PERMANENCE OF PERENNIAL RYEGRASS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1958, 30 May 1889, Page 6

PERMANENCE OF PERENNIAL RYEGRASS.

In connection with the controversy as to the permanence of perennial ryegrass; Sir J. B. Lawes has published some interesting particulars : concerning the graaa land afc.Rothamstead, and which show very clearly the extent to whioh the habits of grasses maybe affected by the treatment to' which they may be subjected. The first permanent grass laid down at Rothamstead 50 years ago has been repeatedly jmown, and no w* contains very little, ryegrass. After an interval of 25 years another portion was laid down. This has generally been fed by ; cattle, and has only been mown two or three | times. In 1882 a sample of the herbage was sub- ■ mitted to botanical separation, when it was found that ryegrass was by far the most prominent* !In 1879 an arable "field was laid down and a < hedge removed which separate.d it from old grass jland. The old grasses had' previously been several times mown. Since 1879 the treatment of the old and new grasses Has been precisely alike, occasionaltcp dressings having been given. On the old portion there is very little ryegrass, and all over the ground there are large bunches of other grasses which the cattle will not eat, and however heavily )the land ' is stocked every year a quantity of the old grass remains unconsumed. Oa the comparatively, newly laid down : portion ryegrass is very abundant, and from the ' beginning to the end of the season is fed down : perfectly dose, so much so that ,it would,' hi difficult to find a singl* flowering stem of any <kind during the summer, and at the present jtime the contrast between its appearance andjtkat of the old pasture is very striking. ; Although-^SO closely fed down, the colour is bright grate, whil* the herbage of the old .pasture is more, or less brown. .Referring to the :• disputed permanence of perennial ryegrass, Sir <J. B. Lawes says:— 4 ' l had paid little attention to the subject until the recent .controversy ! in reference to Professor Fream's^aper, arid so^ -far from thinking that I ought to exclude rye- ; grass from my pastures, I am by no means sure, jthat my old grass would not be improved if it 'contained a good deal more of. it, and I shall try the experiment of sowing some seed on a portion of it this spring. .<. . It ;is easy to see why the best fattening pastures are never -mown. Our- ezperimenta}- grass, iwhich has r always been mown" for hay once a year, and since ' 1875 often twice, 'does not help us much in regard tfco this question of ryegrass. It has almost disappeared from all our plots, jand so has .whiter clover."-; "He* further advisee' jthat until more is known as to the conditions of toil and climate under which any particular grass may have good or bad feeding 'qualities, it J« desirable not to spend tqomuch money on the more costly seeds, and to bear. in mind that "whatever seed be sown it is the conditions and the after treatment that to a very great extent determine the'eharacter of. the herbage. ~: f During the controversy many Scotch farmers wrote on the. subject , in .the columns of the Agricultural journals, and one and all contend that true perennial ryegrass is permanent, jmd should be a considerable constituent in all mixtures of seed for permanent pasfares. Mr J.,H. Millar d, , of , the well-known firm of Oakshotfc and Millard, seed merchante, Reading, also, upholds the suitability of perennial ryegrass and its permanence. In a letter published in the North British Agriculturist, Be writes in reference to Mr Faunce de Laune's > that perennial cyegrass is not suitable

for permanent pasture : — " In discussing this let it. be "remembered there are mm 80 different forms "of ryegrass," but wfiich are reduceTe. practically three, each of Vhich,can.,be procur«j sepafately from JbhT best collectors, the^perX . nials, ttie annual of, common, and the Italian? are different in seed; the first and- second itinM are awnlej3s, bat. the 'annual is a' longer!^ broader seed than' the perennial, while] the Italian: has Jiong _awns. : " The , true "' perenny ryegrass, called by some. Solium 'pereniu paceyanum % ot £acey's ryegrass, is very heavy never weighing 'lees than 261b per bushel, aod sometimes 301b per 1 bushel. -It is s^riotly a perec, njal .plant, of .thioker. growth than the afinnJ : variety.; the leaves'are : narroWer, and itrhabi^k 1 altogether differerit/.^d I hay*. so>n ik b fj. > 'pastures as TKrong 'and 1 vigorous t*\\ was . at Jbhree years. I also found it in soiie rubbed <Q\ib. h^a.ds of tgrasa gathered ioq Mr Faunce de Laune's ' own fields, and handed fe meby ; one of. the; special" dorregpondents who went 'down to inspect his pastdreii! ' Th'e K ann4| ryegrass is a biennial, plant at the most, neret weighing more than? 241b per^ bnßhel, and fr> quently 6nly:2olb,jmd is known hfereaboa^^ HaMpßhire; i ßents>t..Thiff, in toy, opinion, is, plant which Mr DerLaune. aad ' Mr: Carrutheri are both mistaking for the true perennial ««. .-grasfl."..-' ~ ii- r-^!:^r -^ ! :^ 7-'7 -' ■ ■if . Mr Millard avors.jbhat in the course jpf { hiß ej, perience extending|9yerj^o years, ;he rhas nerej seen a good permanieht pasture thit did not b«c, tain from 15 to 75 per cent; of perennial grass, and. he adds: "Jl unhesitatingly reeom, mend the moderate: use of- Pacey'sperennil .ryegrass in, all permanent pasture. prescriptk>nj ( and my opinion is confirmed by the beet-inform^ arid most practical men of the past and present generation. For instance, in the same jonrnall have referred to (at page .3oß), the late MrChw, Randall writes an essay oh ' Laying down Olty Land to Permanent Pasture.' In it.ho reoco. mends half -bushel of perennial ryegrass per acre, In.' Practical Farming ' by Prlngle and Vbuttj (page 167), 16 quarts of perennial ryegrass isre. commended. ' In^ a stjll more :'ancient'. ; .ioik, ♦British Hpsbandry ' ' (part 1, page, 51<H), § quarts of perennial ryegrass is recommended p$ acre. The late lamented -J.-C. -Morton,* in" ha •Farmers' Calendar ' (page 203), say««— •Per®, nial ryegrass is one of our most valuable meadow grasses, sown in mixtures fox permanent gnu it the rate of 101b or 121b per' acre; it forms 'tha principal portion of the produce.' " .'lt mmt.be explained that while' Mr Faunce ,de Laube vi Mr Carruthers, botanist to the Royal Apt cultural Society of England, agreed in the , condemnation of 'perennial ; ryegrug seed in permanent pastures, their . primar} object was to urge the use of pure seed onlj, and with a high germinating standard. They deserve the thanks of all advanced agricultural communities for opening up the subject youi ago, and foe the many reforms in/the seed trad« effected by their praiseworthy *and peraiatenl exertiQns. If their conclusions :in reg« 4 to perennial ryegrass have been; erroneous, and •there is abundant evidence' they are. so, by the use of a fair proportion of this variety a pir« manent pasture can be formed at from 10s to 15a- per acre less than if the high-priced per* manent grass seeds were used exclusively.' ', '