GETTING THE MOST OUT OF GRASS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3263, 5 February 1931, Page 2

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF GRASS.

Closely linked up with the question of pasture management is that which is concerned with the treatment of areas that have been cut for hay and ensilage so that these areas may be depended upon to provide a large amount of good autumn grazing. Usually there is a dry spell during the late summer and early autumn when feed is short and recourse has to be made to other fodder crops, such as turnips or rape to keep dairy cows from going right off in their milk supplies. Properly handled the hay and ensilage paddocks can be made to supply all the green feed required up till the arrival of the autumn rains. In the December

issue of the N.Z. Journal of Agriculture, Mr. R. P. Connell says: “When hay or ensilage has been saved from a field it will often respond profitably to a dressing of superphosphate, esjDecially if the herbage is mown while still somewhat immature and if the fertiliser is applied as soon as the mown material has been removed. The quick stimulation of growth which can at times be obtained by the use of superphosphate in this manner gives a greater aftermath of fresh feed which is particularly valuable in view of the critical stage at which it becomes available —that is when supplies of fresh grass are apt to be scant. ANOTHER ADVOCATE. Mr. Cockayne is an ardent advocate of early autumn topdressing, according to an interview with this gentleman which appeared in a recent issue of the Exporter. Mr. Cockayne said that the experimental work carried out had shown clearly that earlier autumn top-dressing was desirable and would in fact be more profitable in giving increased growth at a time when production tended to fall off fairly heavily. During a period of exceptionally heavy growth such as was often experienced during late November and December it was sometimes difficult to have the paddock sufficiently short to give an effective dressing but the use of superphosphate on the aftermath of hay and ensilage paddocks gave an immediate response and with suitable weather conditions, a rapid growth of succulent feed.

It looks as though the latter half of this dairying season is going to be more profitable than was the first half, and if farmers would keep up production through the autumn they would be well advised to act on the advice to treat the hay and ensilage paddocks with about 222y 2 to 3 cwt. per acre of super right away*