SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXX, Issue 2, 20 February 1925, Page 125

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM. AUTUMN SOWING OF PASTURES. March is one of the best months for sowing pastures, both temporary and permanent, on the lower-lying country. With altitudes over 1,000 ft.' better results are generally obtained by late spring sowing. The main point is to sow at a time when clovers will get well established before severe frost sets in. There is a great diversity of opinion, especially in regard to permanent pasture, as to whether some cereal should be sown with the grass-seed; to afford shelter. In the majority of cases the grass is best sown by itself, as the cereal is a keen competitor and generally causes the grass ’stand to be weaker than if sown alone. There are, however, certain exceptions. Thus, in very exposed situations a bushel of oats or barley per acre may be used for shelter advantageously, and again if the sowing is late (say, at the end of April or in May) ; but in no case should more than i bushel be sown with a permanent-grass mixture. In deciding on a grass-mixture great care is necessary to ensure that grasses suitable to the land and locality are selected, and that a proper balance between grasses and clovers is maintained. For firstclass free »lands the following permanent ‘ mixture is a good basis to work on : Cocksfoot, 12 lb. ; perennial rye-grass, 16 lb. ; ... Italian ryegrass, 4 lb. ; timothy, 4 lb. ; crested dogstail, 2 lb. ; red clover, 3 lb. ; white clover, 2 lb. : total, 43 lb. per acre. Where the land is stiffer and wetter the following is suggested : Cocksfoot, 6 lb. ; perennial rye-grass, 20 1b..; timothy, 4 lb. ; meadow-fescue, 4 lb. ; meadowfoxtail, 2 lb. ; alsike, 2 lb. ; red clover, 2 lb. ; white clover, 2 lb. : total, 42 lb. per acre. Under North Island conditions, if the land lies warm, 10 lb. of prairie-grass may be added with advantage to the former mixture. Temporary pastures consist of (1) a truly temporary pasture to last one year only, and (2) a temporary dairying pasture that with care may be carried on from two to four years. For the former a sowing of 25 lb. Italian or Western Wolths rye-grass ’ and 5 lb. red clover per acre is suitable ; and for the latter 16 lb. perennial rye-grass, 12 lb. Italian rye-grass, 4 lb. red clover, and 2 lb. white clover is recommended; while for land of a free and warm nature in the North Island 10 lb. of prairie-grass could again be added. If the last-mentioned mixture is judiciously top-dressed it should remain good for three or four years In preparing the land for pasture, care must be taken to provide a fine, firm tilth. If the soil is not well consolidated a great deal of the seed is buried too deeply and fails to germinate. The ideal condition is to get the seed buried about | in. deep. If the seed-bed has been well consolidated, light tine harrows give good results, otherwise chain or brush harrows are the best. The question of rolling after sowing at this time of the year must be left to the farmer’s judgment. No hard-and-fast rule can be laid down. If the land is dry and the weather inclined to be fine, rolling should be done. If, on the other hand, the land is at all wet and rain frequent it is better not to roll.

Suitable manures for applying with pastures are basic super or basic slag, 2 cwt. per acre, or mixtures of 2 cwt. super and 2 cwt. carbonate of lime. If it is considered that the land is weak in plantfood and heavier dressings are desirable the extra dressing is better applied in the early spring. WINTER AND EARLY SPRING FORAGE CROPS. The sowing of these crops should now be pushed along.. If the crop is to be grazed during winter and early spring, and the land then turned over, Algerian oats at the rate of 3 to 4 bushels per acre are probably the best for general purposes, or a mixture of 2 bushels Algerian oats and 1 bushel Western Wolths rye-grass. Black Skinless barley at 2| bushels per acre also gives good results, and if feed is desired quickly it is the best, as it is usually ready to feed two or three weeks before any other cereal. When the land is inclined to be sour a mixture of Algerian oats and rye-corn, half and half, 3 to 4 bushels per acre, is recommended. If the crop is to be fed during winter and carried on for hay or ensilage, a mixture of 21 bushels Algerian oats and 1 bushel grey tares is advised, as this mixture makes better ensilage than oats alone. Sometimes tares are sown with oats where it is intended to prepare the land for another crop in the spring. In such case it is doubtful if sufficient fodder is obtained from, the tares to warrant their inclusion. Unless • the land is very rich this type of crop should be liberally manured ; super or basic super, at 2 cwt. per acre, is a suitable fertilizer. HARVESTING CLOVER-SEED. ■ ‘ ■ . ■ ■ - . I . • A feature this season in some districts, such as Marlborough, was the late appearance of the humble-bees. For farmers whose growth of clover, after the November or December hay-cut, was late coming into head this would, •if anything, be an advantage, while in the case of stands which have headed early many of the heads will mature without setting seed and so become dummies. Where the majority of the clover-heads fall into this category it goes without saying that the farmer, will be well advised to make a hay-cut instead of allowing the crop to remain for seed. When the clover-seed may be rubbed out from the'majority of the heads, and when the stalks begin to lie over at an angle of 45 0 , it is time to cut. The best method of harvesting is probably to use steel bands which trail behind the mower. These are especially valuable when white clover is being cut. When this method is employed' the driver of the mower uses an improvised seat — a sack of chaff being a handy method. The mower-seat should be turned back to front. A second man sits on this and guides the clover out into heaps which lie clear of the wheel in the course of the next cut. By this system the clover may be left in windrows without any trouble. The bands work best with very dry material. Another method of clover-seed harvesting commonly employed and generally attended • with successful results is that involving the use of the side deliverer.* If the material is exceedingly dry it may often be threshed immediately after stacking, before the stack begins to sweat. ' However, it is frequently the case when the clover is stacked that many

of the heads are somewhat immature, hence a certain amount of curing in the stack is essential. Once the stack goes into the sweat it should be left for at least a month before threshing is attempted. After threshing is completed the straw-stack should be built with a steep pitch to turn the rain. lucerne. . Young spring-sown crops should be ready for a second cutting during March, and as the weather is then usually dry it is a good time to give them a light cultivation. The tine harrows are, as a rule, heavy enough for this operation. The object is to destroy any grass or permanent weeds that are getting established, and leave the surface of the land in free condition for the winter. Young stands of lucerne should not be grazed in the first season. Old stands that are getting thin can have their usefulness considerably extended by sowing Italian rye-grass on them after the autumn cultivation. The rye-grass fills up bare ground and provides a heavy crop in the spring. In some districts the practice of sowing 2 bushels of Algerian oats on lucerne stands in March and April has become fairly common, the object being to fill up all bare ground, crowd out weeds during the winter months, and provide a heavy spring crop for green feed or ensilage. So far observations indicate that where the oat crop is cut fairly early no harm is done, but where the oats are allowed to get well out in ear there are indications that the subsequent growth of lucerne is slightly stunted. However, there is not yet sufficient evidence to warrant definite conclusions regarding the relative benefit or otherwise of this practice to the lucerne stand. • ’ . ■ PASTURE-MANAGEMENT AND SURPLUS FEED. Owing to the favourable season there is now on many farms a surplus of feed that can be usefully disposed of. Pastures that have “ got away ” should, if possible, be mown, more especially in northern districts where the dominant grass is paspalum. . This allows the young undergrowth to make a start, and freshens up the feed. If the paddocks are taken in rotation at intervals there will be no shortage, even for a few days, and the benefit derived from the clearing-away of the rank unpalatable top growth is soon noticeable On some farms this surplus grass can be raked together and made into hay or ensilage, so that a double. benefit is obtained. In any case the mown grass, if there is any quantity and it is not eaten on the ground by stock,. should be removed from the surface of the paddock, and the tripod harrows set to work. This harrowing spreads the stockdroppings and breaks the hard surface of the ground, thus permitting the entrance of any rain that falls.

■ Surplus crops of maize and Japanese millet, should be converted into ensilage. The stack method is quite suitable for this purpose, more especially if there is over, say, 25 tons of material. . With less material than this the proportion of waste is apt to be high, but even this is better than allowing crops to become frosted and a total loss.

Fields Division.