INTENSIVE GRAZING

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18459, 28 December 1929, Page 12

INTENSIVE GRAZING

AN ENGLISH EXAMPLE.

A farm that has attracted wide interest in England is that of Mr F. Savage, in Surrey. The soil is a retentive loam, rather deficient in lime, but well supplied with sub-soil moisture and consequently not greatly affected by long periods of drought. Although the rotational system of grazing is adopted, no attempt has been made to divide the pastures into small plots. The fields vary in size frofn 5 to 12 acres, and Mr Savage has found that even flushes of rich young grass can be obtained throughout an extended grazing season by the manipulation of the stock, and the judicious use of the mowing machine. Of the total of 80 acres of grassland, 20 acres of unreclaimed land are let off as rough grazing, and the remaining 60 acres carry 30 dairy cows, 2 horses, 12 breeding sows, running out until they farrow down, and 600 head of poultry. Sufficient hay is also gathered for the live stock in winter. When with the approach of winter, the cows begin to lie in at night, from 50 to 60 sheep are grazed round the pastures until the end of February. In pursuit of the main object to support the largest possible head of stock with a minimum of feeding stuffs, a system of manuring has been adopted to ensure early growth in addition to bulk and quality. Each pasture receives from 5 to 10 cwt. of lime every third of fourth year, and a similar quantity of basic slag at the same interval, though not in the same year. The basal manuring was completed this year, by the application of 2 cwt, of 30 per cent, potash salt 6 per acre, to the slagged pastures. As there is no arable land on the farm to produce roots for the winter or catch crops for the summer, the winter feeding consists entirely of concentrates and hay, while the summer grazing has to be manipulated as to ensure (1), a constant supply of grass suitable for the maintenance of milk yields from April to November (the English location period), and (2), a maximum acreage of grassland for hay. To achieve these objects, Mr Savage divides his grassland into the following three categories: (1) Pastures for rotational grazing; (2) meadows set permanently'‘aside for hay, and (3) pastures for either of the preceding purposes, according to the demands of the stock or season. If the last-named are to be suitable for grazing during the critical period extending from midJune to the end of July, their growth must be checked at the outset so that they may be taken for mid-summer grazing or a late crop of hay as the case requires. As soon as droppings are sufficiently dry to be moved, they are spread by hand, care being taken to place the manure where it is most required to ensure uniform quality a.nd growth of herbage and the absence of unpalatable tufts. The extra trouble and cost involved by this method is considered to be amply repaid by the finer quality of the resulting herbage.