GRASS ALL THE YEAR

Feilding Star, Volume 8, Issue 2496, 8 March 1930, Page 7

GRASS ALL THE YEAR

BEST USE OF FERTILIZERS. CARRYING CAPACITY OP FARMS. OFFICIAL TESTS BEING MADE. Intensive grassland farming has become firmly established. Tt depends on the use of fertilizers. That fact is known to everyone who 1 takes any interest in New Zealand farming operations. But the second stage of this development is the learning how to apply the fertilizers in order to secure the greatest possible increase in the annual carry'ing capacity of the land. The problem involved in this is being systematically studied by officers of the Agricultural Department with the object of providing practical guidance for farmers, slates the “ N.Z. Herald.” Improvement of the sward is the object with which top-dressing is pri.marily undertaken. An advance has now been made beyond this to the stage when stimulation of growth is sought a f the periods of the year when normally it is least. TOP-DRES3ING FOR WINTER FEED. At one time it was the practice to apply most of the phosphate top-dressing in the winter or early spring, an officer of the department stated. The general effect of the application of fertilizers then is greatly to increase the late spring and early summer production of grass. Several years ago, largely owing to the propaganda of the Department of Agriculture, farmers changed over their main top-dressing to the month of March, the effect being to stimulate greatly the autumn and early winter growth of grass and so increase the carrying capacity of the farm. As from 60 4o 70 per cent, of normal grass production takes\ place in the spring and the early summer, it follows that stimulation of growth is less needed then than at the less favourable periods, if the objeet is to increase the grazing capacity of the farm. NEW METHODS FORECASTED. It is possible that the outcome of the test 3 now being completed will be that in the futuro farmers will top-dress the greater part of thoir land in March, will give some of the best fields a second dressing during the winter to increase the early spring production, and will apply fertilizers to other portions of their holdings in November and December in order to obtain the effect on the pasture in the late summer and early autumn.