FESCUE AND BROWN TOP

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 111, 6 November 1935, Page 24

FESCUE AND BROWN TOP

WHAT BRITAIN REQUIRES

HIGH PRICES ASSURED

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, October 5. Mr. C; R. Stringer, late of Fertilisers (South Island, New Zealand). Ltd., recently visited the St. Ives Greenkeeping Research Station at Bingley, and he received a definite message from the authorities there to farmers in New Zealand who produce fescue and brown top seed for export. The finance for the working of this station 's derived largely from the subsidies from the numerous golf clubs throughout Great Britain. These clubs are the chief buyers of the seeds under discussion. Mr. Stringer had a conversation with the director, Mr. R. B. Dawson, M.Sc, who pointed out several facts of great importance to New Zealand growers. In the first place, growers should realise that fescue and brown top are used in this country almost entirely for lawns and sports turfs, and seldom for agricultural purposes. Hence, the immense importance of producing pure, fully-matured seeds. Pure New Zealand fescue and brown top seed, carrying a lasting germination test, command a ready market in Great Britain, and if proper attention is given to the production of such seed the market will expand and prices increase. These grasses are among the ideal grasses for the formation of turf suitable for fine lawns and for golf and bowling greens. SEARCH FOR SUBSTITUTES. "Owing to the unreliability as regards lasting germination and freedom from impurities of shipments at present being received,"- said Mr. Stringer, "intensive search is being made for a substitute for these two New Zealand grasses. Probable rivals for the market are German red fescue and a locaUy-grown velvet bent. German growers of red fescue ensure purity by planting the grass ;n 15-inch rows and, during its growing period,' weeding and rogueing the area. "To New Zealand growers this method may appear impracticable owing to the increased "cost of production it would entail, but increased prices would be ensured. The Research Station authorities, to whom hundreds of users look for guidance, would unhesitatingly recommend these species if pure, while one importer assured me he would pay up to £20 per ton more for 100 per cent, clean seed of lasting germination. "New Zealand growers rely on machine dressing to attend to the matter of purity. In practice, this has not proved all sufficient. For lawn purposes, among the chief impurities giving trouble are ryegrass and Yorkshire fog, and even the smallest traces are deleterious to the sample. If the usual 3oz of seed per square yard is sown and there is a rye grass impurity of only 0.1 per cent., 42 rye grass seeds per square yard have been, sown, while the same 0.1 per cent, of Yorkshire fog impurity give? 170 fog seeds per square yard. This amount in a lawn is disastrous. "The effective machine for removing rye grass from fescue seed operates with a jiggling action and consequently removes a considerable amount of the best fescue seed also. GERMINATION PERCENTAGE. "As regards the germination of New Zealand fescue seed, merchants in England are becoming very chary about importing New Zealand fescue owin» to its tendency to fall away rapidly in germination percentage after landing in this country. The fault appears not to be any factor at this end. for the same shipment may contain good and bad seed, and one season's shipment will be worse than another. Growers should immediately endeavour to locate and. if possible, remedy this fault A suggested reason for this tendency is that the seed is harvested before it is quite mature, in order to.save possible loss by shaking, but a small loss by shaking would be more than compensated for by a better and more reliable germinating sample. "Always stacking for a period in-! stead of stook thrashing should be tried as a general practice, and not as at present allowing the weather at harvest time partly to control the method used. Regarding this, it would be interesting to learn from growers if the I method of harvesting in 1932 was in any measure different from that used in 1933, for the 1932 importations to j England showed disastrous germinating qualities while 1933 importations were excellent. "Importers cannot be blamed for losing interest in an unreliable article and experts employed to discover the most suitable article for a given pur- j pose must do their duty." The gist of the final message given to Mr. Stringer by the director of the Research Station was:—New Zealand fescue and brown top at present form the chief constituents of the grass mixture used for good sports turfs. Thesi; species are wanted and in ever-increas-ing quantities provided they are reliable in purity and germination. Un'.il this reliability is assured we cannot justly continue to recommend their in- i elusion, and must continue to seek a J substitute. j