PRAIRIE GRASS EXPERIMENTS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 820, 11 April 1868, Page 4

PRAIRIE GRASS EXPERIMENTS.

It has been our custom for several years past, says the Melbourne Age, to visit, during the month of February, and report the progress at the Royal Park Farm which, uader the old regime attained such unenviable notoriety, but which since the present tenant has possessed it, has furnished free of cost a few interesting "facts for farmers." To the present tenant (Mr. Mitchell) indeed, the agricultural and pastoral interests of these colonies owe a debt of gratitude for his j introduction of the now well-known prairie grass, the only modern novelty in the way of a fodder plant that has stood the test of actual work, and that has commended itself to practical men. A whole host of

sorghums and millets have been tried in turn and found wanting. Excepting in the cooler and moister parts of the colony, even the clovers cannot be relied on, and for dairy purposes that excellent and reliable friend lucerne is not well adapted during the warm dry season (just when its services are most in demand), as it then imparts an unpleasant flavour both to milk and butter. But the prairie grass is altogether free from objection on any such account ; it is more relished by stock than any other kind of grass, and were it obtainable in quantity at all seasons, would leave nothing else to be desired. Since it has fallen into the hands of the public, reports of a very opposite character have from time to time been published respecting it. One person has found it die out ; another reports that I the seed failed to grow ; a third alleges that it won't stand grazing and so forth. Mr. Mitchell, observing these statements, has instituted a series of experiments with a view to discover if possible the causes that have led to such different results. He has sown the grass in considerable quantities, both alone and mixed with other grasses, and has carefully watched and noted the results in order to leave no room for further cavil or question. In the first place an upland field (No. 8) comprising thirteen and a half acres of fair average farm soil, was sown two years ago with prairie seed at the rate of 30 lbs. per acre. The first crop was a fair one ; but if he were to sow again he would use double the above quantity of seed and thus secure a full plant at first, instead ol waiting for it to bo thickened by the seed

falling from the produce of the first sowing. This may seem to many a mere question of Cost, but it is really something more. The habit of the prairie grass in its young stage is erect, but the ends of the blades fall over as they lengthen, and thus shade a considerable extent of ground, [t will easily be comprehended that young plantsof any kind growing between strong tufts of this grass would quickly be smothered and killed out, and this is just what happens to the young grass produced from the seed of the already established stools. Thus it is rather a difficult matter to thicken a crop of prairie grass but it may be done and there is only one way of doing it. The old plants must not be permitted to smother the young ones, and to this intent the crop should be mown before that occurs. Then, when the crop has again grown and the young grass has gained strength, it may perhaps be safe to graze it with cattle ; but it will sometimes be safer to resort to a second mowing. After the first season there will be little danger of the grass becoming thin ; we should mention, however, that prairie grass never forms a sole as rye grass does but on the contrary always remains in separate stools or upright tufts. This field j (No 8) was cut for hay the first season and grazed throughout tho following winter by sixteen head of tho dairy cattle and a few horses twelve hours per day. The present season it was grazed up to the Ist August, which Mr. Mitchell finds too late, unless in seasons unusually moist or in positions under the command of irrigation. A heavy crop of seed was then taken, and owing to the peculiarly favourable season, the field has since carried twenty-three cows, and occasionally | the horses and calves besides. On the date of our visit, Mr. Mitchell had commenced to top-dress this field with raw stable dung, at the rate of about ten tons per acre. Strips will be left undressed in different parts of the crop, in order to obtain grounds for ascertaining the exact effect of this mode of manuring. Paddock No 6 was also a twelvemonth ago laid down in the same kind of grass ; this was cut for hay early in November, before it had ripened or formed any seed. The effect of taking a ripe grain crop is very strongly shown in one part, about 3 acres 20 perches of this field. Oats preceded the grass ; tho greater part was cut as green fodder, but the above-mentioned area was reserved for seed. In other respects the whole field was treated alike and yet the grass on the three acres was so very inferior that no one ignorant of the exhausting effect of ! grain crops would have believed that it had received fair play in other respects. In two other paddocks prairie grass formed part of the mixture of grasses, and in both it has nearly dissappeared. The cause is very apparent. So long as a blado of prairie grass remains the stock will eat nothing else,- but will continue to nibble it down with the ground, and thus it is that grass becomes exterminated in mixed pastures. The partiality of stock for this grass is 1 - excessive ; one farmer who has sown it declares that the stock lick the ground where it has grown ; but though this must be a slight exaggeration, we can vouch for the fact of stock leaving everything else to get at it. Mr. Mitchell believes that when farmers recognize the need of doing land properly when it is intended for pasture, instead of sowing grass seeds on exhausted land they will generally adopt prairie grass when the object is to lay down land for two or three years. " A farmer's grass " he says, "should (1) seed freely j (2), the seed should be easily collected ; (3), the produce should be abundant ; (4), it should also be nutritious. All these properties belong in an eminent degree to pirairie gra3s ; hence it is sure to be extensively employed by farmers." Mr. Mitchell's dairywoman can always tell from the increased quantity and color of tho cream when the cows are on prairie grass ; and when the season for resorting to roots comes round, the sugar beet exhibits like superiority over tho mangold ; the cream again tells the tale. The ability of the farm to carry stock has been greatly augmented through the improvement of the pasturage and the adoption of root-growing on an extensive scale. Of this we Bhall have something to say in another article, but we may just state that on the farm are now grazing thirty-one cows, seven good-sized calves, and five horses, instead of sixteen cows, the utmost number it would carry when Mr. Mitchell entered upon it.