SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 43, Issue 3, 21 September 1931, Page 212

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM.

Production and Utilization of Pasture.

For some months good farmers generally have been rightly giving attention to measures, such as top-dressing and grass-harrowing, designed to beget efficient production from pastures. During the next few months such measures will continue to warrant attention, but it is opportune at this season to recall that good grass-farming calls not merely for efficient production of grass, but also for its efficient utilization.

■ At the present time it can scarcely be overstressed that the proper objective in grass-farming is of a dual nature, embracing both production and utilization. Although frequently the standard of production of our pastures could be increased substantially with profit, yet it is probable that there is more general scope for improvement in respect to utilization. This is primarily because we have not given due thought to utilization. Something would certainly be achieved if each farmer would carefully seek an answer to the questions, How do my methods of using the grass I produce appear when examined in the light of the best proved pracvice ? Am I sufficiently acquainted with the known best practice to judge my own efforts ? Honest answers to such questions would often constitute a first step towards much-needed improvement.

Fortunately, greatly improved utilization may often be brought about without either the introduction of difficult practices or the expenditure of much money. Unsatisfactory utilization arises primarily from allowing pasture growth to become too rank and mature during the spring and summer months. Practical farmers know well that excessive length and maturity in grass herbage is most undesirable in the grazing of sheep, and, particularly during recent years, experience has shown that it is almost equally undesirable in the grazing. of dairy cows. Yet many farmers seem by their actions to be prepared to accept as unavoidable an overmature condition of a considerable portion of their grassland during much of the period of heavy grass-growth.

The two main means of avoiding the objectionable overmaturity of pasture growth should both frequently receive attention during the current season. One of these is ensilage, which is referred to in a subsequent paragraph. The other is systematic control of pasture growth by means of well-planned grazing, supplemented at times by the topping of any portions which, without such treatment, would run to seed-heads.

By some who are interested, systematic control of pasture growth seems to be looked upon as necessarily linked up with and dependent upon farmsubdivision much closer than has usually been provided. In reality reasonably good pasture-growth may be secured on a farm divided into from nine to twelve fields of fairly even size, and in actual practice some remarkably good results in grazing-management are being obtained on such farms. From this it follows that on many farms to-day, since there are many farms subdivided to the extent mentioned, the only thing necessary to give improved control of pasture growth is the introduction of new methods calling for little or no outlay in capital.

The essential features of the method of grazing which should be adopted are (i) rapid grazing of fields by means of relatively heavy stocking, and (2) periods of subsequent spelling to allow of recovery. Frequently, even under really good management, intermittent spelling and rapid grazing will not suffice to prevent the development of patches of overmature

growth. In the control ,of such patches, which tend to become rank and to be neglected by stock, topping with the mower proves of great assistance. Further, it has been shown in practice that to bring about reasonably good control of pasture growth it is not necessary at any time to punish either the grazing animals by keeping them on markedly short growth, or the pastures themselves by subjecting them to periodical hard grazing, which is particularly apt to be injurious during or immediately preceding dry conditions. In brief, much improved grazing-management is often possible without any radical change from the grazing methods previously in vogue.

Usually the main measure to be taken lies, firstly, in discarding haphazard grazing in which stock pass from paddock to paddock without any particular attention being given to the condition of the herbage on. the paddocks, and in which stock are often given access during late spring and summer to much more feed than they can consume ; and, secondly, in replacing such haphazard grazing by regulated grazing in which pastures are eaten down rapidly, and then completely spelled until they are at a most advantageous stage to graze again, and in which stock are given entry only to as much pasture as they can properly eat down and maintain in a leafy condition— other grassland being shut up for haymaking or ensilage.

Detailed guidance in regard to controlled grazing cannot be given in a form which with safety could be applied generally, for an efficient procedure under one set of conditions might be quite unsuitable under other conditions. Those desiring detailed advice should apply for it to the officers of the Fields Division in their respective districts. The significant feature of past experience is that improvement in grass-utilization has been associated with increases, of 40 per cent, and even greater increases, in production, while the extra outlay involved has been relatively small.

Ensilage.

In New Zealand the making of silage has been practised to some extent for many years, but until relatively recently it was not adopted generally. It is significant that the support given ensilage was for a long time small and spasmodic rather than general and continuous as it has become.

Why, it may well be asked, has the change taken place ? There are two principal reasons. One is that the grass-farming position has changed vitally, largely on account of top-dressing, so that now farmers are faced with a late spring and early summer surplus of grass— surplus of a type that they were not previously called upon to handle. Ensilage in recent years has been introduced as the most effective and economical means of conserving this surplus, whereas in earlier years ensilage was largely employed in the conserving of special forage-crops, such as oats and maize, in the green state. To sum up, in general ensilage to-day is essentially a part of our pasture whereas in the past it was part of our special forage-crop work ; to-day it is linked up with top-dressing and grazingmanagement, in the past it was linked with cultivation and special seedsowing ; to-day ensilage minimizes the need for the plough, in the past it definitely called for the plough.

The second reason why ensilage, after years of relative neglect, has somewhat suddenly won and warranted popular favour is a labour one. The ensilage of the past generally was a back-breaking task. ' The handling of the weighty green material under old-fashioned methods was a laborious undertaking which quenched the enthusiasm of many. Ensilage to-day can be made laborious by clinging to the methods of the past, but there is no need for it to be so, and it is actually not so in those districts where it has become generally and permanently popular. This is the significant point : Where ensilage is most popular and permanently established—-

where the odd farmer is not he who makes silage, . but he who does not — there we find ensilage is not specially laborious. Indeed, many who practise silage-making in those districts contend it is less exacting than haymaking. As labour considerations probably have done more than anything else to check the adoption of ensilage as a pasture-management measure, it is well to consider how labour may be saved. As soon as labour-saving in regard to ensilage is mentioned, some jump to the conclusion that this leads necessarily to a considerable outlay in equipment— outlay running into from £SO to £IOO or more. Fortunately, this is often not the case. Silage may be saved with the minimum of labour, and yet without any substantial outlay being necessary, where pits or trenches are used in conjunction with suitable sweeps which gather the green material. as it ha s fallen from the mower. Large sweeps are sold by implement-merchants at from £2O to but useful ones can be made by any farmer who is reasonably handy, and call for an outlay in material of about £4 to £5 at most. Guidance as to the making of such sweeps may be obtained by applying to the officers of the Fields Division in their respective districts.

Incidentally, such > sweeps may be employed in haymaking as well as in silage-making, so that they are doubly, useful. The use of sweeps, linked with the use of pits or trenches, eliminates almost all forking of green material, and enables silage-making to be carried out efficiently by a team of two or more men, according to the amount of silage to be saved. This means there is no need for the grouping of neighbouring farmers into fairly large teams, such as is frequently done in connection with haymaking. Neither is the ordinary farm-routine work interfered with, for the ensilagework can usually be conveniently done between milkings.

The making of pits or trenches usually should not call for much, if any, direct outlay, being work which well can be undertaken by ordinary farm labour, if it is not overlooked until just about ensilage time so that it becomes a rush job. The provision of ensilage pits or trenches is better done well ahead of the time -when silage-making operations are being carried out, in order to allow of the thorough settling-down of the earth disturbed in the construction work. Where the pit or trench system of ensilage can be adopted it usually should be employed, because it minimizes the amount of wastage, and is economical in its labour and equipment requirements.

In selecting a site it is necessary to ensure, firstly, that it is conveniently situated both for harvesting and feeding. This usually means that a pit should not be placed at one corner of a large field. Further, labour is saved if the pit is situated on a bank or terrace, so that the green material is pitched in from the top and the cured material loaded out from the lower side of the pit. This necessitates the possibility of a good roadway for carting out from the lower side. Pits calling for special drainage measures should, if possible, be . avoided.

The assumption that a satisfactory pit or trench demands a terrace of considerable height is quite. unfounded ; really efficient results have been obtained in trenches approximately 4 ft. in depth. At times, because of overlooking the possibility of using trenches, pits are constructed in inconvenient places simply because these places provided the depth for a pit which was not offered by other sites more conveniently located. A conveniently placed trench is as a rule to be preferred to an inconveniently placed pit. A trench is essentially a shallow pit, and considering that silage has been conserved in such trenches with a wastage so slight as to be negligible, it is highly desirable that the merits of such trenches be more generally understood.

If a farmer cannot safely resort to either a pit or a trench, he may adopt the stack system of ensilage, but this does not mean that ensilage then becomes necessarily a back-breaking job. In the stack system it is open

for him to employ the sweeps already mentioned, and one of the several efficient stackers which do all the heavy work of lifting the green material and which are not particularly costly.

To sum up, the vital differences between the ensilage of to-day and that of years ago are two. Firstly, ensilage, years ago generally called for the plough in the provision of the crop to be conserved, whereas to-day, as a rule, it lessens the need for using the plough. Secondly, ensilage in the past was a laborious and therefore a costly task, whereas to-day, by labour-saving practices which are not necessarily costly, it need not be avoided on the score either of outlay or labour.

A fairly common error is the making of silage at a later date than is desirable. One of the respects in which silage is often superior to hay lies in the fact that the herbage for silage may frequently be removed early enough to allow of the development of a fresh leafy aftermath before the advent of the dry summer period, during which such aftermath is apt to be particularly valuable. Further, silage from material mown when unduly mature is of inferior feeding-quality. There should be no avoidable delay in the closing of fields for ensilage. Before closing fields for haymaking or ensilage, any 'stones, fencing-wire, dead grass, &c., likely to cause stoppages in mowing should be carefully removed. It is frequently well worth while to top-dress fields with superphosphate just before closing them for hay or silage, and this is specially likely to be the case if these fields were not top-dressed during the preceding twelve months. Fuller information and a bulletin regarding ensilage are available from local officers of the Fields Division.

The Potato Crop.

Tn many districts the main crop of potatoes may very suitably be planted during the coming month. In view of the abnormally low price of table-potatoes at the present time particular interest attaches to the fact that field trials have given definite indication of superior yields when the tubers used for seed are of table size instead of the customary seed size. The explanation lies in the fact that tubers of table size are on the whole not so badly affected with virus troubles as the smaller tubers. The present low price of table - potatoes offers an excellent opportunity of reducing the influence of virus troubles by using table instead of seed potatoes in planting this season's crops. The Agronomist advises that if it is intended to cut tubers of the Aucklander and Majestic varieties for planting, then the cut tubers should not be allowed to become dry. Hence it is advisable with these varieties to do the cutting immediately prior to planting if possible, to keep the cut seed in moist sacks, and to plant into moist soil. . .

Successful crops. of potatoes are most readily secured on rich open loams. Field trials have shown that in the main potato-growing districts, which as a rule consist of good soils, the use of 3 cwt. per acre of superphosphate is. to be recommended strongly, while on less fertile soils it may be well worth while to use potash and nitrogenous material such- as sulphate of ammonia or blood and bone in conjunction with superphosphate. p ■

Further information relative to potatoes appeared in these notes in the Journal for September, 1930 ; much useful information is also contained in the recent departmental publication, “ Questions and Answers ■on Potato Certification,” which is obtainable free on application. A summary of recent trials and recommendations regarding the manuring of potatoes in the South Island appears elsewhere in this issue of the Journal.

Forage Crops.

Frequently, particularly in dairying, satisfactory provision is not made for supplementing the pastures when in summer they begin to fail to meet the requirements of the stock. The feed available from pastures often becomes inadequate at an earlier stage than many realize ; at times the feed from • the pastures is failing shortly after Christmas. While it is relatively easy to suitably supplement the feed from the pastures during the latter part of January and February, it is not quite so easy to remedy the weakness that occurs somewhat earlier, because the standard forage-crops used about this season are as a rule not ready early enough to remedy the feed-shortage in its initial stages. Fresh, leafy growth, such as the aftermath from an ensilage field and the second growth from a lucerne field, are likely to be of great value at this stage.

If one cannot depend upon a sufficient supply of feed from such sources it is often worth while to sow in October an area of quickly maturing soft turnips, such as Red Paragon or Purple-top Mammoth, for use early in the new year. The yield obtained from such a crop may not be heavy, but it is likely to be particularly .useful. Shortly after the sowing of the early variety the remainder of the soft turnip area may be sown in later-maturing varieties, such as Imperial and Hardy Green Globe, so as to have a portion of these available for use when the more quickly maturing kind has been consumed.

Kales, including chou moellier or marrow-stemmed kale, have frequently been sown with good results in October, when as a rule they will provide feed from the middle of January or the beginning of February. Later sowings of the kales may be made to provide feed for use in the following autumn and winter. Of the kales, chou moellier is foremost in popularity, and, strictly on account of its. merits demonstrated in our farming, it is being grown in increasing amounts. A suitable seeding is i|lb. to 2 Ib. per acre, sown broadcast. Chou moellier demands and deserves high fertility, and usually responds very profitably to a dressing of 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. of superphosphate on good land, a dressing which on poorish land might well be supplemented by 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. per acre of blood and bone.

In general, at this season it is most advisable to take advantage of • every opportunity of pushing forward with preparatory work for such crops as mangels, rape, kale, lucerne, and swedes. Year after year the extensive farm-crop competitions held in many districts demonstrate the great value of ample preparatory tillage. They show, further, that expense in other aspects of crop production is. apt to be at least partly wasted if the tillage has been neglected.

R. P. Connell,

Fields Division, Palmerston North.