GREAT PASTURE PLANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19236, 27 January 1926, Page 16

GREAT PASTURE PLANT.

SUCCULENT KIKUYU GRASS. INTRODUCTION FROM AFRICA. ITS USES AND DISADVANTAGES. Two readily-distinguishable species of the genus Clandestinum are known under the common name of Kikuyu grass. The one first introduced is useless, from a stock-feeding point of view, owing to its harsh and unpalatable nature. It is bo+anically known as Pennisetum longistylum, on account of tho structure of the flowering heads. Plants may bo seen flourishing on roadsides round Remuera, and also "along the Kiiipaki Road, near Whangarei. , The nutritive valuo of this species is so low that even hungry, driven stock will not . touch it. The useful species bota'nically known as Pennisetum clandestinum,' was introduced from Rhodesia by the New Zealand Department o'f Agriculture in 1920. Since that time ex- I periments with it have been conducted by j . the Fields Division of the Department in j I the Auckland Province. The grass rarely sets seed, even in its native habitat in Africa, and under local conditions produces a reduced form of inflorescence. It : is propagated by means of roots, which, when planted out in spring, at a distance , of about 6ft. apart, soon cover the whole : area by means of stolons, and under* ; ground rhizomes. The main bulk of succulent feed is produced in the summer months, and thus kikuyu, as. a pasture or special-purpose grass, resembles paspalum jin this respect. Owing to its vigorous . habit of growth the grass soon becomes j j root-bound, and tho best results have been j secured by laying it down in association

with a legume. White clover and lotus major have been most, successful in this connection, and the resulting sward has linen well grazed by stock. This is naturally one of the best indications as to the nutritive value of the feed thrown. A Palatable Grass.

From a palatability point oi view kikuyu stands high on the list of pasture grasses, but is below those like prairie, lucerne, white clover, and other first-class meadow constituents. By top-dressing

with a phosphatic fertiliser in June, and hy regular chain harrowing throughout the year, a very Successful winter growth was secured on a grazed area of kikuya grass and white clover, at Puwera. Under local conditions the introduced grass cannot stand heavy frosts, and, in a large number of cases where it has been tried out under ordinary pasture conditions, in districts south of Hamilton, it has been t killed out during the winter. In the North ; Auckland peninsula, however, it has been } very successful, but is decidedly a special- ; purpose grass, and, owing to the difficulty I experienced in eradicating it, should be j planted only where ordinary pasture j grasses cannot be established. A full re- ! port on the results obtained with kikuyu j grass appeared in the Journal of the Department of Agriculture, in the issue for January, 1925.

j Free Distribution oi Grass, l Roots of this grass are being distributed by seed firms in Australia, and an advertisement which app Bared recently ;i in a country newspaper made claims for 1 roots grown in the Belgian. Congo, which j appear somewhat misleading. It is claimed • that these roots will withstand frosts, ! and also that from a palatability value i the Belgian Congo form—apparently I different from our now acclimatised 1 species—is better than either paspalum or I lucerne. In point of fact there is only one recognised species of pennisetum which is valuable from a stock-feeding point of view, and this grass has been established throughout Africa. There is little variability, even in the growth form of specimens forwarded from Kenya, Rhodesia, and the. grass'as now estabj Jished here. Fanners and others who wish to try 1 out kikuyu grass will be supplied free < with roots, on application to the Fields Division of the Department of Agricul- : tore, in Auckland. It would be an un- j wise proceeding to plant out roots of any i grass which had not been fully investigated, as it is in this way that many harmful plants have been spread through- j out New Zealand. The kikuyu species are both very difficult to eradicate, and should, on this account, be planted only in pisees to which they are particularly suited.