THE KING COUNTRY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22346, 18 February 1936, Page 13

THE KING COUNTRY

CULTIVATION' METHODS VARYING SOIL CONDITIONS DEPARTMENTAL EXPERIMENTS SOWING DOWN OF GRASS . No. X. The wide variety of soils, climate and natural vegetation found in the areas controlled by the land development branch of the Lands Department in the King Country provides an interesting and valuable field for experiment with soil building and pasture-plant selection. The soils range from almost pure pumice carrying little vegetation and practically no stores of plant food, through stiff volcanic clays, papa limestone and sandstone of submarine formation, to peat swamps and alluvial river ilats. In climate the range is from warm sea-level, with a heavy annual rainfall. to uplands of nearly 3000 ft. in the vicinity of snow-clad Ruapehu, where the winter is long and hard. It will be recognised that with these wide variations in environment, land treatment and pasture cannot be standardised. Each locality calls for a speciat study of the factors which influence the growth of plant and animal life before its development can he undertaken with any prospect of success. This study is one of the most important duties of the superintendent and staff of the land development branch of the Land Department, which, fortunately, has available the trained knowledge and assistance of skilled workers in other Governmental departments in the solving of its problems and the framing of its programme.

Mairoa and Waitariguru Areas In - the Mairoa and Waitanguru areas, where the originally fertile soil is of volcanic formation on a porous suh-soil, the annual average rainfall of lOOin. has steadily leached essential minerals and plant food below the reach of the pasture grasses. This cajised a deficiency of available minerals with the result that livestock suffered in health, fertility and production. The deficiency has been largely overcome, however, by using a top-dressing of scwt. of lime mixed with 2cwt, of superphosphate an acre per annum. At the same time, subdivision into smaller paddocks, enabling surface consolidation and the better control of pasture, has aided considerably in tightening the sward and thus permanently improving the soil. Through the provision of mineral licks, a further effort has been made to supply the breeding stock with all they may require for production and reproduction. Serious Deficiency ol Lime Although analysis of this soil reveals a serious deficiency of lime, which, in districts of high rainfall is readily leached from free soil, it is questionable whether continued heavy applications of lime are advisable until big reserves of humus are stored in the surface soil. By attacking and making it soluble and available to plants, lime encourages immediate fertility, _ even in humus-deficient soil, but this increased solubility makes the humus more susceptible to leaching and may thus produce ultimate exhaustion and barrenness. However, the results secured so far with ground lime have been most successful. Licks combining salt, limonite and phosphate are extensively used and are of obvious benefit to the health and fertility of the stock. . The grass seed mixture employed ih these areas is varied according to the locality and soil, but that generally favoured for grassing ploughed land is 201b. of certified ryegrass, 51b. of Italian ryegrass, 31b. of cocksfoot, 31b. of dogstail, 21b. of Tiigothy, 21b. of red clover, 21b. of white clover, 31b. of paspalum and ilb. of subterranean, clover. A necessarily very incomplete inspection suggests that less ryegrass and more cocksfoot, dogstail, Timothy and subterranean clover —all of which do exceptionally well —would produce a more permanent and productive sward. Reverted Hill Country On reverted hill coutry an increase in the amount of paspalum to 61b. is favoured and gives a tighter sole of grass into which weeds are less likely to intrude. Where swamps are being sown, an addition of 21b. to 31b. of meadow foxtail is found to be an improvement. Where the land is capable of cultivation the present practice is to first, where possible, burn off all the rubbish. The ground is then ploughed to a depth of five inches and allowed to fallow for three months, after which it is well disced, farrowed and rolled. Heavy rolling, to restore consolidation, is important, and a one-ton roller is put over the land both before and after sowing. - Swedes Favoured as First Crop Swedes are favoured as a first crop to clean the land for grass, and it is the practice to sow 14oz. of seed and apply a mixture of lcwt. blood and bone manure and 2cwt. of superphosphate an acre. The advisability of this comparatively deep ploughing of naturally loose soil, which is necessary for swedes, might be questioned, and the advantages of substituting a crop such as red clover, which can be sue cessfully sown on shallow cultivation, and which both enriches the soil and can be harvested and fed-out as hay or ensilage in winter, might be recommended, but good results are undoubtedly being obtained by the present system. With the final cultivation and sowing down in grass it fe the practice to apply 3cwt. of lime and 3cwt, of superphosphate, this being followed by a similar dressing within the first six months.

As the result of experiments in this district it has been found best to stock the young grass fairly early, and to continue with increasingly heavy grazing. This is no doubt the best practice with autumn-sown pasture, but it is questionable whether the same grazing methods should be applied to spring sowings. Up to the present time Rom-ney-cross sheep, which have beon purchased each season and used for fat lamb production, have been most successful. It is now proposed, however, to establish a breeding flock on these areas. This, it is hoped, will produce a type of sheep adapted to local conditions, and will enable the department, when the blocks are finally re-settled, to supply the farmers with sound stock which can be relied on to give profitable returns. . . (Concluded.)