FARMERS’ WINTER SCHOOL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 28 June 1926, Page 9

FARMERS’ WINTER SCHOOL

RECURD ATTENDANCE

OIHIAMSKH. lUUIII.V. SATISFIED

. Too Farmers’ Winter School at Richmond tilused on Saturday, when lectures were given on “Bees’’' 'by Mr E. H. Barry, and “Diseases in Cattle” by Mr H. J,e iSouef.

Air Greenwood, agricultural instructor, who organised the school, told a Mail representative that Nelson had broken me record for attendance out of the nine schools he had organised. He was very pleased with the way the farm, era liau responded to the invitation to be present, and the school had been a very successful one in every way. As before stated the Nelson Provincial Farmers’ Union took the initial steps to have the school held in -Nelson; and those responsible should feel wen satisfied at the outcome of their endeavours in the interests of the fanning community generally.

PASTURES

(By Ah' Greenwood.)

In iiis lectures on Pastures, .Mr Greenwood, agricultural instructor, pointed out mat pastures might he divided into three main types—(l) temporary pasture, (2) short rotation; and (3) long rotation pasture. The application oi these terms in the light oi modern experimentation is purely relative. The temporary pasture consists in generally of 25 to; 3ulbs. of Italian rye of Western W’olths and ,5 to Bibs; red clover, {Sometimes with a bushel of cuts added. Such a pasture is mainly sown for the purpose of supplementary seed, for example, fattening or fodder for dairy cows in the flush of the year, in most instances the Italian rye lasts but one season. The clover, if proper maintenance methods by cultivation and topdressing were applied, anight' be retained longer. One important feature to note in regard to such a pasture was that owing to the gross feeding habits of Italian rye, as well as the toxic action of the roots in the soil, there was

a marked tendency for the successive crop to be weakened unless fertiliser was applied. In dry climates such as those of Marlborough and Nelsos, there was much to be said for what has hitherto been regarded as a sound a'nd estab. lished practice of short rotation layers. However, in the light of recent iuvesti-

gat ion;* carried out in the Marlborough district, there seems to be considerable reason to think that the life of at least the red clover, if not that of the rye may he fairly indefinitely extended through itie application of suitable fertiliser, in addition to frequent stirring of the surface soil by the tripod harrows or tlie stiff-drag cultivator. The short rotation mixture consists of 25 to 30lbs. of perennial rye and 4 to 61bs. red clover. .Although a climate in which the rainfall is badly distributed

Lends to militate against the establishment and maintenance of successful English gras pastures red clover which is a deep-rooting plant may be held. The long rotation pasture is one in which the mixture of grasses has been so designed as to balance,the turf «• mat forming elements, with the over-

sward or tussock like grasses. In fact the whole secret of success in pasture mixtures on the flat lies in the balance mintained between our bottom grasses and our oversward. Take for example a mixture suitable for first-class land :

cocksfoot 141bs, perennial rye lOlbs, Italian rye 31bs, Timothy 21bs, meadow foxtail 4lbs, crested dogtails 31bs, red clover 21bs, wliite clover 21bs, Poa trivialis 21bs : total 431bs. The history of this pasture will' be somewhat as follows: The pasture is sown in March, and in the following spring there is a strong

tendency for the temporary elements, e.g., the Italian rye, to predominate. In the spring succeeding this, however, the Italian rye will have gone, cocksfoot Timothy and tiie other grasses will be making their appearance. We should classify cocksfoot, meadow foxtail, Timothy as the grasses of the oversward. The clovers tend to fill up the bottom and suppress the weeds, put generally prove too weak to-do this unless associated with crested d.ogtails, which stands trampling, and is a strong mat-former, as is also Poa Trivia lis. The notable feature about created doetails is that

when the young shoots come up and the paddock is stocked, the succulent'young growth is readily devoured; blit when the plants becojne stalky the seed heads of the dogtails are left untouched* by' the slock and so re-seed themselves and

perpetuate the existence of the crested dogstail. On drier country or on firstclass hill land meadow foxtail would be omitted from this mixture, as would also Pou Trivialis, and possibly TimothyThe place of Poa Trivialis would be taken by rough stalked meadow grass or Poa Pratensis. Different grasses of course demand different degrees of fertility from the soil. For example, on

tlie most fertile soil, we should succeed in obtaining and maintaining a permajnent grass of rye grass and white .clover, and on wet ground meadow foxtail • in addition. When coil conditions become drier and lighter, and with a slightdecrease in fertility, we find cocksfoot and Timothy will grow. On our poor flats good grasses may be maintained bq increasing the fertility through the medium of top-dressing. So far as pasture maintenance is concerned we have to remember that if bare spaces appear in our grass swards these will sooner or later be filled if not by clover and dogstail at least by weeds. On a hillside where erosion lakes place or the ground is inclined to slip the mat-forming grass should undoubtedly be a couch, e.g.. Pro Pratensis or browntop (Xgrosf is Tenuis). Browntop, danthr/nia pilosa, and crested dogtail may be regarded as low fertility demanding plants. On bill country where second growth tends to come back so readily it is extremely important that quick smother be found to keep out the bracken and that hard fern

which tends to grow so quickly again after the hum. It has taken a generation ot bitter experience for farmers to realise that on the poor hill country of ■New Zealand it is a fallacy to attempt to establish English grasses which demand high fertility. In all cases we may safely assume that, our sward will vary in direct proportion to our soil fertility,

anu it is owing to this fact, that the top-dressing of worn-out pastures produces such wonderful results. Air Greenwood dealt with numerous other grasses, describing their habits under different conditions. For example, floating sweet grass which grew in .most watercourses forms valuable feed for cattle. Tall fescue, which tends to gel. ergot on the wet flats has been frequently sown on the hill tops wifli immunity from this disease. Tts use, how-

ever, is to be discouraged. Ra Ist ail with its hard seed head tends In injure the feelii of flip sheep, so that where the fertility is so low as to make the growing of this grass worth considera-

tion it should be slocked heavily with cattle to prevent, it from becoming rank. Tl must always be remembered that the most nutritive and most palatable pasture fodder is that young growth and nut that stalky plant. The lecturer went on to ifeal with hill pasture as some length, and pointed out the great advantages of stocking with cattle in preference to burning. When burning takes place a great deal of plant food goes up in smoke and is not recovered.

Aii iiilcrcsliiig pail of I In' led urn consisted in references made lo Uio possibilities of paspalum ami kliikuyu gras.v mi the country in Nelson and Marlborough, which is relatively frostless or where the frosts are light. The lecturer expressed the opinion that experimentation with these grasses on the poor Moutere hills noar' (.he sea might, if the fertility of flic soil was suifjqcntly i'ncrcas&f ty top might’ he wed vVorlli’ while. Interesting details v.cie given of the pasture mixiure trials being made at Hillesden, it having been shown that even on poor light country, when top-dressing is used to increase us fertility such grasses as rye, cocksfoot, and Timothy do well. in conclusion, the speaker pointed out that the main methods of pasture improvement werd: (1) Ploughing and resowing the paddock; (2) top-dressing with fertilisers; (3) liming; (4) surface cultivation by the means of tripod harrows or other suitable implement; (5) drainage; (6) stocking with cattle.-; (7) judicious spelling and shutting up. The iiecturer said t.nat although he had only touched on the fringe of the subject he would have to curtail his remarks in order to allow the farmers to avail themselves of the opportunity of attending the dinner.