The Northland Farmer

Northern Advocate, 24 February 1940, Page 11

The Northland Farmer

i (By E. B. Glanville, Local Organiser Whangarei Council of Primary ! Production). J In North Auckland grass is normally i sown down after a summer fallow i'ol- | lowing a root crop or from grass to ! grass after a fallow period, while con- [ siderable areas of virgin land are also sown down following a summer fallow after ploughing or surface cultivation. The summer fallow allows ample opportunity for the preparation of the soil and the sowing of the seed at the right'time. Under most North Auckland conditions February—March sowing gives the best results, the warmth and moisture of the soil being such as to make for the l’apid and strong establishment of seedlings. The sowing of grass after rape frequently involves a later sowing than is desirable. It may be wiser not to wait for a second growth of rape, but to prepare the soil for pasture immediately the first crop has been fed off. After rape, discing, rather than ploughing, gives better results for preparing the soil for grass seed. Whatever the preceding crop or the method of preparation, the objective is to obtain a fine firm seed-bed. Clovers in particular requii’e a firm seed-bed as is evidenced by expei’ience in development work in Nth. Auckland consolidated sand areas. Rolling at time of sowing is advisable under dry conditions, but it is not advisable -£.n heavy gumland if there is a probability of a heavy downpour. After the seed is sown, one stroke of the tine or bush

The Sowing H# Permanent Pastures

harrows should be given. The sowing of phosphatic fertiliser and lime with the seed is also highly desirable. To obtain a good well-balanced pasture, the establishment of clovers is essential. In the first place, it should not be necessary to emphasise the necessity for sowing clovers, but many farmers rely on “self-sown” clover appearing in pasture; as a rule the-re-sults are poor to indifferent.' Certified white clover at the rate of 2 lb per acre should be sown in all permanent pasture mixtures. Secondly, for the proper establishment of white clover, and of timothy and cocksfoot, the sowing date must be sufficiently early to ensure that these pasture plants are well grown before the cold weather sets in and will not be crowded out by the more robust growth of ryegrass. Under normal conditions, the sowing of oats or barley with grass seed is not beneficial, and may even be harmful. Only in exposed situations, or at a late sowing, sliould this method be adopted when a light sowing of half to three quarters a bushel of oats per acre may be added to the seed mixture. The first grazing of pastures newly sewn in March may often be obtained in the late autumn, but it must be in sufficient time to allow recovery before the cold weather sets in. The “topping" of established grassland areas in March, and harrowing as soon as good rains occur, are two methods for fostering the production cf leafy feed in late autumn.