USEFUL FODDER PLANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20080, 18 October 1928, Page 5

USEFUL FODDER PLANT.

*' VALUE OF PASPALUM

CULTIVATION METHODS

COMBINATION WITH CLOVERS

Mr. G. W. Wild, Government Agricultural Instructor, in I lie second part of Jj is address on the use of paspalum di la latum, in New Zealand says: t " Farmers would do well to consider ■i special field of paspalum, as this crop had a wider range of soil types than lucerne, which was essentially a. plant requiring a water table of sonic Blt. to 10ft. below ground level. In putting down paspalum, the moistest field on the farm should he chosen. Later on, as a farmer learned to farm this fodder plant, lie could increase its acreage. Spreading could he avoided if the conditions he had mentioned were maintained. Mr. Wild said lie had seen paspalum sown upwards, of 14 years on one farm while his neighbour had no sign of it on li is well-managed ryegrass fields. Many farmers bad doubtless seen the same. What was more common, howover, was the wholesale spreading of paspalum on to badly managed pastures. Many roadways were a mass of seeding paspalum to the exclusion of everything else. Paspalum would, of course, spread rapidly under such conditions and take complete control there. There was no more headstrong grass when given its own way, but properly controlled it became a useful pasture grass capable of tremendous production. A Special Paspalum Field. Ho considered that a special paspalum field should be used exclusively for grazing. Naturally with its tremendous summer bulk of herbage it had to be heavily storked, more heavily than English pastures. This meant, therefore, that to graze paspalum efficiently, it would require heavier stocking for short periods than English pasturage. If then some 10 to 12 cows per acre were needed to graze for short periods with English pasture, then paspalum would therefore need some 14 to 13 cows and perhaps more. The size of a paspalum field should be smaller than the usual English tl pasture. For instance, if a man was milking 50 cows and his English grass fields were from 4 to 5 acres in area, then the paspalum field should I not be larger than 3 acres. One would infer that this tremendous stocking would play great havoc with the pasture, but as "before stated, paspalum would stand inuch heavier treading in the wet season than would English grasses. Mr. Wild said, if the paspalum was allowed to seed, then the cattle would carry it from field to field and it would slowly cover the whole, but very slowly on well cared for paddocks. The same applied to the feeding out of paspalum hay. Seeds would be scattered and would germinate when the weather became warm.

Paspalum was certainly harder to cure right than English grasses but it made excellent ensilage. On account of the smothering effect of . summer paspalum, it was not advisable to make late ensilage, but rather an early cut which contained the English grasses and clovers as veil. The ideal combination was therefore paspalum and lucerne, the latter to supply both ensilage for the first cut and hay later. If lucerne was not available then the ensilage would better be made from an early cut of paspalum, not later than early December, Pood For Dairy Cattle.

Paspalum mismanaged would become sodbound and would warrant all the criticisms expressed against it. This would be entirely the fault of the management it had received, or be due to the fact that it had been sown 011 poor land in the first instance. Properly controlled it had undreamt-of possibilities and must become one of the important grasses in local grassland farming. Farmers were proving that paspalum was providing abundant succulent fodder, well liked by dairy cattle. Analysis shows that the grass is relatively high in protein and fat. With regard to correcting (lie sod-bound state in paspalum, many farmers were conversant with the vivifying effect of ploughing in narrow furrows and sowing a crop. Usually a heavy crop was assured, but the paspalum was also assured. The aim should bo to sow a crop that could be cut or fed off by February or early March, so that the field could again bo worked down and sown in English grasses. The paspalum would take care of itself and would not need reseeding. The best, plan in working up a seed bed for this autumn grass seeding seemed to be to use the disc and harrows only, arid not the plough. No pasture grass would stand the drastic cultivation with the tripod harrows like paspalum, and it should be every farmer's aim to renovate with the discs onco a year. This should be additional to the ordinary tripod harrowing throughout. Harrows are needed to follow up the discs. After such working up, say in early autumn, extra clovers or grasses could be broadcasted with the topdressing. Grass Seed Mixtures. ilr. Wild submitted the following series of mixtures recommended for use on varying types of land. (1) Light loam overlying pumice: paspalum 41b., perennial 81b., Italian rye 41b., timothv 21b., 21b., crested dogstail 21b.. cocksfoot 81b., cowgrass 3lb. white clover lib. (2) Semi-volcanic land; paspalum 61b., perrennial rye 101b., Italian rye 51b.. timothy 21b., crested dogstail 211).] cocksfoot 61k, cow-grass 31b., while clover lib. (3) Heavy kahikatea land and wet clays. Here quick establishment and a strong paspalum sward is wanted: Paspalum 81b., perennial rye 41b., Italian rye 51b., timothy 311>., cocksfoot 61b., meadow foxtail 21b., cowgrass 21b., white clover lib., alsvke lib.

With regard to subterranean clover lie said it was certainly a clover producing a large bulk of winter feed. Paspalum grew well in association with it. It was by no means as nutritions as white clover and had not the same lengthy seasonal poriod. , The farmer should aim at paspalum, ryegrass, white clover sward, rather than a paspalum-subterranean one. Subterranean on account of its strong autumn growth, crowds out ryegrass etc.. and tends to become dominant itself during the winter and spring months.