NEW ZEALAND AHEAD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17227, 5 April 1930, Page 11

NEW ZEALAND AHEAD

GRASSLAND FARMING VALUE OF POVERTY BAY RYE "Grassland management, operation and research work in a few years will put New Zealand at the head of tho world in these, matters," stated Dr. -U. K. Auhctt, of Alatnugi, upon his return from a visit to the United Kingdom, ''lreland, Holland and Germany. "in saying "this,'' he went on, "one had to bear in mind the recent work hearing.,oll thVycry great importance of strain in various qualities ot grass. raking any one, such as rye, one may isolate from them one variety of ryegrass many strains, in the same way f is we get. fc'trnijis of wheat, some of '.iH'se. piiiig much more highly productive than others.

: "The New Zealand Department of Agriculture, has been working in these directions for some time. in tins ".oiiiicetion one may refer to Air. Bruce Levy's work on rye grass, a work that .inducted . the very great value of .lia.wlu.".'s' Buy and . Poverty. Bay r yo grasses as compared with rye grass ifrpiu the .South Island. If we are going .to'siwu'e. the-best results from nianur-ihg,};tiich-it;, is obvious we want the ;pf, >Jgrass'• in use before 'mafr'uriYigV'. so as''to obtain the best value for our money.

"Regarding actual grassland management, the characteristic conditions in New Zealand, particularly in the North Island,.may be considered to be almost ideal. The only part of the British Isles which approaches .New Zealand in this respect is Southern Ireland. "With regard to manuring, the English farmer does not usually treat his pastures so frequently with phosphates as do the farmers of New Zealand. In England it is unusual to apply phosphates more frequently than say once in four years. The New Zealand practice is far sounder, and experimental work so far carried out in this country indicates that more beneficial effect's will be obtained by applying several small doses of phosphates In one year rather than one dose annually. "Of other fertiliser constituents the heaviest users of potash and nitrogen are.the farmers of the lowlands of Scotland. There are indications, though, that throughout England there will be a considerable increase in the use of potash and nitrogenous manures on temporary pastures. In Kent, for instance, where sheep used to be folded on roots, the practice is being introduced of heavily manuring the seeds lea for the purpose of grazing the sheep on them. ' "In Holland in recent years there has been an enormous development in the use of nitrogenous manures on grassland. It is interesting to note that this, development has been very largely the work of commercial propaganda. ' '—Wnikato Times.