PASTURES BELOW PAR.

Putaruru Press, Volume XI, Issue 268, 7 September 1933, Page 6

PASTURES BELOW PAR.

HOW TO REVIVE THEM. Drastic Harrowing and New Seed. There is a substantial area of grassland that is just below par and which dould be substantially improved at little cost. It may be that an original poor type of ryegrass has left the pasture low in this particular constituent, with a correspondingly greater percentage of low fertility grasses. It may be that too much cocksfoot has been sowp in the mixture, or mixtures containing a number of poor species have been used. Of course such things as cutting every season for hay, being allowed to get away from stock, starved for fertilisers or grazed without harrowing may have played a part in lowering the standard of a pasture. Whatever the cause, the fact remains that we have a few million acres of below-par pasture and we want to improve them. This job calls for drastic harrowing to open up the surface and to pull out or destroy as much as possible of the poor stuff. This job of harrowing should not be done by the owner himself unless He is fully conversant with the results to be expected; far better to employ someone to do the job for you and when you think he has knocked your paddock about sufficiently, tell him to start all over again and then go away and leave him.

When the paddock has been harrowed almost to breaking point, give it a dressing of carbonate of lime and follow this a week or two later with 4 cwt of suoer through which you have mixed half a bushel of certified perennial ryegrass seed per acre; a further stroke of the harrows to cover the seed, and then shut the gate.

Possibly the autumn is the best time to carry out this work of renovation, but quite good results may be secured by doing it now.