Grass and Clover Seeds

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 266, 8 November 1941, Page 10

Grass and Clover Seeds

URGENT APPEAL FOR GREATER PRODUCTION The farmers of Great Britain must concentrate all their energies and every available acreage towards food production. For two years there has been a drive for more and still more ploughing to this end. And a splendid response has been made to the appeals. The time is now coming when much of the area so ploughed must be resown to pasture and fresh areas be ploughed. Where is the grass and clover seed for this purpose to come from? It is obvious that the reduced area of English pasture cannot to a great extent be kept for seed —it is needed for the maintenance of livestock, and with this in mind, the British Government has asked the Dominions to undertake the provision of the necessary seed. The harvest of herbage seed in New Zealand has often been looked upon by farmers to a large extent as a matter of what the season will produce. That is to say, with the exception of comparatively few specialists, farmers have not set out at the beginning of the season with a definite plan for the saving of any particular area and have not manipulated their stock with this end in view.

Those men who have gone in for seed production as part of their farm plan, however, seldom reduce their area, whatever the season may have in store for them. This year, particularly, farmers are earnestly asked not to approach the harvest in a haphazard manner, but to give careful thought as to how best they can arrange their grazing to allow the maximum area of certified seeds to be harvested.

It is true that this year feed is short, but there is still plenty of room, by giving careful thought to the grazing arrangements, for shutting up increased areas of grass for seed. This applies particularly to those men who use certified seed, but do not as a rule allow their pastures to go to harvest. Seed of all kinds are required: Ryegrass, both perennial and Italian, white and red clover, browntop and cocksfoot. In this district the main object will be tho harvesting of perennial and Italian ryegrass, white clover and some cocksfoot. In a season such as this where grazing has been harder and more prolonged, and a late dry spell may be expected, it may be that tho. ryegrass crops will tend to be lighter, than say, last year. But such a year will usually produce ideal conditions for the saving of white clover seed, either as an aftermath or with the ryegrass.

New Zealand has a high reputation for the production of pasture seeds of high germination, quality and appearance. Our farmers are experienced in the growing of such seeds and can do it cheaply and with the lowest possible amount of labour by the use of modern machinery. Our seeds can be expected to give results in Britain comparable to those obtained here.

It needs but tho determination of our farmers to see that the seed is supplied, for the shortage in Britain to be satisfactorily made up. Therefore, every farmer in the district and throughout the Dominion who has on his farm paddocks sown with certified seed is urged to make every effort to save every seed this year.

For the information of those who.do not as a rale harvest grass seed, the following general observations will be useful. Further details and advice may be obtained from the instructor in agriculture in each district. In saving perennial ryegrass, save only those paddocks which do not contain Italian ryegrass. It is not too late to shut the paddocks up now. The paddock requires no special treatment and can be mown and harvested by the headerharvester method, which is cheap, labour-saving and efficient, the average cost for cutting and harvesting on contract, being £4 per acre. The seed, whether grown from certified seed or not, should be entered for certification.

Cocksfoot is in special demand and although harvests from paddocks sown with certified seed are preferable, there is also a big market for other seed if it is pure and of good germination. Ryegrass is the chief weed usually found in cocksfoot and as it is most difficult to take out in the dressing process, care should be taken to save only those areas where ryegrass is non-existent—or nearlv so.

White clover should be plentiful this* year and can be harvested from a pasture which is chiefly clover, or one which has a good admixture of ryegrass. In this case both grasses will be harvested together. Further, a good white clover aftermath will produce seed of brightest quality if the late season is drj r . There has always been a good demand for white clover seed for export, but this year the need is much greater and all available seed will be sent over-

It has been pointed out that in the Manawatu-Wellington district ryegrass l may present difficulties owing to the adverse season. If circumstances make the saving of this impossible, all farmers will be assisting materially by making sure that white clover seed, at least, is saved.