FARMS IN FEBRUARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22955, 5 February 1938, Page 22

FARMS IN FEBRUARY

DRY-WEATHER ACTIVITIES MANAGEMENT OF PASTURES CARING FOR CROPS AND STOCK BY OBSKUVKB Over a large portion of the North Island v the spring and summer. rainfall lias been well below normal, and this is reflected in the condition of the pastures. The fall in dairy produce lias been considerable, except where paspaliiin swards have been available for grazing. The pasture plant which was at one time considered a curse —and is still troublesome in northern districts if not controlled —is proving itself a most useful standby in dry seasons, and the securing of paspalumdominant fields is a definite programme on farms where this plant thrives. All types of pasture, plants will tend to provide leafage—and this lodder is tho milk-producing one—if prevented from seeding. In districts where growth is satisfactory, "topping" of pastures by the mower should be carried out in February. As well as assisting leaf production of desirable pasture plants it helps to control weeds such as thistles - and docks. February is often a critical month for pastures. It is important not to overgraze tlieni, as this is likciy to effect their production capacity the following season. When a supplementary crop or saved fodder such as ensilage is available, it should be fed, and at least some of the grass fields given only a light stocking. This is best done by rotational grazing, not allowing stock to stay too long on one field. Sowing Pastures

While pasture renovation is quite successful given suitable conditions, especially in regard to adequate rainfall, experience has shown that it has limited application. Although more expensive at first, nothing can substitute ploughing and subsequent cultivation prior to seeding down pastures. Early sown, and that means February, has been found to be desirable in many areas. The plants are well established before the winter, provided the seed bed has been well prepared—particularly in regard to moisture conservation —and that the necessary showers corno later. Each year is demonstrating the advantage of top dressing pasture early in the autumn. February is a good month to carry cut at least a portion of the top-dressing programme. Nothing is lost in the way of fertilising properties, even if the weather remains dry after the fertiliser is applied. It is advantageous to have it on the pasture ready to become effective with the first autumn rains. It is now being found that pasture plants that make a good early autumn growth, and especially root growth, give of their maximum the following season.

While the type of fertiliser used will depend to some extent on soil type, still over most areas farmers cannot go far wrong by using superphosphate at the rate of three hundredweight per acre on dairy pastures and two hundredweights on sheep lands. In certain areas due attention must be paid to liming. Many farmers apply the equivalent of five hundredweight of carbonate of lime per annum. Feed Crops This season the value of having an acreage of supplementary crop for stock feeding has been well demonstrated, although- tho season, a dry one that makes them most useful, is tho one in which it is most difficult to get them to a satisfactory standard. However, with suitable preparatory cultivation and by manuring judiciously it is possible to have fairly good crops, even in a season such as we are passing through. Such crops as millet, maize and soft turnip help out pastures in February, and lucerne, of course, is of special value. Although lucerne is suited to a somewhat limited range of soils, there is a wide scope for far greater acreages than those seen in the North Island. Even crops sown in November or early December provide a most useful cut of green feed in February. Jt is inadvisable to tftke a first cut before shoots are appearing from the base of the plants. After cutting a light cultivation to check weed growth and a top-dress-ing with fertiliser helps subsequent growth.

Good stands of lucerne are often obtained from a February sowing, which is advisable where such weeds as fat hen and spurrey are troublesome in spring-sown crops. A summer fallow to control weeds, the use of lime and phosphate and sowing innoculated seed arc important factors in gettihg a good lucerne stand. Sowing Cereals Cereals such as oats and feed barley can be sown this month. Of course, the lietter the preparatory cultivation the better the early establishment of the crop. Algerian is the popular North Island oat for autumn seeding. Sow at rate of three to three and a-half bushels, with two to three hundredweight of fertiliser per acre. As already indicated, the absence of summer rains on top of a- dry spring, has caused a serious falling-oil in milk production over a considerable area of the North Island. Much earlier than usual resort has been made to the ensilage and even the hay stacks. For milk production some succulent forage is essential, whereas fattening stock do quite well in the dryish pasturage. Beyond preventing pasture plants from s'eeding by grazing or mowing, little can be done to offset the detrimental effect of a dry period. An area of millet and maize and also soft turnips and lucerne helps materially to keep up milk production in February, but usually ensilage is the main standby. As a milk-ppoducing fodder, ensilage made from pasture in the young stage—at least when pasture plants are not skinny—is desirable. Fat Lambs The sheepfanner lias had his problems, too, more especially where lambs were not got away early, in some districts such crops as rape and kale are available for February feeding, but more often reliance is placed solely on pasture. In areas when subterranean clover has been developed, it has helped liberally in getting lambs away off the mothers. All that many sheepl'armers can do is to rotational graze their fields and manage them so that the maximum of leafy pasture is available for the lambs still 011 the farm. Where rape is available and lambs show any indication of rape scald, they should be removed from the crop for a few days. Ewes are put to the ram in some areas at the end of February. It is distinctly advisable to prevent them from getting too fat as this condition is inimical to breeding. Flushing the cues by giving them access to green fodder or fresh grass some 10 days beforo going to the ram increases lambing percentage—often quite markedly.