CROPS AND PASTURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19124, 16 September 1925, Page 18

CROPS AND PASTURE.

IMPORTANCE OF FODDER. V NEED FOR CULTIVATION. INCREASING FARM PRODUCTS. BY W.S. Thd cultivation of different varieties of forage crops, is becoming more and more important as the demand for meat, wool and dairy produce is ever on the increase. Where fattening is done, the practical farmer endeavours to raise and fatten as much stock. as possible. This can only be successfully done by adopting a judicious system of rotation of crops. More esI>ecially must ho turn his attention to the cultivation of suitable .forage crops, in which catch crops should be largely represented. This is done in order to supplement the pastures, so that there will be a continual supply of nutritious food for the stock at all seasons of the year. • ' ' ■ > On farms not over slocked, the ordinary pastures supply the wants of the animals for the greater part of the year. But whore it is essential that the carrying capacity of tho land should bo raised to its uttermost and whore fattening is moro or less extensively practised, the pastures are not, in themselves, sufficient to fill the bill. In this case catch crops are grown to como in at times whon the pas turps are insufficient for . the requirements. Autumn Catch Crops.

Tho cultivation of autumn-sown catch crpps has now become fairly genera] and of these tho practical farmer makes a special study. But, even in this direction, much improvement could bo effected, that is to say, a much larger area could, with advantage, be devoted to tho cultivation of autumn-sown crops for late winter and early spring feed. This is a time when all stock, especially those dependent solely upon tho pastures for their maintenance, suffer, and in extreme cases never wholly recover from the severe check they receive during that period of scarcity. As above mentioned, the cultivation of autumn-sown catch crops has become fairly general. On tho other hand, tho growing of early spring-sown crops is somewhat neglected, and it would seem, even to the casual observer, that in this direction there is room for a vast improvement.

Too many farmers depend too much upon the pastures to carry their stock through the year, and trust to providence to give • enough grass for this purpose. The system of sowing crops in autumn for winter and early spring feeding, and rape, kale and turnips, etc., for late autumn and winter feeding, as most iarmors know, has been the principal means of raising tho carrying capacity of their land. Why not still further increase tho stockcarrying powers of the land by further improving on the present system? Need lor Supplementing Pastures.

In many parts where the climate and soil are especially favourable to tho growth of grass, the necessity for growing crops for late spring and summer feeding is not so great, yet, in many instances, there may be room for improvement even under the most favourable conditions. But in other parts where the rainfall in late spring and summer is often very low, tho ordinary pastures dry op, and, in this case, the stock are not kept sufficiently well supplied with nutritious feed from a fattening point of view. If, however, some catch crops were put in in late winter or early spring this would go a long way toward filling th 6 gap that is so often apparent. Emerald rye, corn, cape barlay, or oats are among the best for early sowing. White mustard may be sown a3 a mixture with either of these crops. Crops of the abevo description do not suffer so severely from a dry spell as do the pastures, especially old pastures.

. Many fanners in possession of light soils contend that their land is not suited for lamb fattening and can at best only reckon on making thom stores. No doubt there are some farms,.owing to the roughness of the country, or to tho poorness of the soil, that make them not altogether suitable for fattening stock, but in the majority of cases it is not so much the unsuitability of the iand as the lack of system. There are" comparatively few farms in the Dominion that could not grow a patch of green oats, emerald rye, cape barlßy, rape or turnips, all of which are very suitable for the fattening of stock in theii- respective seasons. Cropping Improves Soils. There are large tracts of country that ware at one time considered totally unsuitod to grow any of tho above crops that are at the present time, through a systematic»rotation of forage crops, together with judicious manuring, backed up by thorough cultivation producing highly profitable returns. With the above in view any farmer in possession of medium or light land need not fear a shortage of feed in the pastures if ha produces roots or fodders. It is good practice to sow a few acres of some good feed crop; the area to b6 sown < depending upon the number of stock to be carried to como in between the autumn or winter-sown green feed, and the early rape. This will cover a period which often proves fatal to fattening stock, especially lambs. If there should be a dry spell in the early part of the summer, and no succnlent feed is available, the young iambs got a sot back, and it is difficult to get them going again. This means valuable feed wasted in the endeavour to get thom back to a thriving condition. The lamb that pays tho farmer best is one that is never allowed to lose condition from the time it is born until it gees away as fat. Early Rape and Lambs. Rape, if sown too early, does not as a rule produce so much of such valuable feed trora a lamb-fattening point of view, as that sown a little later. Consequently the first plot of rape is riot usually sown, unless in the milder parts, before the second or third week in October, and is not fit to feed until tho second or third week in December. It is just before the first sown rape is ready for feeding that the pinch is very often felt. Therefore unless thero is some succulent feed available to come in before the rape, either the lambs receive a check, or the rape baa to be fed before it is matured, a distinct loss to the farmer in either case. The lambs by this time are well grown and take a deal of feed to keep them going. IJF there is some green crop grown to fill the gap l>efore the rape is ready the lambs may be put on to it, and, if not actually topped off, they will at least be kept in thriving condition. Moreover, instead of sacrificing the rape crop by having to feed it before it is fully matured it may be allowed to mature properly, and tli«re will not only be more fattening in tho crop, but thero will bo less casualties among the lambs vuhilc feeding the