SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 41, Issue 3, 20 September 1930, Page 200

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM.

Pasture Management.

The pasture-management position is, at times, subject to rapid and radical changes between early spring and late spring. During that period there may be a change from the extreme of really hard and. injurious grazing to the extreme of insufficiently close grazing, ft is practically certain that the latter extreme occasions much the greater amount of pastureinjury, and avoidable loss. From October onwards for several weeks on many farms the grazing is of a type which allows of a proportion of the vegetation reaching the flowering stage. Flower-head development isdefinitely undesirable. This is because it not only marks a falling-off in the digestibility of the nutriment in the herbage, but also meansthat the different nutriment substances are not present in such wellbalanced proportions as characterize shorter and more leafy growth. Pasture - growth which is dominantly leafy is excellently suited to meet the requirements of wet stock, whereas pastures at the flowering stageare far from ideal sources of forage for such stock. Hence, in October it becomes necessary to prevent pastures becoming too long and mature in development. -

The main means that may be employed to this - end are (i) effectivegrazing management ; (2) reserving for hay and ensilage all growth not needed to. meet the current requirements of . the stock ; (3) distribution of droppings before they have been deposited long enough to bring about patches of rank, unrelished growth ; (4) “ topping ” of pastures as an emergency measure when more than sufficient grassland has been kept under grazing, or when an area is characterized by much uneven growth due to earlier neglect in regard to harrowing.

Effective grazing management results most satisfactorily from a system of alternate heavy grazing and spelling of the fields. In working such a system it is necessary to concentrate the stock on to a few fields while the others .are spelled. Essential features of the system may be stated asfollows :—

(1) Even and relatively close grazing of. a field under grazing before stock are transferred from it. If the farm stock consist principally of cows in milk, it will be necessary to transfer them from a paddock only when to keep them there any longer would bring about avoidable and undesirable falling-off in production. If a fairly substantial number of dry stock are on hand they well may follow the cows to remove inferior growth that is not readily consumed by the cows.

(2) Stock should be returned to a paddock which has been eaten down and spelled, not when all other paddocks available for grazing have been eaten down in turn, but when the growth on the spelled paddock is at the stage best suited for . grazing. For instance, on a farm on which ten paddocks are .being grazed, one paddock may be ready for grazing again .when only six. of . the other nine . paddocks have been grazed under thismethod. In such a case the three ungrazed paddocks should be dropped from the grazing programme and a return made by the stock to the paddock which has so recovered from previous grazing as to be at the best stage for grazing again. . It is of vital importance to drop promptly from the grazing programme in this manner any fields which in the spring and early summer are providing feed in excess of the current requirements of the

stock. Some farmers carefully shift their stock from paddock to paddock at regular intervals. They profess to be practising systematic or rotational grazing, but actually they may be doing nothing of the sort ; they do not always well graze down the growth on a paddock before taking the stock off it ; they do not always return the stock to the paddock when the growth on it is at the best stage for use. As a result, they fail to obtain the benefits which effective grazing management gives.

Ensilage.

Farmers at times hesitate to drop a field out of the grazing programme because they have already planned the closing of sufficient other grassland to meet requirements in the way of hay. ■ When this is the case the paddocks not required for grazing may very advantageously be set aside for silage production. Although the amount, of silage produced has increased enormously during recent years, there are hundreds of. farmers who have not as yet made silage and who could do so with distinct advantage. At this time of the year it is well to remember that ensilage has a place in our farming not only as .a. source of reserve feed for use when . fresh grass is in scant supply, but also as a valuable means towards proper control of pasture-growth. In late spring and early summer poor control of pasture-growth almost, invariably arises from .making available to stock feed in excess of their requirements at that season. Good control of growth at that period is of such value as to justify closing a field from grazing, even though the way in which the surplus growth on it . would eventually be used cannot be clearly seen. Really it would be better to. have such surplus growth wasted, if this led to the proper control of the growth on the remaining paddocks, rather than to have growth on all paddocks poorly controlled as a result of attempting to retain an unnecessary paddock under grazing.

At times it is of great value to top with the mower growth which tends to run to flower heads, even though the mown material is not, gathered. Topping of pastures in this way is particularly likely to be of. service in fields which have not been harrowed enough. Regular and thorough distribution of droppings by means of harrowing. makes it much easier to maintain an even leafy growth over grassland during spring and early summer.

Under many conditions silage can very advantageously be made in October or November. Particularly in districts in which ensilage is a comparatively recent development a common error is the making of silage later than is desirable. The objection to late making of silage arises partly from the fact that increase of maturity means increase of fibre. Fibre in a feed does not favour milk production, and the amount of fibre in ensilage is largely determined by the amount of fibre in the green material from which it is made. Further, when ensilage is saved later than is necessary there is less certainty of a good aftermath on the field from which it was obtained. Again, when silage production is commenced in good time the summer labour requirements in respect to supplementary feed-provision are better distributed. ■

Fields to be closed for hay or ensilage production should be thoroughly harrowed, immediately after the final grazing of the season.

Farmers who propose to utilize new pits or trenches for the saving of ensilage should proceed with their preparation without delay if this has not already been done. In many instances when pits cannot be obtained satisfactorily on account o.l the contour of the farms relatively shallow, trenches will serve . excellently. Detailed information on this matter will be supplied on application . to officers of the Department of Agriculture.

The Potato Crop.

In many districts the main crop of potatoes should be sown in October. Potatoes fare best on a loose friable soil of high fertility, and if soil of this type is not available everything practicable should be done to produce it by using artificial fertilizers freely, and by growing the crop if possible on •land recently ploughed out of old pasture, so that the supply of organic matter which begets friability may be at its maximum, or by applying to the potato-ground any available farmyard manure, provided it is not unduly infested with weed seeds.- A fertilizer consisting of three to four parts of superphosphate and one part sulphate of ammonia, or two parts blood-and-bone, will give good results with potatoes over wide areas. In the manuring of potatoes there are more errors due to using too little than to using too much manure.

Great care should be taken to obtain seed which is free from disease infection. The most serious type of disease, which is known as virus, cannot be detected by tuber examination. The run-out condition of much seed offering is due to virus disease, of which there is no effective direct control. The Department of Agriculture undertakes the certification of seed potatoes. The main objective of this certification is to make available seed which is true to name, relatively free from disease, and of proved cropping-power. Each line of seed that is certified has been under official trial. ■ In regard to varieties Mr. J. W. Hadfield, Agronomist, points out that difficulty arises because of the fact that of lines within a variety there are greater differences in yield under similar conditions than occur between one variety and another. This position is due principally to the ravages of virus disease . masking differences in yield between varieties.

. The following are well-proved varieties : Dakota, a standard maincrop variety that generally does particularly well on medium land in Canterbury ; Aucklander Short-top (usually grown in the North Island as Sutton’s Supreme), a second early, which is a general favourite because it is relatively reliable ; King Edward, a potato of outstanding quality, but one which does not yield satisfactorily except in Southland ; Arran Chief, a main-crop variety which generally is badly mixed with Northern Star and running out on account of virus, but good lines of which should at present be the mainstay of heavier land ; Northern Star, definitely blight-resistant, but not worth attention outside Auckland districts ; Epicure, the only early variety which can be recommended, and this only in the case of certified seed. : .

Relatively soon the potato-variety position will be improved as the result of current official work. For instance, at Ashburton Experimental Farm 20 acres of pure lines, practically virus-free, of all standard varieties from. England,, Canada, and New Zealand are being sown this year, and seed will be on sale next April.

Other Cropping Work.

Chou moellier calls for high fertilityit demands a soil of the type which would suit cabbage. If it is desired to grow chou moellier on inferior soils their fertility should be improved, farm-yard manure being a fine dressing for this purpose. If sown in October or November on fertile soils chou moellier is well adapted to provide feed in late summer. A suitable sowing is i| lb. to 2 lb. of seed to the acre broadcast, or | lb. to f lb. in drills 2 ft. to 3 ft. apart.. The plant responds well to liberal use of fertilizers, such as a mixture of super and blood-and-bone in equal parts ; 3 to 4 cwt, of this mixture may usually be applied with profit, and such a dressing may often advantageously be supplemented with 1 cwt. of sulphate of ammonia. Chou moellier is less subject to attacks of disease than other fhembers of the cabbage family. It is distinctly suitable. for cows, pigs, and poultry. Quite a number of successful sheep-farmers favour it for carrying sheep through the winter. It will not fatten lambs as well as rape.

Preparation of land intended for roots, rape, and kale should be pushed ahead at every opportunity. It is well to remember that often inadequate preparatory cultivation results in depressed yields of forage crops. In the earlier districts sowing of turnips may be commenced in October. When it is desired to have soft turnips ready for feeding as early as possible, a sowing of the quick-maturing Lincoln Red and Red Paragon .varieties may be made for a start. Other varieties of proven merit are Hardy and Imperial Green Globe and Purple-top Mammoth. Soft turnips may be sown through every second coulter of the grain drill at the rate of 8 oz. of seed to the acre, or on ridges 24 in. to 26 in. apart at the rate of 1 lb. ■

An October sowing of Western Wolths or Italian rye-grass will often give useful feed about Christmas or immediately afterwards. -

Lucerne.

If lucerne areas have not as yet been shut up this should be done immediately. Many stands suffer serious damage because the first cut for ensilage or hay is taken off too late in the season. The more the lucerne area is invaded by weeds the greater is the need to remove the first cut of the season as early as is practicable, for the longer the weeds remain uncut the more prolonged is their injurious effect on the lucerne plants, with which they compete for light and nutriment.

True and False Economy regarding Equipment.

Reference may fittingly be made at this season to the. confusion between false and true economy that at times occurs in respect to the equipping of farms with implements and other plant. It is not necessarily true economy to continue using equipment merely because it is far from worn out and therefore appears to have definite value. When it is a matter of considering whether a piece of equipment should be scrapped the true test is not whether it is capable of rendering further service, but whether it can or cannot be replaced by some other equipment which would so effect the efficiency of the farm as to enable the money involved to earn a higher rate of interest/

To give an instance, many farmers are doubtful about the advisability of purchasing modern grass-harvesting equipment, because the carts, &c., which have served for years have still many years of life in them. This latter fact does not at all justify the retention of such equipment in use. Indeed, it. is quite conceivable that its retention, instead of being true economy, would be the cause of loss of potentially valuable returns which would result from the improved grassland management coming from such a practice as ensilage-saving that improved equipment would make possible. Similar lines of reasoning may soundly be applied to many other types of farm equipment, such as harrows, drainage, implements, and possibly tractors.

It is important to remember that success in farming depends in many matters on getting the work done at ,the right time. Certain ' equipment may enable a job to be done well, but not at the right time or not without neglecting some other job. Such equipment is not to be compared in value with that which allows of all work being done at the right time. The aim in this note is not to go into a detailed consideration of the position, because each farm presents its own problems, but to point to the importance of differentiating in practice between true and false economy in regard to equipment.

Seasonable Care of Implements.

All implements and equipment that will be in use during the saving of hay and : ensilage should be made ready for immediate use, well

ahead of the time when they are likely to be put to use. . Time .lost through faulty equipment, especially in connection with the saving of hay, at times proves very expensive, A point of seasonable importance is the fact that the foundation of. successful mowing is a sharp knife. Time and again mowing troubles due to clogging and' stopping will disappear as a result of using a thoroughly sharp knife. The knife forms with the bed of the finger-bar a pair of long scissors, and to work efficiently it must be sharp, straight, and, above all, well down on the bed. In addition to the knife being really sharp it is necessary that the fingers be in line and their points kept straight, sharp, and smooth. Bent or blunt finger-points will stop the mower just as effectually as dead grass.

—R. P. Connell,

M.A., Fields Division, Palmerston North.