WINTON EXPERIMENTAL AND DEMONSTRATION FARM.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 54, Issue 2, 20 February 1937, Page 79

WINTON EXPERIMENTAL AND DEMONSTRATION FARM.

RECORD OF WORK FOR SEASON 1935-36.

A. Stuart,

Instructor in Agriculture, Invercargill.

The 935-36 season was again rather unfavourable for dairying operations, as was exemplified by a slight decrease in production, due to a late spring being followed by dry conditions in the summer months, although this was compensated for to some extent by the grass-growth experienced in the autumn and early winter. This season 5,499 lb. of butterfat were actually sold from the thirty-three cows milked, compared with the 6,959 lb. from thirty-six cows the previous season. Ten calves were reared, and the whole herd was recently tested for tuberculosis, with a negative result from the reaction standpoint. The ewe flock, consisting of eighty-five ewes, produced no lambs, and of these 100 lambs were obtained fat off their mothers. The flock, was grazed from lambing till weaning on a paddock of less than 12 acres, and which had been sown in 1931 with certified rye-grass as the basis of the seeds mixture. In April it was found that the Aberdeen turnips, which had been sown as a second crop following swedes, were unsafe to feed to the dairy herd owing to a severe wet-rot infection following dry-rot. Ninety wethers were purchased to clean up this area, and these were later disposed of when fat at a profit. Carrying-capacity Trial. This trial was laid down in the spring of 1933 in field 6 to determine the relative carrying-capacity and production of certified and uncertified rye-grass. One-half of the area was sown with certified rye-grass and the other half with a blend of five uncertified commercial lines of rye-grass. An uncertified white-clover strain was included in both, which were sown with oats as a nurse crop. During the first autumn the uncertified rye-grass gave the best results, carrying slightly more stock and producing more butterfat,

but since that period the certified rye-grass has steadily forged ahead. The table appended below gives the carrying for this season, together with the butterfat produced per acre.

In addition, 21-1 dry-stock-days per acre have been obtained from the certified rye-grass, and 13-6 dry-stock-days per acre from the uncertified rye-grass. The areas seen at the present time present a more striking difference than is exemplified in the figures given above. The sward of the certified area is a dense mat of vigorous rye-grass and white clover, whereas the sward of the uncertified is very open, consisting mainly of white clover with some rye-grass, and an invasion of brown-top, Yorkshire fog, and Scotch thistle has taken place. Root-crop Investigations. Contrary to the experience obtained in the two last seasons, it was found possible to grow, no doubt due to weather conditions, quite fair swedes as a second crop in field 5. Seventy-two varieties were handsown on land preridged and fertilized with 2 cwt. per acre of superphosphate applied through the front box plus 2 cwt. of equal parts of superphosphate and carbonate of lime through the rear box. These swedes were examined for club-root and mottled heart, and whereas the percentage of club-root varied from nil to 73-5, mottled heart was 100 per cent, prevalent in thirty-two varieties. In this field two blocks of Aberdeen turnips were grown, one block consisting of certified Bruce turnip, and the other, seed of Victor Achilles. Both these crops, and in particular the latter, suffered from the ravages of dry-rot, which early in April turned to a wet-rot, and prevented the area being fed to the dairy herd, although before this was known four cows succumbed to bloat after half-an-hour’s grazing on the field. Victor Achilles yielded 33 tons per acre, and the Bruce 27 tons per acre. Mottled heart was detected in both crops. In field 8, which was ploughed out of lea early in the winter, five blocks of swedes were grown with the same manurial treatment as quoted above, except that in addition half of each block received a

feb. 20, 1937. N;Z. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 01 pre-top-dressing of io cwt. per acre of carbonate of lime some time before sowing. The five varieties were examined for mottled heart and yielded as follows — weights on limed and unlimed ground being averaged :

In addition, small-variety trials were conducted in both the above fields in connection with certified seed. Kohl rabi was also tried and found to be subject to club-root, and in no degree comparable to chou moellier or kale. • Grass and Clover Trials. The duplicate series of plots laid down in November, 1934, at either end of field 9 were fenced, and subjected to differing forms of management in that, while one was grazed intermittently throughout the, year, the other was hayed and the aftermath grazed. The haying and more lenient management has resulted in great stimulation to the Montgomery red clover which was employed in the basic seed mixture, and no doubt further differences will appear after' a further period. In both series very little false perennial rye-grass remained in -these particular plots after eighteen months. Meadow fescue, where substituted for perennial rye-grass, also failed to withstand competition. All these plots have become clover dominant. In field ,7 the original two hundred rye-grass plots which were established seven years ago still present the marked differences in the density of the rye-grass in the sward, the poorer plots having filled in with brown-top and Poa annua. In field 2 the rye-grass germination trial consisting of 330 lines was harvested early in January, but, unfortunately, owing to the fairly low rainfall conditions experienced in December, no fungus attack developed on the seed, which was all of good germination. This experiment will be repeated this season, and by the law of averages some results should be forthcoming, as the district has already experienced two successive dry seasons with consequent good germination of certified rye-grass seed. ■ . ■ \ Miscellaneous. An oat-treatment trial to determine the relative merits of dry-dusting seed with “Ceresan New” or pickling with formalin was carried out during the season in field 2. Results of this trial have already been published in the Journal of Agriculture, Vol. 53, August, 1936. An oat-variety trial was also laid down in field 1, but owing to the loose texture of the soil, coupled with early spring sowing, birds totally destroyed the experiment at an early stage. The rate-of-liming trial laid down in August, 1933, on grass showed up remarkably during the autumn. The incidence of grass-grub . and

Porina attack was. most marked on the unlimed ground, steadily decreasing in the I- and 2-ton-per-acre blocks, and being practically unnoticed on the 4-ton-per-acre block, where both grasses and clovers were the most vigorous and dense. Acknowledgments. The capable manner in which the work on the farm has been performed by the farm-manager, Mr. P. McMillan, warrants favourable mention, and as a result the farm committee under the able chairmanship of Mr. D. H. McLean, Caroline, has been relieved of undue anxiety. Material assistance was again forthcoming from the R. M. McKinnon Trust, in addition to the Government subsidy, and this assistance is greatly appreciated. In connection with the comprehensive trial to measure the differences in carrying-capacity and production between certified rye-grass and the best local strains employing a ewe flock, and for which arrangements have already been made, the following farmers have donated seed, which is gratefully acknowledged: W. Allison, Drummond; E. S. Beck, Wairio; J. H. Beck, Woodlaw ; E. A. Cameron, Freshford; S. Irwin, Browns ; R. Kennedy, Bayswater ; D. McDonald, Dipton ; J. C. Paterson, Wendonside ; J. Plunkett, South Hillend; Spratt Bros., Drummond ; T. S. Smith, Winton ; and M. S. Thomson, Lochiel.

Month. Certified Rye-grass. •Uncertified Rye-grass. . Cow-days . o per Acre. Certified Rye-grass. Uncertified Rye-grass. Butterfat Cow-days (Pounds) per Acre. per Acre. Butterfat (Pounds) Cow-days per Acre. per Acre. Butterfat Cow-days(Pounds) per Acre. Butterfat (Pounds) per Acre. September .. 30-3 17-0 10-0 5-4 October . .. 45'3 27-2 . 27-9 17-9 November 21 -2 13-2 19-3 21-9 December .. 86-7 ' 91-5 69-3 75'5 January ■.. 44-8 37'8 31-2 . 24-3 February .. 3o-i 20 • 8 13-2 9-7 March , ... 25-6 16-4 25-6 16-8 April . . .. 38-7 22-3 21 • 6 10 • 6 May .. 36-0 18 ■ 9 14-4 6-5 June . . ... 25-2. 4'7-7-2 - - o-9 July and August Nil .Nil Nil Nil . Totals for year 383-9 269-8 239-7 189-5 Totals to date since first grazed 722-5 584-6 512-2 442

Variety. Yield in Tons Percentage of per Acre. Percentage of Mottled Heart Grandmaster. . . .. 62-23 95 Ninety-nine 62-15 100 Tipperary . . . . 52-92 100 Wilhelmsburger Otofte ... 51 -02 • 90 Peerless ' . .. 49-40 TOO