FAULTY FEEDING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 260, 16 October 1933, Page 11

FAULTY FEEDING

EXTENT NOT REALISED GREATER CROPPING URGED. VIEWS OF MR B. P. CONNELL. “In dairying, the provision of ample digestible feed In the latter part of the summer is a particularly important matter. The feed available from pastures often becomes inadequate or unsuitable at an earlier date than many realise; at times it is failing shortly after Christmas as a ration -for reasonably good dairy stock.”

Thus Mr R. J. Connell, of the Fields Division, who remarks in the current issue of the Journal of Agriculture that ensilage and hay by themselves frequently do not make satisfactory provision for supplementary feed from pastures during the critical periods of scant grass growth. Mr Connell advocates greater attention being given to the various forage crops. “It is relatively easy to supplement suitably the feed from the pastures during the latter part of January and in February, but it is not so easy to remedy the weak feed positiou that occurs a little earlier,” Mr Connell re marks. “Fresh, leafy growth, such as the aftermath from an ensilage field and the second growth fr»m a stand of lucerne, is likely to be very valuable for this period. If there is not certainty of a sufficient supply of feed from these sources, it is usually advisable to sow in October an area of quickly-maturing soft turnips, such as Bed Paragon cr Purple Top Mammoth, for use early in the new year. “The yield from such crops may be relatively small, but this is offset by its being especially serviceable in maintaining the production of butter-fat until a later maturing variety, such as Imperial or Hardy Green Globe, becomes available.” For the winter, crops such as man gels, carrots, swedes and kales —in eluding chou moellier, which is also known as marrow-stemmed kale —were, as a rule, desirable in addition to silage and hay. Chou moellier had at times been sown with good results in October, when it provided feed in the lattei part of summer.

MANURING CHOU MOELLIER. Later sowings of kales might be made to provide feed in autumn and winter. A suitable sowing of chou moellier—which rightly had been increasing in popular favour, partly because of its marked resistance to club root —was 1 Jib. to 21b. of seed an acre, sown broadcast, or Jib. to Jib. in drills 2ft. to 3ft. apart. Full success with the crop was dependent upon high fertility; even on relatively good soils a dressing of 3cwt. to 4cwt. an acre of a mixture of equal parts of superphosphate and blood and bone was considered profitable on the basis of considerable experience. On free soils greater areas could advantageously be devoted to the field carrot, both for dairying and sheepfarming. In Taranaki, where the carrot was being exploited more fully than in other provinces, the most popular variety was probably Matchless White, while Barriball, Guerando and White Belgian had all been grown freely with good results. The average manu rial dressing was one of about 4|cwt. an acre, consisting essentially of a mixture of suprephosphate and bonedust.

The seeding usually adopted was from Hb. to IJlb. an acre, in drills 14 in. apart, but really good crops had resulted from sowing in drills 18in. to 24in. apart. Preparatory cultivation was most generally commenced between mid-August and mid-October. The Guerando carrot, which could be grown without thinning or digging, was very popular as a feed for sheep, since crops of over 50 tons an acre were not by any means rare. Ordinarily it should be sown at the rate of 11b. to IJlb. of seed an acre, in rows 18in. to 24in. apart, and intereultivated as much as possible; but It might be trown without intercultivation and sown at the rate of IJlb. of seed an acre in 14in. rows. It was considered good practice, especially for sheep, to sow it on low ridges obtained by rolling after 'the ordinary ridger.