LAYING DOWN PASTURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18495, 4 September 1923, Page 10

LAYING DOWN PASTURE.

SPRING, SOWN GRASS. CONDITION OF THE SOIL, SOWING OVER -CROPS. Tho laying down of pastures most suitable for 'the class of land one is farming is one of the most important items of the farm. In many parts of the Dominion this work can be proceeded with any time from now on, provided tho land is dry enough. On the lighter class of soils and where climatio conditions are favourable, tho sooner this work is done the better, so that the young plants will become well rooted before dry weather sets in. There is often a poor germination and a checked growth afterwards through leaving the sowing of grass seed too late in tho spring. There is usually a dry spell during spring or early summer, and if grass is sown late, there is a chance that the plant will be unsatisfactory.. The seed may striko well enough, owing to tho moisture already in the soil at time of sowing, but if the plants are insufficiently rooted and a dry spell sets in, many of the tender, and sometimes the most valuable pasture plants will die out, owing to tho moisturo starvationGrass With Cereals.

In grain growing districts, a large proportion of the pastures are sown in the spring, either sown with a spring sown cereal or an autumn sown crop. In the latter case tho period for sowing is timed by tho forwardness of the growing crop. If tho crop shows rank growth, the_ grass seed should be sown as early in spring as possible, otherwise much of the grass seed will lodge on the growing crop and fail to reach tho ground; this is more noticeable when there is a. slight dampness on the crop. The result of this is that, much of tho seed will not bo covered by the harrows. Again if the crop is too far advanced, the chances aro that the seed, though they may germinate and come away for a while, will cet smothered by the rank growing crop. ' When to Sow The Grass. When the cereal crop is about four inches high is generally the best time to sow grass, but sometimes owing to damp weather, or if the farmer has to waiC for a lengthened period to allow the soil to set dry enough, the crop may get rather too far advanced. If . there should bo such a rank growth as to seriously interfere with . the sowing and germination of the grass seed, the cereal is sometimes fed down by sheep, previous to sowing the grass. In such cases it is often necessary to rim the harrows over before the broadcaster, in order to break up the crust, and to leave a nice mould for the small seed to fall on to and to provide sufficient covering. When sowing on heavy land, .or any land inclined to be wet, it is often advisable to defer sowing until later in the spring, for if sown too early under snen conditions, there may be too much water in the lower layers of the furrows, which will have a tendency to keep the temperature down below normal and may prove disastrous to the plants. Therefore, each fanner must know his land and treat it accordingly The time for ' sowing any crop can _ only be given approximately, as what will suit one locality,, would be quite unsuited for another. Cultivation for Grass. . The cultivation for grass is similar to that required for other small seeds, the principal object being a compact seed bed, with a fine surface, but not so fine as to have a Bitty appearance. One should rather strive to have the surface a little cohbly, as when in this state it will hold the moisture better than a smooth silty surface, the latter being liable to cake on top, especially if the sowing is followed by heavy rain. When the seed is sown on a growing crop, very little cultivation is necessary, and is simple in the extreme as the surface is already prepared., In the case of an autumn sown crop, the sown surface is exposed to the winter's frosts, r which leaves ah ■ ideal seed bed. The seed box. is run over the land, followed by light harrows made for the purpose. These « harrows are usually attached to the broadcaster,, by means of long chains. This {saves labour and ensures the aeed being covered straight away and is thus out \pl reach of small birds. ■ Moreover, if a break of wet weather sets in while sowing, whatever area is sown it is also harrowed.' This is a great advantage, because small seeds soon germinate when they coma In contact with th 6 damp soil. ,; Harrowing or Boiling.

There is a good deal of controversy as to ■whether the surface is best left rolled or simply harrowed. On certain classes of land, especially that of a very light character, the rolled surface will no doubt in the majority of cases give a better germination, but will- not retain the moisture so . well. The packed surface causes more : . rapid evaporation, therefore generally speaking, while the writer Would advocate rollings I would advise ' harrowing as a finishing stroke, as by this meanu the soil is thoroughly _ consolidated the whole depth of the furrow while the surface is left free, Soil so. treated will better retain moisture and at the same time the seed will' find a favourable bed in which to germinate and grow. ; The young plants will get a [little shelter from the small clods which will ' give them a , fair start in life. The main. objection to this method, on stony land, of course, is. that the stones are unsightly and rough to travel over. Therefore on stony '• land it is usually rolled straight away, or failing this, is rolled after the grass plants are well established.

: When grass seed is sewn with a catch crop such as rape, mustard, or oats, the latter should not be soma too thickly, for fear of smothering.the ycung grass. When oats are sown, half a bunhel per acre will be sufficient. If sown thick the cereal will not only tend to smother the grass, but will be considerably checked by the trampling of stock which catch 'crops necessitate while being fed, resulting in a thin pasture. Another disadvantage of a thick sowing is that the plants will be weakened to such an extent that the pasture will become run out at least a season sooner than if the catch crop was sown thinly and carefully fed. When grass is sown by itself, it may take a little longer to mature, but when on:o established it will flourish and grow more feed. This is more noticeable when the crop is fed off by sheep, young cattle being best for this purpose if there are any available, as they do not feed the younjj grass so closely and therefore give the more tender and slow maturing plants a better chance to mature. • i