NEW ZEALAND PASTURES

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144084, 1 May 1913, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND PASTURES

AX INTERESTING 'ADDRESS BY MR. A. H. COCKAYNE.

Mr. A. IT. Cockayne, Government, Biologist, gave an interesting address, before the Mastorton branch', of the Farmers’ Union on Saturday last on the question of pastures as they affect the agricultural interests of New Zea-v land. The chair was occupied by Air. Hugh Morrison, who briefly introduced the lecturer. ' , . Mr. Cockayne stated that agriculture was universally recognised as the mainstay of New' Zealand, and the future prosperity of the Dominion was entirely co-rclated with the development of agriculture along progressive lines. The crops that wore produced on agricultural country, were divided. into two distinct groups; (l)Those the raw products of which arc directly elaborated into materials for the maintenance of the human race; (2) those the raw products of which are indirectly elaborated into materials for the maintenance of the human race. To the first group belong cereals and such as potatoes, fruit crops', vegetable crops, fibre and forest -crons. To the second group belonged, all* those crops that were used for the maintenance of farm animals. These were grass, root, and forage crops devoted to the feeding of animals. New Zealand agriculture was, he said," almost entirely Vlevotc4 ,to the production of converted materials, and as the main cron converted was grass, the maintenance of this in the highest degree of efficiency was the determining factor in the future prosperity of New Zealand. Of the sixteen million acres of land under cultivation. 88 per cent, was devoted to pasture, 6 per cent, to grass supplementary crops, and 6 per cent, to all other branches of soil production. • the hay cnor. Mr, Cockayne proceeded to deal with the hay crops. , Hr said that the, outstanding feature of the utilisation of the grass and animal feeding crops in New Zealand was the small area devoted to special winter feed for stock. The hay crop, which in many countries was the most important of the agri-' cultural crops, was in New'Zealand one of. the least important. Of the grass lands that had been sown, less than one-half per cent, was cut for hay. In Great Britain 33 per coot, of the grass lands were ' cut for has-, and in tho United States 22 per cent. the value of grasses.. Air. Cockayne dealt at some length with tho comparative value of grasses on different soils. He'stated that there were a number' of new grasses which were comparatively little used, such as phalaris, pnspalnni,. hird’s-foot,trefoil, etc. In the seeding of pastures too much importance could not be attached to the- testing of scad. He urged fanners to send .samples'of .their'seed to the department for analysis. , TYPES OF PASTURE. ' There were two types of pasture in New Zealand, namely, the temporary and the permanent. ■ The former was very important- in rotation' cropping and for Imy-croppiug, and gave a larger yield than tho perm fluent pastures. The hitter, however, wore the main pastures in this Dominion. Ho urged the need for tho continuous growth of more mixed pasturesin those localities which were suitable. For-first-class land such grasses' as cocksfoot, ryegrass, crested ddgslail, . timothy, meadow; fescue, meadow foxtail, red clover, white clover, and nlsikc wore recommended; while for secondclass Hand he. advised tho use of bent grasses, poa pratensis, other peas, danihonia, etc. SUPPLEMENTARY CROPS. Tho main supplementary crop that was grown i.i Now Zealand was rape; lint this was often unsatisfactory when the conditions for its growth were unfavourable. In certain seasons when the grass crop was a failure tho r,ape crop was also a comparative, failure. It was highlv important that reliable summer supplementary crops should be grown which Would not be a failure during those seasons when they wore roost required. In this respect two crops stood out with special prominence, namely, lucerne and silver beet. LUCERNE. In 'many countries lucerne was ranked as one of the most important of all the stock-feeding crops, especially where considerable periods of dry weather were. experienced in the summer. In the southern countries of South America, over 60,000 tons of lucerne scad was annually used. , The extensive co-operative experiments that were being undertaken by tho department in New Zealand should lead to a great extension in the growing of this crop. Lucerne was an exceedingly deep rpoter, and after the first few montlis \vas no longer dependent for its water supply on the upper layers of the soil, so that it was virtually unimpaired by summer droughts? It’was.an erroneous idea that lucerne could not be grazed without ', destroying the plants. In the Blenheim district, where the largest area was under cultivation, grazing wms regularly practised. The addition of prairie grass to the lucerne gave good results, and splendid winter feeding -was secured. SILVER BEET. - ■ Another crop ’that was destined ' to play an important part in New' Zealand agriculture was silver beet. , This was practically immune ' from insect pests.' Ah experiment conducted by the department at Belfast, near Christchurch, had proved most successful. The area was fed down six times during the year, and on a quarter of an acre 253 sheep were carried for B’4 days out of the year, which was equivalent to 233 sheep per acre all tho year round. The seed was rather expensive, and a. good deal of attention was necessary inthinning and cultivating between the rows. ...

SELECTION OF SEEDS. Mr. Cockayne emphasised the necessity for greater care in, the selection of seeds. . One. had. only to think of our artificially-improved -wheats, oats, barleys, swedes, mangolds, turnips and. rape , to recognise bow their value as farm crops was almost entirely due to.the plant selector and breeder. With the exception of certain isolated cases, no attempt had been made to improve the pasture plants, so as to inoTcaso their efficiency in the feeding of live stock. At the present time the only process of selection, that the farmer adopted in regard to grasses was to buy that seed which, owing to. its being grown in a certain locality, was said to be superior to that grown elsewhere. The case of Hawke’s Bay

ryc-grass was a familiar uno to all of them. SECOND-CLASS LANDS. Tho question of improving the pastures on second-class land 'was briefly touched upon by the lecturer. He expressed the opinion that. much of our inferior land could he made productive by the cultivation, of danthonia. and '.other specially selected grasses. Experiments were now. being carried on with these grasses. , CONCLUSION. In conclusion, -Mr. Cockayne said a great deal could be done by the individual farfvier hrmaeif in tho improvement of grasses, by keeping his eyes open and selecting .those individuals that were of outstanding merit. If this were done, and the seed saved, it was more than probable that ’ farms' would he isolated that, would lead to a general increase In the 1 herbage .produced,on, the land, both’in quality and quantity. It might be. said that such work was too much botfysr; but it was hard to conceive, that work having for its object the improvement of New Zealand’s staple crop should, not be undertaken and encouraged Just as much as the selection of a dairy, herd for the increase of butter-fat production.