ■truth;.of this lam not prepared 16 give an opininii; Alter repealed cultivation-the land should b: rolled and the surface-.-oil "afterwards <vorke/l to a-| liirj.tilth, li tlie'M.'ods »'<■ ' owll lj . v ' IAII,I 1 the Cambridge rcilior should go before tho • Biiwi'i , ." the ' litiK-i of.. the- roller making ;' nil. ideal, bed. for the 'seeds. A liijlic ' chain harrow should follow, and then a . '. final roll. ..Of all .tho systems -of sawi- ing,' that of sowing ..with the grass-seed >] Coulter, drill. is.-uiitbiiWedl}- the best. A ! ,-. grejit saving pf w<l is-cllectcd by this ■; f.,vstcm, :n,%:. all seeds, are, crive-red at a ■: uniform depth aiid'are evenly distributed. •' Some of .tho' seeds, such ns prairir'-gr.iss, ■■; are dillictllt .to .handle.' .They .nr« too >-■' bulky and. light to be'soivii" with the ,': dril.l;.':tiiid - ;.if. sown..by hand'they,-with' I- Other sinaller seeds, caiiuot be so fffeotu--1: filly «n-erwl:.'by- (lie. ordinary,-harrow. • The most'clftictive.plan in sowing prairie ■ grass.is- to sow separately by hand after ;■' th'P.-roller, and, (hen "give.: a light' .disC; , . '; and .again roll.-,, Clovers .and the smaller. ■• grass-s.ecds... require little ■ covering, , .. In a di)mp..weather; they will' germinate quite 1' well-on the, sin-face.- .- -, " ' -..- ■■•■ A;.Vital.Mistake.'' I? :'.;Many':farmers.;scem to thirjk-tb.it. oncp , 'a, pasture is fonriod it rec|tirrcs'no'fur ;■ -ther.attention. .Tbis is-a-.vital"mistake. -. .Pastures .that are. grazed with mature. !•: cattle'.or shfep.aro nofr-o sooii exhausted ■ !■. n-s.«'hen.grnzed..,with milk-cows, breeding- ,: e}rt%. or young,stock'; and, in tlie latter '■ c«se an occasional application' of s-ouie' 1 suitable .'fji-tiliser i?.'essential. , and pays I'. handsomely. :.. Where the mirface will ~ 'jwrniit, the pasture : should' be ehain•hiirrbwed at least once a year:. The tri-■ , pod, or- the spike chain-'lrarrbw. is the ■ i best for. this purpose. On light soils ■ an occasioiial roll:, with .a. heavy roller '~ may- be carried out with good result.: ,: .pile of the causes of the. deterioration ot [ -many. N'ew Zealand pastures is .undoubt- ,: -wily; overstocking. Kceent feeding ex■periments have upset many of nur.-opin- [ ions as to the best fertiliser, to apply-to '■ pasture- lands, and basic slas, or basic ; - slag and potash, according to the nature ■of the sail, undoubtedly stands at the top. Perhaps few: of us., realise to -the .full the value of this mannrcr-which was -introduced, only some tirenty-live. "year? 1 ago—the profitable use. •of which " has ; now spread over the civilised world. The : additional wealth '-realised ' by its introduction must be something 'fabulous. The effect of nu" application of basic slag 0:1 .some of the. poor, clay .toils in : . England has been, almost., miraculous.At Cockle Park, where-experiments lo 1 .test the influence-of manures on thefued-' ing-valup of pasture-tods were first, in,-. 1 treduced, a drct.~irig of basic .sing on poor. - clay soil gave, .in nine, years, a profit •of.; .Ell) per acre over the .unmanured ', plot.; and at the end of. the ninth year, the manured land was carrying iiiile ■.. sheep to'the acre, in comparison to f;ur- ■■ 'carried by the lijunahurpd.-'plb-tv. Oil ■. wrtnin light. soils basic slag ' has not -.given such,. , B<jod resu,lts, . wheir apolied' alone, but an improvement has."always , : i: Iteen efTec'tc'd; by the .addition of potash.. At tlio 'liu'akiira. station there iV :nn - everlasting monuUKMit to the value of . basic slag as a .pasture-drWing. The 1 pasture kiiown .as,the Biii Hill: 'consisted'- ; .eight, years ; ago nriiiciually of ingss v arid vrvrious weed:-.', Tjvo -top' dri;ssiiigs : -.6f. ■ -basic!;-slag have acted,liko ma»ic; and it. :■ .I*. now one of the best sheep pastures in i the locality,..its green, healthy appear- >, ance,. making■ it. ■ a land-miirk ,:for - many miles , around.-. The'" vajliev of this;. • the : :• ifil-st -introduction -of basic .slagCin'to' the" •■' yvaikato'caiiiio't bn-'oyer-estimated., .', '; ■" of opinion that',basic" slag.'is !■■ slow in action, and not lasting enough, rliis has been proved tn be entirely erroneous. Let anyone taks two rOw-s say m turnips, one of them, unmonnied-. aiiH■ » tne other manured' with basic s]ag. and ,' watch tho result. Immediately, the younsj E seedlings nnpsar, say,five days after sw,v- . ins. the difference between the nnpearaiKe [ of the manured and-tmnwiiiired' is.sfrik-. ; iiißly apparent, sliowing thatthe anplica- . tion of basic sia<? has an almost in=tan- - taneons effect.. 1 Xitro«fhoui> applications E have been found, to give very inferior > feeding results when applied, to pastures. I although, the effect is nlcssins; when . judged by the eye alone. ■ Bonus hnve also i beon found to give- comparatively poor . feeding results, although Tam aware thai: - many good farmers who harp not carried . out feedim? experiments will b? difficult 7 to convince of. the. fact. Jt may be asked why 1. highly mtro.wnous plant rrives good feeding results, and n ii"n-nitrog?hous nlanf. manured with n highly nitro"ennns fertiliser, does. not. This,;"-- a question which I leave to the scientist to answer.