POVERTY BAY PASTURES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19349, 9 June 1926, Page 19

POVERTY BAY PASTURES.

EFFECTS OF FERTILISERS. THE USE OF PASPALUM. VALUE OF OTHER GRASSES. BY OSIRIS. 1 hough it has already been stated that those who had engaged upon topdressing sheep-pasture lands in Poverty Bay were somewhat disappointed at visible results during the first season, their disappointments will doubtless vanish on a reconsideration of all ,the forces that have militated against success during the period of dry weather. Though top-dressing with artificial manures will not avert all the consequences of weather, it will at least shorten the period of foodless days, and help to counteract the effect of rainless days, because the pastures that are top-dressed will be the first to respond to spring, and the last to suffer from a rainless period. What causes disaster to grass lands is the long period in which the sensitive crowns are exposed to frost and cold winds. Pastures eaten bare in the autumn and obliged to carry the usual ewe and a-half per acre during the winter, are not likely to yield a high percentage of fat lambs " off the mothers," when the good effects of spring are delayed through avoidable causes. Clearly, top-dressing will provide food early and late, and the improvement in the quality of pasture on top-dressed lands is not yet as generally appreciated as it should be. The fittest pastures to survive drought and other untoward conditions are, undoubtedly, those which have the necessary reserve of stimulating food provided for them in the periodic ration of artificial manure.

Further, we may have to revise our accepted ideas of grass values. The two great grasses, rye and cocksfoot, have, on considerable areas, not only 'reached their zenith, but are some way in decline. A great deal may be done in the way of restoration, but for the majority of sheep-farmers the easy way out, by expenditure of money, will not be open after this period has passed, nor will it be open till the financial stress caused by it has also passed. Value of Paspalum. r Certain it is that the advance of native grasses to occupy hitherto good runs must be checked and considerably overcome, for the cost of wool production is, frequently, greater than the price obtained. In, this respect our great product resembles the precious metal, gold. At such a period as this, one will naturally study the stricken pastures to ascertain what grasses have best stood the test, and, after traversing the whole devastated belt and carefully scrutinising the rare patches of green on the landscape, the writer has satisfied himself that paspalum dilitatum stands out " on its own " as a feed producer and drought resister. It takes a long time to establish itself and make any decent " show " on hill lands. Even in the best hand-shaken seed the percentage that germinates is very low, but it is "worth while." Paspalum will yet come to be considered the best of all grasses for coastal lands whereon rye and cocksfoot are going out, and native grasses are asserting their supremacy. It is a good grass; a grass liked by all stock, and it can more than hold its own against; all comers. I freely admit being at one time prejudiced against this grass for, general use in pasture mixtures. It certainly appeared a good cattle grass, and its value in horses' paddocks was undisputed, but as a sheep grass, after seeing it in all its North Auckland luxuriance growing to a height of seven feet and over in the seed stem, it was not convincing, so far as the, better, lands, at least, were concerned. It is one of the very few grasses that has shown green this summer and autumn, and in many instances > it has been the sole mainstay of flocHs when other grasses had absolutely failed. Paspalum and Frost.

Praise of paspalum is always met with the retort that it will not stand against frost. That is not true so far as the coastal lands are concerned, and the fact is people .have come to expect far more from paspalum than they look for from other -grasses. Paspalum will stand frost as well as cocksfoot and make more True, it will turn a paler green attacked by frost, but still it will pro- ■ vide fodder, and this can readily be proved if a small patch be fenced off from stock. ; Frost checks all grasses more or less,' and probably at one time it checked paspalum. more than it does now, because it is now firmly acclimatised. It has proved a good sheep grass on the hills, and its growth on swamp lands is so strong and so well maintained on a vigorous rooting system that in a comparatively short period it will raise the level of swamp lands even while they are being consolidated by grazing stock. The bleaching in winter need alarm no pne. It does not bleach in drought time. Still the responsibility of choosing the land for the grass must be upon the farmer. Acre for acre, on the average' coastal lands, paspalum will carry more stock {ban any other grass, and the sooner this is generally known the better for Poverty Bay. . Add to what has already , been written that the best dairy farm in the new dairying district, Ruatorea, t to-day is a paspalum farm and then the general utility of the grass may be accepted. No one would advocate the sowing of paspalum on good rye lands, but in mixtures for most other lands at least five pounds of paspalum seed should be provided for, and an addition should be made to the general amount of crested dog's-tail that has hitherto been prescribed. Paspalum should also bo included in bush-burn mixtures, and used for re-seeding on fern, on scrub and native grass burns. Cow Grass and Sheep'.

One grass that is generally recommended in mixtures for sheep pastures should certainly be omitted; that is cow grass, for, after its first appearance the sheep cat it straight out, and it is not seen again. If it is merely intended for such a iate is it worth sowing ? -Every grass sown should have some claim to the quality of permanence if we are to successfully combat the insistent native grasses that are advancing over the old pastures.

Cow grass is extremely well named, 1 while one other grass may be mentioned as a- one-animal {pass; that is Indian doob grass, of which more may be said at another time.

The dry spell has brought conviction that on the lighter soils the proportion of rye from seed mixtures must be dropped as much as possible to make room for grasses more fitted to survive, one of which is Chewing's fescue. These are only a few hints given in an endeavour to awaken interest so that each separate locality may be able to determine the grasses best suited to it. This will eventually be done, and a guarantee can be given that there are really good grasses obtainable that will yet oust the native grasses from their old stronghold in Poverty Bay.