CERTIFIED RYE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 237, 19 September 1934, Page 5

CERTIFIED RYE

Experiences in South Island

VALUE OE H.B. STRAIN

The value and utility of perennial Hawke’s Bay ryegrass under South Island conditions have been the subject of considerable controversy among fanners in Otago and Southland, and in consequence ol this, it is interesting to note the concessus of opinion expressed by 12U larniers in Otago. Mr G. H. Holford, well-known in agricultural circles as the advisory officer for Imperial Chemical Industries, obtained facts from these farmers on the time ol seeding, amount of seed sown, if sown alone or with another crop, methods of grazing, etc. Jt was generally agieed that the certified grass was persistent, and that palatability was generally good, when the grass was fed at the right stage. Hawke’s Bay rye-grass has again proved its worth.

The complete statement of Mr Holford is as follows:— There was a unanimity of opinion amongst larniers that certified ryegrass was much more persistent than the usual lines ol commercial ryegrass seed they had been sowing. Some men said that often so-called peiennial ryegrass lasted under two years, and they had been inclined to sow Italian in place ol commercial ryegrass since the firstnamed grew better the first year, and often lasted as long as the false perennial type The true perennial ryegrass also stood up well to dry weathei conditions, it often showed surprisingly good growth on comparatively poor land, and recovered better than ordinary ryegrass after cutting lor seed, and made a better winter growth. PALATABILITY. Opinions varied as to the palatabiiity oi this grass compared with ordinary ryegrass or Italian. Summarising 120 farmers’ experiences, the position seems to be as follows: —Where certified ryegrass has been sown on land in good heart, especially after fed-off crops, turnips and rape, and where the ryegrass is grazed reasonably close, little difficulty in palatability has been experienced by most farmers. This point of soil fertility before sowing the ryegrass seems to be a most important factor in regard to the palatability of certified ryegress—-particularly in its first year of growth. In the Eastern Counties of England —with climatic conditions somewhat akin to those of New Zealand—farmers have found it pays to build up soil fertility before sowing down to /grass. A common practice is to take two feed--off crops—e.g., turnips, rape, or green feed—these being heavily manured. Then artificial fertiliser "is harrowed into the soil prior to sowing the grass seed. Some Canterbury farmers always build up fertility before sowing down to grass, but in far too many cases the soil is exhausted with cereal crops, and grass is sown on land in a poor state of fertility and often with another crop. Sowing with a cereal is the surest way to get a poor sward on any but the best of soils. In one instance in South Canterbury, a farmer sowed 70 acres with certified ryegrass (Hawke’s Bay mother seed). Sixty acres of the paddock had been in wheat and 10 acres in turnips. It was noticeable that when the certified ryegrass pasture was grazed the stock kept to the 10 acres where the turnips had been feed off. Here the fertility was greater and this induced more succulence in the ryegrass. SUCCULENCE. Professor Staplodon, the noted British grassland authority, states that grass is palatable in the degree that it is succulent. Even a comparatively unapalatable grass species such as fescue is palatable when it is young and growing rapidly. The noted palatability of Italian ryegrass is mainly due to its rapidity of growth and its consequent succulence. On land in comparatively poor heart. Italian and false perennial ryegrass is palatable, and the certified is inclined to be wnat farmers term “tougher” and less palatable. However, on land of good fertility, the toughness of certified ryegrass is less noticeable, with the result that stock do not differentiate between it and other ryegrass to the same extent.

Most areas of certified rye have been sown for seed; the saving of seed tends to exhaust the soil fertility. This, combined with the dry seasons of the past two years and the fact that much of it has been sown after exhausting white crops —e.g., wheat—has been, the writer believes, the reason why some farmers have had difficulty in getting stock to relish their stands of certified ryegrass. Often the ryegrass has been sown without white clover, and this, it is believed, adversely influences its palatability. Some farmers found that after a year or so, particularly when white clover becomes established with the ryegrass, the stock take readily to this grass. On all sides it is asserted that it is necessary to keep certified ryegrass closely grazed, more closely than ordinary ryegrass swards. The general opinion seems to be that certified ryegrass is less palatable in the first spring and summer than in the autumn, and that, given average weather conditions, the palatability improves each year. From evidence so far secured it would seem advisable that where is it intended to sow reasonably permanent pastures with certified ryegrass it is desirable to build up fertility where this is low, or else sow the ryegrass on land that is in fairly good heart so that there will be no question as to its fertility, even in its earliest stages. EFFECT OF TOP-DRESSING. The important question seems to be to increase the palatability iu areas already sown. In this connection some farmers have found that liming helps materially, phosphate also, but nitrogen has been the most important element in increasig palatability. The way urine patches in the sward are grazed shows the influence that nitrogen has on palatability. Most farmers who have top-dressed with sulphate of ammonia or ammoniated super—manures containing nitrogen—at the right time and in sufficient quantities, find that this is an excellent way of increasing the palatability of their certified ryegrass swards, especially when they are kept well grazed. On swards that are deficient in white clover it seems important to try

and encourage this plant, or even to try and get it incorporated into the sward by surface seeding after harrowing and by tramping with a big mob of sheep in early spring. The association of white clover with this type of ryegrass seems to be quite important in maintaining a sound and palatable sward. Despite the experience of some farmers in regard to the comparative nonpalatability of,certified ryegrass, by far the majority of farmers are satified that this plant has distinct merits in pasture production in Canterbury, and that its use will spread.