ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2905, 17 November 1909, Page 5

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

"Popotunoa" writes: — (1) 1 have a paddock of ryegrass this year which I intended keeping for seed, but I find I hat it is full of some kind of native grass. You will find sample enclosed. This grass- s growing very thick amongst tho ryegrass, and is mostly all shot, but the ryegrass will not be shooting for a fortnight yot. Do you think that this grass will have any had effects on the ryegrass crop, or 6poil the sample of seed? The paddock was sown down after the second ploughing, co th&t accounts for tho native grass. (2) The

winter before last I! ploughed vp v about 30 acres out of the tussock, and sowed it with turnips later on.- I had a very fail" crop of turnip?, and now I have ploughed it tip again and disced it well.-. There appears , to be a lot of native grass oonKng here also. If 1 sow this down with grass and turnips this year do Vy think I would fie 1 ' able to cut a fair crop of ryegrass off ' it next year, or would the native- grasses (mostly same as enclosed) spoil the crop of ryegrass?

Answers: (1) The sample of gTass you send is the common sweat vernal. *nd will not detrimentally affect the sample of your ryegrass seed, as the former will all' be separated easily from the ryegrass. in the ssed-cleanrng process. (2) If you sow down this _ year with grass and turnips I- am afraid that the crop .would be rather dirty with sorrel and sweet-scented vernal. If earlier in the season it might hav^ been best to have taken a crop of oats off tha ground, and next year, "after ploughing and working well, to sow down in turnips and grass If you can spare the ground summer fallow and work the padlock clean this summer.