SEASONAL NOTES.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 53, Issue 3, 21 September 1936, Page 174

SEASONAL NOTES.

THE FARM.

Co-ordinate Phases in Grass Farming : Utilization and Production of Feed. At times neighbouring farmers working with pastures and stock which are •essentially similar obtain very different returns from identical top-dressing programmes. One of the factors which readily may cause the different results is of particular current importance. It arises from the fact that top-dressing normally results in the production not only of extra feed when it is badly needed, but also of extra feed at seasons when there would be ample feed without top-dressing. If this latter additional feed is not appropriately used, and if it is allowed to lead in spring and early summer to ■the development of coarse stemmy growth, then the good done at one season by top-dressing may be nearly, or even more than wholly, counterbalanced by the' undesirable results at the later stage. In short, really judicious autumn or spring top-dressing may be far from fully effective because its subsequent influence is not controlled or modified suitably. Hence farmers at times condemn top-dressing without any true justification for doing so. Consideration of their experience usually shows that topdressing has done all that it reasonably could be expected to doit has given additional feed. The farmer who disparages his top-dressing under such circumstances is in error ; it is he who has failed-—failed in not linking -the top-dressing with other measures which enable the extra growth that has been produced to be utilized properly. Incidentally, the benefit from any other practice which, like top-dressing, begets increased summer pasture-growth may be restricted, or even eliminated, by inefficient utilization of the feed available. One phase of this matter which warrants further consideration is that the results of poor utilization comprise not merely poor returns from the feed produced but also frequently include deterioration of the sward and a consequent decline in its productive capacity. This is because poor utilization of grassland usually involves both too light grazing in the late spring and summer and over-grazing in the winter and early spring type of grazing-management which tends to the progressive weakening of the species which produce feed early in the season and a strengthening of those which make late growth. In the mixed pastures characteristic of very extensive areas, this tends to the suppression of perennial rye-grass and the dominance of species akin to brown-top and sweet vernal. In short, there is growing evidence that generally conditions of soil and climate do not determine the botanical composition of a pasture so completely as is often believed, and that frequently the method of grazing is the real determining factor. While this generalization is not valid in respect to extremes of soils and climates when the influence of grazing management may be counterbalanced or masked by the greater influence of soil or climate, it is, nevertheless, so widely valid as to warrant more attention by farmers to the utilization of the growth of pastures. Production of feed is only one phase of farmmanagement, and if production of feed is not linked with suitable utilization it is certain that the fullest possible returns will not be obtained. An important cause of this result is that poor utilization, apart from its harmful effect on the pastures themselves, leads frequently to stock being fed badly at two critical periods each year, whereas by good utilization an equal number of stock could be relatively well fed without increasing the total amount of feed available ; under poor utilization the supply of feed normally is not only wastefully excessive but also lacking in quality

in the early summer, while in winter and early spring the failure commonly is quantitative. This is primarily because 70 per cent, or more of the feed directly available from grassland is produced during the spring and early summer. When utilization is not good a common result of this is the following of a half-way course or compromise in regard to the number of stock carried. This half-way course often brings about an unsatisfactory position both in the period of highest production and in that of lowest production—understocking in the former period, overstocking in the latter. Utilization Relatively Neglected. Rightly during recent times much thought and effort have been given, to the task of increasing the production of grassland until on many farms the production of pasture-growth is more efficient than its utilization. A most important feature of the position is that many farmers do not realize that their utilization is relatively inefficient in the light of current knowledge. One of the principal causes of poor pasture-utilization is the allowing of the growth to become too mature and stemmy during spring and summer. The coarse stemmy growth is poor in three characteristics in which feed suitable for butterfat-production and for fat-lamb production requires to be —the stemmy growth is poor in milk- and flesh-forming compounds called proteins, poor in. mineral matter required for milk-and bone-formation, and poor in digestibility. For long it has been well known that very unsatisfactory results come from grazing sheep on pastures of considerable length and maturity, and particularly in recent years has it been realized that the grazing of coarse stemmy pastures is similarly undesirable for dairy cattle. To some, these facts are so well known that the statement of them may seem scarcely worth while. But they are important facts, and thousands of farmers continue to ignore them in their farm practices. Means to Good Control of Pastures. Commonly the avoidance of excessive stemminess or maturity of pasturegrowth calls for the adoption of two complementary practicessystematic grazing and ensilage. On many farms the essential steps in systematic grazing are the following simple ones : (1) Rapid grazing of individual fields by relatively heavy stocking so that each grazing period is usually of from one to three days ; (2) subsequent “ spelling ” of the fields sufficient to again give the amount of feed required for the grazing period already specified, and this without punishing either stock or swards. Often reasonably good grazing-management can be secured on farms subdivided into from nine to twelve paddocks exclusive of specially small paddocks used by pigs, calves, &c. To enable successive grazings to take place at a suitable stage of growth it becomes necessary from time to time to omit from the grazing any paddocks in excess of those needed to meet the current feed requirements of the stock. It is the omitting of these paddocks that provides the material for ensilage, for as the season progresses usually more paddocks are dropped from the grazing than can be handled satisfactorily in haymaking. The needs of the position may seem so obvious and simple as to make it somewhat surprising that they are so often neglected in practice. Surely it is fortunate that ensilage, one of the most effective means of avoiding badly controlled grazing of pastures in late spring and early summer, is also one of the most economical ways of providing for better winter-feeding of stock.

Usually ensilage should be supplemented by some haymaking, partly because when any good haymaking weather is experienced haymaking may be just as efficient as and less laborious than ensilage, and partly because hay is more suitable as a complementary feed to roots than silage.

Control of pasture growth in spring and summer is facilitated by grassharrowing, which, by evenly distributing stock droppings, assists in eliminating patches of coarse rank growth. Further information about the methods of effective grazing-management at this season may be obtained from local officers of the Fields Division. Two important matters relative to ensilage that may need attention at this season are(i) The closing-up of suitable pastures as discussed in last month’s notes ; (2) the construction of pits and trenches, which minimize wastage of material and lessen the amount of labour and equipment needed. Most farms contain suitable sites for trenches, which are essentially shallow pits and which usually can be made with little or no direct outlay. There should be no avoidable delay in the closing of fields for ensilage. A common error is the making of silage at a later date, than is desirable. An important respect in which ensilage is superior to haymaking is that silage usually may be removed early enough to allow of the development of a substantial fresh leafy aftermath before the advent of the customary dry summer period, during which such an aftermath is likely. to be particularly valuable. ' . Further, the material used in early ensilage is likely to be less stemmy than that used in late ensilage, and reduction in . stemminess of the material tends to corresponding improvement in quality of .the silage—the original material itself is more digestible, and with it the high temperatures of curing which lead to loss of digestibility and of feeding-value : generally are more easily avoided. Frequently it is profitable to dress fields with superphosphate just before closing them for hay or silage, particularly if the fields have not been topdressed during the preceding twelve months. Real Value as Basis of buying Seeds. It seems such simple common-sense to buy comparatively expensive and important lines of seeds on the basis of their content of live seeds of the sort to be sown that it is quite surprising that probably the majority of farmers buy their seeds in what may be termed a “blind” fashion. Farmers should, certainly consider it of some significance that seldom can they sell their seeds really advantageously in a similar fashion, and, further, if they are offering really good lines of seeds, they do not desire to sell them in such a fashion —• they have nothing to hide, and they desire the prospective purchaser to have dependable evidence of the intrinsic worth of what they are selling. It surely would be strange if this did not operate both ways. The two main matters that seem to be ignored by farmers —firstly, that the appearance of most seeds is a very incomplete indication of their real value, and, secondly, that farmers, by taking simple suitable steps at the opportune time, may obtain free of cost from the Seedtesting Station of the Department of Agriculture all the information they need about the purity and germination capacity of any lines of seed they contemplate using. In this connection it should be kept in mind that certified seed is not necessarily of good germination or purity, and as certified seed usually is relatively expensive it is particularly advisable to obtain information about the purity and germination of certified seed—exact information is readily available, as it is supplied officially to the owners of the seed at the time of certification.

Forage Crops.

Often satisfactory provision for supplementing the feed directly available from pastures during the critical periods of scant grass-growth cannot be obtained with sufficient certainty by depending upon ensilage and haymaking alone. In dairying the provision of adequate supplies of highly digestible feed in the latter part of the summer is particularly important.

Just how important it is may be gauged by comparing the butterfat-' production of 1936 with that of 1935. Because of differences in the seasons; in 1936 there were unusually good supplies of digestible feed in February, whereas in 1935 such supplies were poorer than usual. In February, 1936, the value of the butterfat produced was approximately £500, 000 greater than that produced in February, 1935. As the total number of cows milked was approximately equal in each season, and there was no material difference in the composition of the herds, this difference in butterfat-production gives a striking illustration of the influence of feeding. In dairying, the feed available directly from pastures often becomes inadequate or unsuitable at an earlier date than many seem to realize ; frequently such feed is failing shortly after Christmas as a ration for reasonably good dairy stock, although it may suffice for stock of low production. It is relatively easy to rectify this weakness in late January and in February, but it is not so easy to remedy the weak feed position that occurs a little earlier. Fresh leafy ■ growth such as the aftermath from ensilage or the growth from a stand of lucerne is likely to be very useful at this period. If a sufficient supply of such growth is not assured it is usually advisable to sow in October an area of quickly maturing soft turnips, such as Purple Top Mammoth, for use early in the New Year. The yield from such a crop may be somewhat small, but against this must be set the - fact that it is specially serviceable in maintaining the production of butterfat until other suitable feed becomes available. For the winter, crops such as mangels, carrots, swedes, and kales, including chou moellier, are often desirable in addition to silage and hay. Thorough preparatory cultivation is extremely desirable in all cropping operations. Each year provides much evidence that the possible returns from judicious work and outlay in respect to other phases of cropping are far from fully obtained because of inadequate cultivation. At times chou moellier has been sown with good results in October, when it may provide feed towards the beginning of February. Later sowings may quite well be made to give feed for use in the autumn and winter. Chou moellier calls for high fertility succeeds on soil of the type required for success with cabbage. Hence, if it is desired to grow chou moellier on inferior soils, their fertility should be improved—farm-yard manure being an effective dressing for this purpose. Chou moellier at times replaces swedes with advantage on land which tends to be too wet in winter for the satisfactory feeding-off of swedes. Chou moellier is so resistant to the attacks of club-root, although it is not immune, that it succeeds on land so badly infected with club-root that turnips, swedes, and rape are destroyed on it. A suitable sowing is 1J lb. to 2 lb. of seed an acre sown broadcast or | lb. to f- lb. an acre in drills 2 ft. to 3 ft. apart. On good land chou moellier usually responds profitably to a dressing of 2 cwt. to 3 cwt. an acre of superphosphate dressing which on poor land generally may be increased with profit. Chou moellier has been used successfully for cows, sheep, pigs, and poultry ; it is not looked upon as suitable for fattening lambs after the manner of rape. ' £ The Potato Crop. In many districts the main crop of potatoes should be sown in October. The potato fares best on a friable soil of high fertility, and partly because of this the crop should be grown, if possible, on land recently ploughed out of old pasture so that the supply of organic matter which begets friability and fertility may be at its maximum. Great care should be taken to obtain seed which is free from disease. The most serious type of diseaseviruscannot be detected by examination of the tubers. On this account the only safe course generally is to use certified seed— i.e., seed that has been passed under the official system of certification which is administered by the Department of Agriculture, and

which attaches much importance to the amount of virus in the foliage of the parent crop at the time of field inspection. It is known that virus passes from the foliage into the tubers and that the run-out condition of much seed offering is due to virus, for which there is no known effective direct control. In cases in which one line of seed potatoes has given a yield of table potatoes four or five times as great as that from another line of the same variety and under identical conditions, investigation has shown that the large difference in yield was due essentially to virus trouble.

—R. P. Connell,

Fields Division, Palmerston North.