Ploughing Permanent Pasture

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 144, 20 June 1936, Page 12

Ploughing Permanent Pasture

BETTER GRAZING RESULTS New pastures generally grow better quality grass with greater bulk, and provide a longer grazing season. In addition the soil is healthier and less liable to harbour disease, and the fertility accumulated during the grazing years cau be cashed with advantage to the tenant, states the Farmers’ Weekly-

This is the doctrine followed by some Tweedside farmers, and it has helped them to meet successive declines in prices of corn, sheep and beef. Presson Farm, Cornhill-on-Tweed, was purchased by its present owner-occu-pier, Mr J. B. Barr, iu 1920. The farm consists of 900 acres, chiefly fertile, easy-working loam over a subsoil of boulder clay. When Mr Barr took it over it was worked on the four-course system, and about 70 per cent, of the land was arable. Grass is regarded as the cheapest and most economical food for both cattle and sheep, and great efforts have been made to secure really high class pastures. The seeding mixture used is: lbs Perennial rye grass 16 Cocksfoot (New Zealand) 10 Timothy 4 Rough stalked meadow grass 1 Late-flowering Red clover 4 Trefoil 1 • Wild White clover 1 Total per acre 37 The above remarks arc made iu describing the working of Presson a farm in Northumberland which the writer knew intimately half a century ago, and the change of methods in this period are most striking. Fifty years ago Presson had 700 acres under the plough which kept six teamsters going, now the position is the other way round as 700 acres are in grass from which 350 fat cattle and 1200 fat lambs are turned off annually. Fifty breeding cows are kept and accommodating for 200 pigs is provided. The astonishiug change is that no less than 8,000 White Leghorn hens arc kept and one man with a horse and cart does all the feeding and collecting of eggs for this huge number. It may be mentioned that the farm is within sight of historic Flodd°n Field.