THE CARE OF PASTURES

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1028, 19 July 1930, Page 27

THE CARE OF PASTURES

Top-Dressing And Harrowing During July Extensive experience has taught that pasture top-dressing may be carried out with good reaulta during July where it has not been done earlier. If from such top-dressing it is desirable, as it usually is, to secure growth as quickly as possible, then ordinarily superphosphate should be used. Even on relatively cold soils super applied in July has been found to produce substantial increases in the amount of feed available in August. It is not to be inferred from this that July is the month which should be selected for the application of super; the (application of super and of other phos'phates to grassland much earlier in the season has been recommended. But if .the top-dressing for some reason or tothcr has not yet been done it may still he carried out with profitable results, states the Journal of Agriculture. Under normal conditions the application of sulphate of ammonia about midJuly to suitable grass-paddocks may be counted upon to result in a material increase in the feed available from the dressed paddocks during August and September. For a few weeks prior to the middle of July it is probably well uot to apply sulphate of ammonia; it appears not to act at this period when plants tend to be most dormant in their growth, and its fertilising influence is apt to be more or less wasted. Fields to which sulphate of ammonia is to be ■applied should he grazed down evenly and closely, and thoroughly harrowed irior to the application. As a genera! rule super should be used in conjunction with sulphate of ammonia. As an emergency means of increasing the carly-seaon grass-growth when there is a prospect of scant supplies of feed the use of sulphate of ammonia on grassland promises to be successful, especially if the pasture to which it is applied contains a considerable proportion of rye-grass. Sulphate of ammonia may suitably be mixed with superphosphate prior to application, but the mixing of it thus with basic slag should be avoided face previously mentioned, plus a bumpy forehead—that is to say, a convex skull above the eyes—the animal is very likebecause of the undesirable chemical action which would result*