PASTURES AND ENSILAGE

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 13 September 1930, Page 11

PASTURES AND ENSILAGE

SECURING THE FULL BENEFIT

'“We have reached a stage when it is not enough to produce growth. \AA e must also be able to utilise -what we have produced,” declared Mr. R-. PConnell, of the fields division of the Department of Agriculture, addressing a. large partv of farmers which last week inspected the extensive mamirial and pastoral experiments being carried cut, on the property of Air. F. O. Bailees, of Ovoua Downs. “Quite a large number of faifners are more efficient in growing grass than they are in managing it,” he said 1 “There is more, indirect loss in this district from bad utilisation than from anv other cause. The trouble is that between now and Christmas pastures become too long and this should be avoided.’ The speaker pointed out that the two ways of coping with the increased growth from top-dressing was by making ensilage and by quicker grazing practices which involved closer subdivision. In answering the question, “Is it worth while?” Mr. Connell pointed out that Air. Baik.es, whose ensilage stack was an object lesson for many, had three seasons ago milked 69 cows with some of them wintered off the place, last season his herd had grown to 120. and not half of his ensilage stack had been used. His production lnid increased in the same three years from 15,0(X)lb of fat to 30,Cd.Mb. "1 can say that the great change has been due to top-dressing and the use of -ensilage. Top-dressing alone is not sufficient if the- extra growth is not utilised and there is -only one way to utilise that growth, and that is by making ensilage.”