GRASS-LAND TREATMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 23 June 1926, Page 2

GRASS-LAND TREATMENT

THE VALUE OF CLOVER USE OF ARTIFICIAL MANURE An interesting address under the auspices of the local branch of the Farmms’ Union was delivered at Raetilii by Mr .T. W. Deem, of Wanganui. Of most importance to farmers, said Mr Deem, were their grass lands. Unfortunately in the past sufficient attention has not been paid to grass, most attention being paid to the. cultivation of roots and other crops for winter feeding. It did not matter what amount of grass a farmer had ; if it was not palatable his stock would not- give him the return it shouldd o. The dairy cow and the breeding ewe must have the proper fion of protein and carbohydrates, or in other words, meat and fat. Tliev could not give a large quantity of milk otherwise.

TTip whole aim of the farmer should bo to keep up the clover content in bin paddocks, Tf he did this the grass would keep up itself. Pastures should he grazed with both_catt.lt and sheep in proportion. If this was not deon pastures would deteriorate. There was no question that top-dress-ing would bring about, and maintain the necessary p-alatabib'ty and balanced feeding on pastures. Top-dressing should commence when the pastures were still flourishing and contained the finer grasses and clover. If done /it this pen*oil only dressings \v<*iv required. When the pasture was in a poor state, it. was cheaper to plough it up and resow with a, good mixture of glass’ than to l.eep it going by topdressing.

It was better to eliminate nitrogen in any artificial manure and obtain it from clover i nthe pastures. Oood rexe'ls could lie obtained by using super the first, year, followed when reonired hv mixtures containing limo. Sup'erpboenhrte did not contain lime and if the land was deficient in lime if -he-'a he used in conjunction with super. If the land was rough and the application of lime expensive it. was a good practice to use basic super or basic slag in preference to super. It was not generally recognised hv farmers tlint the roots of grasses died every year, though not. simultaneously. T f was possible, said the speaker, to get a grass season two months longer hv the mo- of artificial manuring. A month was saved i n || )P spring and a month va-. e" l ! nP ,| in dip autumn.