GRASSLANDS.

Franklin Times, Volume XX, Issue 79, 11 July 1930, Page 5

GRASSLANDS.

WHAT CAN BE DONE.

ROTATIONAL GRAZING SYSTEM

| Interesting and instructive was the ! lecture on grassland: Harming, given j last evening by Dr, A. G. Annett. There • was a fairly good attendance of i’arj mers and Mr J. W. Robinson presided, j In introducing Dr. Annett, the chairi man said the subject and the lecturer himself were both interesting. ’ The subject was particularly interesting to all because, it concerned .the feed of the animals which gave them their sustenance. The speaker was interesting because lie was both a farmer and a scientist. Dr. Annett said that all his life he had been connected with agriculture research work, first in colleges and then on the land.on his own account, and lie had kept up to date with the research work carried out in all parts of the world. He was not present to

tell his audience about fanning,' but about (he scientific development that was taking place with the aid of fertilisers and so on. Some people had a very vague idea of what was happening in New Zealand. N.Z. Favourably Situated.

i Dr. Annett said he had recently re--3 turned from a visit to Europe and 1 lie • British Isles where he had visited the - several experimental stations, hoping t to learn something of interest to New : Zealand farmers. He said he was ' firmly convinced after his observations i in other countries that New Zealand ‘ was very favourably situated agricul- ' I turally and from its grasslands New Zealand was capable of producing buttorfat cheaper than anywhere else in the world. On his return io the Dominion he found the country was suffering from a wave, of depression, and learned that some had stated that the only way over the problem was to cut down production. With this he did not agree, and remarked that the q.n]y. way out was for New Zealand to increase her primary products. This had been done and despite the low values ruling for produce the actual takings in money was at least as great as it was in* the previous season when values were higher and production lower. Dealing with the export of butter from the several exporting countries, Dr. Annett said that of the total imported by Britain, New Zealand supplied 17 per cent, Denmark 33 per cent, and the group, Sweden, Poland and Latvia, 18 per cent. Ten years ago this latter group was more or less unknown and it exported only about 4 per cent for the London market. In these countries New Zealand was got- , ting formidable opponents or com- , pelitors, and if New Zealand cut down . her production these countries would • soon find it possible io make up tlie , deficiency. He held that with the j facilities in New Zealand and arrange- ] men Is made for shipping and so on, , New Zealand was more fitted to stand \

up to the lower prices than anyone else. Economic Production. Speaking about the intensive management of grassland, Dr. Annett said grassland management had too long been regarded merely as a proposition of top-dressing and llie movement of slock from one paddock to another. He indicated that it was not that these factors wore in themselves unimportant hut they were incomplcie where, maximum economic production was the object desired. The real aim in pasture management \vas Ihe maximum produel ion of grass of tin' best quality and its most complete utilisation on farms. The ideal

might be difficult to attain bill in New Zealand where grass was the chief fodder for dairy cows, and the cows the chief source of wealth, farmers should strive, to obtain the best, results from their farms. The main diffi-

culty of course with average farmers was to have a uniform supply of grass all the year round. There were periods when grass was more plentiful than the stock could consume, and others when there was a scarcity. He pointed out that; in periods when feed was plentiful, the pastures were undergrazed, consequently the quality of the grass deteriorated from a producing value point of view. Grass in its young leafy stage was very valuable indeed, and as valuable as linseed cake, especially when the grass was in its short stage. It was necessary to divide, portion of the farm into small paddocks, so that the rotational system of grazing could be adopted. It was found that best results were obtained by first grazing the milch cows on the paddock, followed by dry stock and then sheep. Grass, when from 3 to 4 inches long, was best soiled for dairy cows. It invariably happen’d that grass, appearing about 4 inches Jong, when measured was S to 10 inches long. Tn England some farmers divided portions of their holidays into 7 and 8 paddocks and the stock was put on them in regular rotation.

Result of Experiments. On his own farm of 40 acres in the Waikato he had 8 paddocks which he increased to JO and then 15. He had, however, found that the best farm for rotational grazing was the one divided into 20 paddocks. One of the vital factors of rotational grazing was to maintain pastures in their young and leafy state at all periods of the grazing season. This could he done by the rotational system and by the application of suitable fertilisers. Experiments had proved I hat wh en cattle were put on to a new paddock the first day the milk yield might go up. because the cattle had . come from a paddock where grass was short, hut the yield invariably went down. On the second day if the paddock was a . good one the yield would go up, but, on the fourth day the yield would go down. The'reason was I hat while there appeared In be plenty of feed it- did not have sufficient nutriment as the growth

was rapid and the long grass was low in protein, and higher in fibre content with decreased palatability. Cows not., getting sufficient nourishment walked about and so used up their energy. It was essential that eows should not walk about, too much. In order to utilise the grass most effectively it must be consumed quickly when it was very short as it would

Yield Increased

j rapidly advance in growth lo a less I nutritious stage. He considered that I the time would come when it. would The found ihe host results would he obtained from grazing on a paddock for not more than 21 days. He stated that there were cases where cows giving live gallons a day had increased their yield up to 4 gallons when given starchy foods in addition to ihe nourishment- in tiie grass. The old contention that a cow fed on grass alone could not produce more than three gat- j lons a day had been proved to he j wrong. j ..Dr. Anne tt quoted a few did ails of I * experiments being carried out on Mr Jack Ranstead’s farm in the Waikato j where an acre field had been divided! into 8 paddocks, and a cow placed on I them for official testing purposes, in .the first fivem onths this cow had giv- J en not less than 701bs of fat per month and for Hie nine months she had been I under test her production was r>fit)lbs I of butter fat, and this on grass alone. I The .cow was now being fed on ensilage and it. was anticipated she would top the TOOlbs of fat for the twelve I moil lbs.

The speaker advocated small paddocks for rolalional grazing and went on to say that where there were tufts of grass and thistles, these contained inferior grasses. The aim of farmers was to get suitable pastures—such as ryegrass—white clover. Some agreed that in North Auckland paspalum was ideal. The speaker next touched on manures, and said the mainstay of pastures were phosphatic manures. The Waikato would not he what it was to-day had it not been for phoshatic manures, the sheet anchor, as it were, of the pastures. Those encouraged root development. He dealt with superphosphate, basic slag and finely ground mineral phosphates. Super, he remarked, was more fitted for the drier and lighter lands. Clay land received more benefit from basic slag. Finely ground mineral phosphates were not a : quick manure-, 'but-taking . all facts into consideration and the cases in the North' of Auckland, they gave excellent results. Provided they ■gave the results desired they were the cheapest manure to-day. He was opposed lo the farmers being misled in the matter of manure's. Finely ground mineral phosphates had not, <.*;iven (lie same results in other parts of the world, as the other phosphatic manures. He considered farmers must try out manures for themselves ; to see what was best suited for their ] lands.

Question of Quantities. Regarding quantities Dr. Annett said that an experiment made by Mr Fawcett showed that the cost of laying on 3 cwt of super per acre worked out at less than 2d per lb of butter fat on returns’received, while where 1J cwt was used per acre the cost worked out in the neighbourhood of 5d per lb. of butterfat., The farmers were going rather ahead with -phosphates now and it was found that the use of phosphates was beneficial up to 7J cwt per acre, put on in three different dressings. Experiments were now being carried out with 8 cwt over two years. In the first.place the quantity was being put on ip the first year: in the second it was being put on in'4 cwt lots each year, and in the third ease two cwt twice a year each year. He anticipated great development would lake place during the next few years with the various phosphates. He mentioned potash as giving good results on light soils and peat swamps, but on heavier soil the results were not good. If potash was used on grassland lie advocated the use of 30 per cent of potash salts.

Speaking of ijine he said that in most cases the soil we deficient inlime contents, because a big percentage of the lime was lost in drainage. Tn England a rainfall of 60 indies meant a loss to the soil of lime contents up lo r> cwt an acre. A cow. he said, took from the land through the grass, at least one cwt of limestone per acre per year. He considered the best stock was bred on limestone. country. Loss of lime caused all kinds of disease in stock. It a cow was not getting enough in its food it would draw its requirements from its skeleton and in time her progeny would suffer. He also considered that milk fever was bound up in the deficiency of lime in the cow. In soil where there was plenty of lime of milk fever were fewer than in soils where the lime contents were deficient. He did not believe in enormous dressings of lime as was Hie case in England 100 years ago, when 00 tons of lime were put on to the acre, and traces were still lo be found. He thought 7> to 10 cwt of lime per acre per year would give satisfactory results. Large quantities of lime went into the drains after rainfall.

Nitrogenous Fertilisers. Dr. Annett spent some time in a discussion on nitrogenous fertilisers. He said, that nitrogenous fertilisers were on a pre-war basis, cheaper than any other fertilisers to-day and he anticipated that in a year or two these fertilisers would drop a good deal in price, because of Hie fact that, the markets to-day wore considerably oversupplied. Nitrogen made for even growtli, and by using it properly farmers, would got earlier spring growth, at a time when feed was badly needed. Because of its possibilities in increasing the growth of grass in August, and September nitrogen \\as likely to become a factor of great importance in the dairying activities of the Dominion. If nitrogen was put on iii June the same results would not. die obtained if it were applied-in lulv. for the reason that, in June’the day/ were shorter and temperature* lower. Applied in July it would be valuable, for producing feed in August and !September, when the lem'wffs critical. Before applied it was = necessary that, be PrOflqJJDl -grazed and the grass short. He considered a dressing of from one to two ewt of nitrogenous manures sufficient for, early spring growth. Grass produced now had a much higher value than grass produced in November, it the grass was good a cow would getsufficient to eat in li hours night and morning. It was very important to husband grass at this time of the-year.

Fastures All-Important. Dr. Annelt then went on to deal with grasses and said New Zealand could hold its own in Urn work it was doing as far as grasses and pastures generally were concerned. To New Zealand pastures were all important and efforts were being made to get a grass that was.infinitely superior to the present recognised good grasses. Regarding ensilage making he said the best ensilage was made from shortgrass which contained the fundamental foodstuffs. The longer the grass the more fibre it contained and less food value. In Germany ensilage; was made, from grass five inches long, and the grass .was picked up on tour pronged forks'and placed in silos, the dairy returns ‘ beingcSdi a lb more than that received anywhere else, because the flavour of the. butter was as good as if the stock had been fed on spring grass Ensilage should be made from short grass, because it then contained great‘cr fbod valufe’ Tor milking. A fanner should have two grades of ensilage, that made from short grass for the milking cows and that made from long grass for the dry stock. . In Europe grass was dried and made into cakes and was as valuable for fattening bullocks,' and; tire quality of themeat was as good, .as it. th.ey had been Med oh green'grasses.