PASPALUM WINS.

Northland Age, Volume 25, Issue 14, 30 July 1925, Page 7

PASPALUM WINS.

The Northern Wairoa flats which comprise an area of approximately 120,000 acres, are more or less subject to periodical flooding. Around Ruawai there is a considerable extent of country covered with tall fescue. Of recent years, where the floodwaters have remained on the ground for a couple of weeks, the tall fescue has been killed out and paspalum has replaced it. The paspalum recovers after floods, whereas other grasses common to to the district, including tall fescue, are killed out. This replacement is going on Haturally, and is not being deliberately carried out by farmerrs. Where paspalum has charge on these areas it withstands stocking better than English grasses, which are often killed out after floods and their place taken by sueh weeds as pennyroyal. Even wherepaspalum has been poached through being stocked after heavy rains and floods it holds good and even improves. The interesting point, and «ne of economic value, is the replacement of a bad weed (tall fescue) by a very useful grass in the shape of paspalum.