SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XL, Issue 6, 20 June 1930, Page 417

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM.

The Pastures.

Extensive experience has taught that pasture top-dressing may be carried out with good results 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 ; previously in these notes the application of super and of other phosphates to grassland much earlier in the season has been recommended. Now the matter is mentioned again because if the top-dressing for some reason or other has not yet been done it may still be carried out with profitable results.

Under normal conditions the application of sulphate of ammonia about mid-July 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 not 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 fertilizing influence is apt to be more or less wasted. Fields to which sulphate of ammonia is to be applied should be grazed down- evenly and closely, and thoroughly harrowed prior to the application. As a general rule super should be used in conjunction with sulphate of ammonia. As an emergency means of increasing the early-season 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 because of the undesirable chemical action which would result.

Harrowing of pastures during July is work which calls for attention if it has not already been carried out. It is particularly necessary on fields which have been stocked heavily during May and June. Harrowing is of great value as a means of breaking up and distributing animal-droppings, and when this latter work calls for attention a section, of chain harrow should be attached behind the portion used for its cultivating' effect. Harrowing should be valued as a means of carrying out cultivation—vation which will aerate the soil, foster the development of feeding-roots in the better pasture plants, and tear out rubbishy matted growth'.. Such work done by harrows is analogous in its influence to the hoof cultivation that results from the'trampling of stock, and that is of proven great value provided it is not overdone. -

Suitable paddecks, preferably well-drained ones, provided with shelter and with herbage in which rye-grass is prominent, should often be closed up during July for the use later on of early-calving cows or early-lambing ewes. On such paddocks the rye-grass is of particular value because of its early growth under conditions of reasonably good drainage.

To avoid damage by poaching of the soil, paddocks which have become wet and soft should be used as little as possible. On such paddocks injury the influence of which persists permanently may be done if care is not taken to minimize poaching. Greatest damage is liable to occur by

neglect in this connection of recently-sown-down paddocks. Two rules that may be followed to prevent avoidable poaching arefirstly, if possible do not stock low-lying paddocks ; and, secondly, feed out hay and roots on the higher, drier portions of the farm that often are also the poorer portions, the fertility of which will be usefully increased by such feeding.

Drainage in Grass-farming.

The value of good drainage in the production of annual and other special crops, such as lucerne, is unquestioned, but some are inclined to attribute less value to it on farms which depend largely upon grass. The true position is that adequate drainage has an important bearing on grassland farming, for the following reasons : (a) It begets warmer soil conditions in the spring, which favour earlier growth of all the common pasture species, and so it provides greater growth at a critical'time. (b) It begets greater total annual growth, because it favours the more productive pasture species such as rye-grass and clovers. (c) It results in greater returns from the use of suitable fertilizers and high-class seed. (d) Because of its beneficial influence on the health and general thrift of stock it begets more efficient pasture utilization. Among the disorders which are lessened by good drainage are such serious ones as mammitis, foot-rot, tuberculosis, fluke, calving troubles, and .parasitic worms. Drainage is to be looked upon as an auxiliary rather than as an alternative to top-dressing. ■

On much of our poorly drained land mole drainage would unquestionably prove so effective and lasting in its influence as to be markedly profitable. This has been proved in actual practice by both sheep-farmers and dairy-farmers on this type of land. All the work attached to providing mole drains g ft. apart and 18 in. deep will be done by contractors at a charge of from £1 ss. to £1 7s. 6d. per acre, while a farmer using his own tractor will normally be able to do the work at a substantially lower cost, after having allowed adequately for interest, depreciation, material, and labour. Over extensive areas mole drains at a depth of from 14 in. to 16 in. serve excellently. This is the recognized time of the year for giving attention to drainage. Apart from the actual work of constructing new drains, there are other important matters which frequently call for attention. Open drains, for instance, should be kept clear.

Mole- and tile-drain lines and outlets should be inspected after heavy rains in order to detect and locate any trouble in the working of the drains. All indications of want of drainage should be noted. Knowledge of such indications often is of value when any comprehensive drainage-work is being undertaken. Every opportunity should be taken to study the natural fall of the farm. Sometimes much drainage-work is rendered ineffective or unduly costly because the natural fall of the land is not properly understood when the work is being started. For instance, the running of mole drains across saucer-shaped depressions is likely to give trouble eventually even though the drains function for some time at least. It could usually be avoided by a complete knowledge of the lie of the land. Again, it is not advisable that the fall of a drain become less as the outlet is approached. Yet, because the general fall was not fully considered in the beginning, this is sometimes allowed to happen. In carrying out mole drainage the natural slope of the land needs to be considered carefully, for if mole drains have too much fall they will scour in an undesirable manner.

Finally, emphasis may fittingly be placed on the need in drainage for sound planning and thorough work right from the start ; if weakness creeps in it frequently is not easy to locate and almost always is costly to

rectify. The fact that the greater part of a drainage system is invisible makes it relatively difficult to estimate whether the system is acting as efficiently as it naturally should. From all this it follows that care, thought, and thoroughness should characterize drainage-work throughout. It does not follow that because land is poorly drained it should not receive dressings of fertilizer. Indeed, in certain circumstances topdressing of poorly drained land is definitely advisable. This arises from the fact that high fertility is requisite for success with such species as meadow foxtail, Poa trivialis, and timothy, species valuable for conditions so wet that rye-grass and cocksfoot would not tolerate them. At times top-dressing by raising the fertility to meet the needs of these species will prove distinctly profitable. Apart from such special cases, top-dressing of poorly drained land is frequently profitable, although it would probably be more profitable with better drainage. At times it may not be practicable to provide thorough under-drainage. When this is so it is well to remember that surface drainage, which can sometimes be arranged relatively easily, is much superior to no drainage.

Some Aspects of the Liming Position.

In New Zealand liming grassland has produced very varying results. In some instances field results make liming appear an absolute necessity, while in other cases, which are probably more frequent, carefully obtained field evidence does not support the contention that liming is a desirable or a profitable proposition. Such widely differing results are only to be expected when one takes into consideration not only the greatly differing types of soil, but also the differing pastures and climates with which our farming deals.

Further, the position is complicated by the fact that it does not follow there is no influence of lime because there is no visible influence. _ It is held by many, including recognized authorities, that, the benefits of lime are not easily detected directly. For instance, Professor Stapledon, Director of the Empire grassland research, says : “It is only occasionally and in very bad cases that liming actually adds to the bulk or weight of grass per acre, but it very frequently has a considerable influence on quality.” This being so, it is unsafe to condemn liming because of absence of visible evidence of its influence.

Since it is not easy to judge directly whether liming is profitable or not the farming community would welcome some ready reliable means of finding out when liming would be justified. Various attempts have been made to meet the widely felt want in this connection. These attempts usually involve the use of what are termed “ lime-requirement ” or “ soilacidity ” tests. There is in the minds of some the impression that certain of these tests will quickly disclose the amount of lime that may 'be applied to a soil with profit. This is not so. Probably the best statement on this point is that of Sir John Russell, the present Director of the Imperial Soil Bureau. He says: Before any indication can be given of the amount of lime required for cultivation, it is necessary to make field trials.” This statement completely disposes of the alleged claims of quick and easy tests. .

Another important point is that circumstances are conceivable in which the use of lime would be beneficial and profitable but yet not desirable. This position would arise when the possible expenditure on a farm is strictly limited. In such circumstances the question may arise whether it is better to spend money on lime or on phosphates. The answer to be given would depend not on whether lime proves profitable, but'on whether it proves more profitable than phosphates. A general indication of what form the answer would take in such a case may be gained from the . fact that over this country as a whole the weakest link in the soil supply of

plant-nutriment is the content of phosphates. Hence, usually the step that should be taken first is one.that will build up the soil in phosphates. When the use of lime will involve considerable outlay in cost of cartage or other transport, then it is important to bear in mind that io cwt. of burnt lime is equivalent in its influence on the soil to approximately 18 cwt. of ground limestone (carbonate of lime). Field trials indicate that when the two forms of lime are applied in the proportions' of io to 18 the results obtained are equivalent. Guidance of some value in regard to the necessity of liming is provided by the following rule : If phosphates are definitely producing good results, then probably liming does not call for attention ; but if the soil does not respond profitably to phosphates, then the lime factor is probably the weak link in the chain of factors giving fertility. There may be exceptions to this rule ; the soil supply of available potash or of nitrogen may be the weak • link, in which case it will be economically sound to apply, before liming -is attended to, fertilizers supplying potash or nitrogen. - But the exceptions to the rule are much less frequent than many believe. .' Another practical aspect of the lime position is expressed by stating that if the funds available for. expenditure on .soil-improvement are strictly limited, then rectifying the phosphate position should be the first consideration ; when this has been done, liming may be given attention. In general, relatively frequent small dressings of lime give better results over a number of years than would, an equal amount of lime applied in one comparatively heavy initial dressing. .

Stock-feeding in the July Period,

July is often a critical month in respect to stock-feeding, and particularly so in. the case of pregnant ewes' and cows. With these, scanty July feeding should be avoided if it is at all possible. Several of the recommendations in last month’s notes on crop utilization are applicable during July. After the swede crop has been consumed carrots should be fed if available, mangels, having the best keeping-qualities, being reserved for the final root feeding of the season. Chou moellier, which is generally in -good ■ condition for feeding in July, should be utilized then, for at timesin August it is inclined to bolt to flowering-heads. Autumn-sown cereals should be fed before the growth becomes too long ; in general, two light feedings of short growth are more satisfactory and involve less waste than one feeding of heavy growth. Catch-crops that are to be used for greenmanuring should be ploughed down during the coming -month.

Tillage for Arable Crops.

July should in general be looked upon as a month in which to avoid the sowing of seed. Hence if land which is being prepared for wheat cannot be sown by about mid-June the sowing may well be held over until August, unless there is some special circumstance which calls for sowing at an unfavourable period, such as a sure glut of work later on which it will prove impossible to handle properly. What applies to wheat applies equally to the sowing of other cereals at this season. Often during July the soil contains so much moisture that tillage work may readily be more injurious than beneficial'. This is particularly true of heavy types of soil. If soil freely clings to boots or implements that have passed over a field, then generally it will be well to postpone cultivation of that field. Ploughing of grassland should cease when the soil is so wet that furrows are produced with a glazed-looking surface. Except when soils are too wet, however, cultivation work should be proceeded with as speedily as possible. Wheat, oats, and peas are cropswhich often jean profitably be sown early in August if the land has been suitably prepared for them.

R. P. Connell,

M.A., Fields Division, Palmerston North.