Pampas Grass Trials

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17943, 22 November 1932, Page 8

Pampas Grass Trials

THE possibility of using pampas grass • as a succulent food for stock has been tried out on the Hauraki Plains by Mr. A- McClean. In an article in the last issue of the Journal of Agriculture, the chief chemist, Mr. B. C. Aston, states that Mr. McClean has bo m trying out the pampas grass for the past six years, and adds that coarse grasses such as this have been overlooked hitherto in the search for cattle fodder. “Mr. McClean’s attention was first called to the matter,” states the Journal, “from the fact that cattle liked the pampas grass, and each year he kept on increasing his plantations until to-day he has nine acres under pampas, and this is his second year of wintering stock .on this grass. Mr. McClean states that his results obtained over the past three years show that he can carry on his farm of 200 acres (including 30 to 40 acres in a rough state), 200 head of cattle the whole year round. He does not need hay or' any supplementary fodder, for the simple reason that the animals ignore hay if they can get pampas grass, ami they certainly do much better on the latter. His cattle are in excellent condition and keep remarkably healthy. Test cows which have spent four winters on pampas arc today the outstanding animals on the farm, with coats and condition as il fed on linseed.

“Cattle cat the pampas down themselves in breaks with a movable fence; it does not need to be cut for them. Mr. MeClean has tried cutting and Ipediug out Ihe pampas like other craps, but there seems to be too much wastage of material, and cattle certainly prefer grazing the standing tussocks. “Pampas grows very rapidly, approximately 3ft. a month, until in about 32 months’ time each clump has about 3. cwt. of fodder.’’

The analysis of pampas grass shows that it contains 73.4 per cent, ot water, 2.27 per cent, of ash, 2.46 of protein, and 0.1 per cent, of prospliorie acid. Green maize and green oats have S 3 and 82.2 per cent, of water respectively, 3 per cent, and 3.6 per cent, respectively of ash, 3.9 and 2.7 per cent, respectively of protein, and 0.12 and 0.15 per cent, respectively of phosphoric acid. Mr. McClcan s farm is described as good swamp land.