SURPLUS GROWTH CONTROL

Southland Times, Issue 23676, 26 November 1938, Page 19

SURPLUS GROWTH CONTROL

Pasture management and controlled grazing are today two of the most important factors governing returns from grasslands. Progressive fanners now realize this and many of them have given very careful attention to the problem with most profitable and satisfactory results. At Thombury, Mr F. Weir has already made use of a mowing machine for removing seed heads from the quickly-maturing grasses. The tendency this season is for pasture and grasses to run to seed earlier than usual. The unpalatable and inferior types of grass such as sweet vernal and so on, are neglected by stock and failure to remove the seed heads results in a heavy seeding and thus leads to a most unprofitable increase in the unwanted types of plants. Farmers often wonder why pastures deteriorate and eventually run out. Uncontrolled seeding on badly grazed paddocks is responsible to a much greater extent than is generally realized. A further reason is that when the natural urge of reproduction is accomplished by the formation of seed, plants become temporarily exhausted and lapse into a more or less dormant state. Everyone, knows of the slow recovery and opening up of the sward that occurs on a pasture that has produced a seed crop. This weakening of the good grasses especially allows weeds to increase to the detriment of the more valuable pasture plants. It is known and it has been proved that the predominant types of plants in a four or five-year-old pasture have been almost entirely determined by the form of grazing management practiced during the period. Also, the mixture of seeds originally sown has a comparatively small influence after a period of years. The extensive use of fertilizers has built the productive capacity of pastures to a very high standard. Failure to fully utilize the growth so obtained results in a reduction of profit from the expenditure incurred. For this reason control of excess growth should be one of the most important operations of farm management and not merely, as is often the case, a spare-time job. In the Riversdale district a well-known farmer “topped” his certified ryegrass pastures at the end of November, and again about the end of January. His flock of some 600 Romney cross ewes were all bred to Romney rams and practically all the lambs fattened as milk lambs on the mothers. Most farmers apologize for a small percentage of fat lambs when a Romney ram is used. The experience of the farmer referred tr was a striking illustration of what can be done by correct control of pastures by topping.” Pastures can be maintained at a high standard of nutrition throughout the greatest part of the year when subject to thoughtful and careful management. There is no doubt that prevention of seed heads by stocking is the ideal ™«ahod of control But with stock at

high prices it is often a better business proposition to do without them, and to use the mowing machine instead. Topping to be thoroughly effective requires to be done as soon as the plants throw out the shot blade and before the seeds have been formed.