Importance of Seed-Bed Preparation

Southland Times, Issue 23141, 6 March 1937, Page 15

Importance of Seed-Bed Preparation

Consolidation Essential

With the recent rise in the price of small seeds it is most necessary that great attention should be given to the preparation of the seed bed this season. Half-hearted working-up of ley ground is almost sure to give poor results, but a little extra care to ensure a fine, deep tilth, and a sod that has been well turned in at ploughing, will mean, possibly, a pasture that will outlive the farmer.

The soundest practice, of course, is to follow rape or turnips with grasses and clovers, and where this system is employed it is’not necessary to plough a second time unless the paddock is very dirty indeed. A thorough disking a fortnight or so before the final working takes place will germinate most of the weeds. The second and third diskings should complete their destruction and work up the bed well. Disking and Harrowing

So far as the actual disking is concerned it is a good idea to overlap, or double cut, rather than to make several single strokes. By doing this, ridging and unevenness of the seed bed will be avoided, and the surface will be left level for future mowing operations. As a rule, not more than two double strokes will be necessary, assuming that there is a good set on the disks. This will work up cropped ground to a depth of three or four inches and will form the foundation for the firm seed bed which is so necessary for successful pasture establishment. The harrowing should be very thorough in order to break up any hard lumps, and also to level off the paddock. In ley ground tripods are. generally the best, but no two districts are exactly the same, and nowadays there are so many types of implements for this operation that the farmer has plenty to pick and choose from. In the sandy and pumaceous soils, for instance, a couple of strokes with the chain harrows would probably finish off a paddock very nicely, whereas heavier implements would be essential on heavier soils. In ground which is being worked up from the ley it is advisable to avoid the use of the heavy grass harrows with forward set tynes as these tend to pull the sod to the surface at the headlands and where an area has only been skim-ploughed. Importance of Consolidation The importance of rolling cannot be over-estimated, especially where ryegrass and white clover are to be sown. In autumn-ploughed ground which has been turned in from' the ley and is to be put straight back into grass, little or no advantage will accrue from rolling before working. In the spring; conditions are of course different, for the furrows have had time to weather. A practice that is coming more and more intp favour in districts suitable for the establishment of ryegrass and white clover pastures, commonly known as “rye-white,” is to roll before as well as after sowing. Not only does this method break up clods left on the surface, but it consolidates the ground before the seed is actually sown. This is

1 really of great importance, for most of us have seen how a drill’s wheels will sink in on a paddock that has been worked very fine. Under these circumstances the coulters following the seed box on the ordinary drills will tend to cover the seed too deeply. Moreover, if turnips, oats or barley are being drilled at the same time, as is frequently the case, these will be drilled too deep unless the coulters are well lifted with the coulter chains. If, after a double rolling prior to sowing, the seed is not altogether covered—as will be the case when a manure distributor is used for seeding—then probably no amount of rolling will cover the exposed seed. Under these circumstances it is as well to give the paddock a stroke with home-made brush harrows. These are easilv made from a few brushes of green manuka, and one stroke will usually cover the seeds. Should a roller be unobtainable, sheep may be used to consolidate the freshly-sown bed. Excellent results follow driving sheep backwards and forwards over the paddock. The process is slow, of course, and is not to be recommended on large areas, or where the surface is lumpy, but where the bed has been well prepared it is infinitely preferable to no rolling at all. Old Pasture Renovation “Can a seed bed be worked up on old pasture by means of heavy harrowing?” is a question that is frequently asked. It is certainly possible to do this, but the question is: Does it pay? In the writer’s opinion it does not. Expensive seed is worthy of. a good foundation on which to establish itself, and no old, worn-out pasture infested with weeds can be turned into a clean seed bed without first turning it in. An old pasture which has been thoroughly scarified or disked encourages a prolific growth of weeds as well as of grass seed, and the weeds usually win the day under such, circumstances. The usual method is to sow a “bushel or so” of rye and white clover for two or three consecutive seasons—a vague scheme which almost invariably ends up in an expenditure of seed which greatly exceeds that outoutlayed on a first-class mixture for a properly-worked paddock. Eight years ago the writer tried out this idea of so-called pasture renovation. For three consecutive seasons he put on one bushel of ryegrass to the acre after a thorough working with a heavy type of grass harrow, and in the end the paddock had to be ploughed. It should be remembered, too, by those who contemplate this plan for re-seeding, that grass land authorities definitely condemn the use of heavy grass harrows on rye-white (not sodbound paspalum and the like), as tending to stimulate the weed growth in such pastures. Taking their advice into consideration it would surely* seem sound practice to plough rather than to “scratch.” If there is one operation in the farming routine that needs extra care and attention it is the preparation of the seed bed.