POOR GRASS STRIKES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 6 December 1938, Page 4

POOR GRASS STRIKES

EXPERIENCES IN HAWKES BAY FARMERS TOO KEEN ON LATE FEEDING FROM RAPE CROPS WELL WORTH SACRIFICING Experience of farmers in Hawkes Bay in recent years have indicated that it is well worth while sacrificing the late feeding obtained from the rape crop if, by keeping this crop, it means delaying the sowing of the permanent pasture mixture until after the end of March says the “Telegraph”). In the preparation of ground for the sowing of a permanent pasture in Hawkes Bay it is usual for the farmer tc take two crops in succession, the first of swedes and the second one of rape, after which it is considered that the ground is in a good condition for the receipt of the permanent pasture. Not infrequently, however, the strikes of pasture obtained are disappointing, and in many cases the farmer concerned is more or less at a loss to find an explanation. In the majority of cases, however, this failure to obtain a really satisfactory establishment can be traced to the late sowing of the grass, usually due to the fact that the rape crop has been kept too long, merely so that it can provide a final feeding before being turned in. MARKED ADVANTAGES Discussing the matter recently a farmer in the Takapau Plains district stated that in his experience the benefits derived from the early sowing of the permanent pasture far outweighed any slight immediate gain obtained through holding on to the rape crop so that a late feeding was had.

In his case each system had been tried during the course of the past few years, the results being to a marked extent in favour of discounting the late feeding of rape and completing the sewing of the permanent pasture as early as possible.

The advantage of early sowing was reflected in the improved strike and the good establishment of the new grass before the Winter, thus enabling the pasture to better withstand the winter conditions, and also to provide a useful bite of feed far earlier than where the seed was sown late in the

In planning the sowing of permanent pastures next autumn, therefore, farmers in Hawkes Bay, and most particularly on the poorer soils and in the cooler areas, are urged to seriously consider the advisability of having their ground ready early so that the sowing may be completed, as stated, before the end of March at the latest.