PASPALUM GRASS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XVIII, Issue 1778, 1 March 1923, Page 7

PASPALUM GRASS.

Mr Thos H. Paterson, Government Instructor of the Department of Agriculture, visited Otorohanga on Thursday last, and journeyed out to Honikiwi ,where he went over Mr Budden’s farm with the object of seeing with his own eyes the successful growing of paspalum grass on the poorer hill lands of the King Country. Mr Budden stated that Mr Paterson expressed himself as perfectly satisfied that the grass was doing well, and was of good feeding value. He said that he wished he had brought his camera with him.

Mr Budden added that paspalum grew on his place the year round. Some fifteen years ago he sowed a ridge of about half an acre, where other grasses tore out, with paspalum, and now horses, cows and sheep would pass by English grasses six inches high to feed on it. He fully believed that if he had sown danthonia and paspalum when he first took up his farm he would have been considerably better off to-day. Paspalum, on his hilly country of light soil, at all events, could be worked out as freely as cocksfoot.