Subterranean Clover on Unploughed Land.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 57, Issue 2, 20 August 1938, Page 150

Subterranean Clover on Unploughed Land.

T\ URING the past two or three years . subterranean clover or three years subterranean clover has been ex- ■ tensively sown over a very wide area in the Ashburton district, particularly on the lighter class of land in the county, which is devoted almost,entirely to sheep - farming. Many different methods have been adopted in an endeavour to establish this clover. To mention -a few, it has been sown with oats, turnips, and rape, and . with the ordinary pasture mixture. Some farmers have drilled the seed, others have resorted to broadcasting,- in all with varying degrees of . success. p'P : A few cases have come under , .the writer’s notice where attempts have been made to establish subterranean clover without recourse to the plough. Eventually the tendency on most of our sheep areas is for the sward to revert to sweet vernal or brown-top dominant, with an admixture of flat weeds; suckling clover, and ' hair-grass. It is thought' that if subterranean clover could be introduced into these areas without using the plough it would lessen considerably costs of establishment. :

Procedure Followed.

The procedure followed was to doublegrub the worn-out pasture in January or February or thereabouts, roll,- and then drill the seed (with . i cwt. or 2 cwt. of reverted phosphate or superphosphate per acre. The success attending this method of establishment has been poor. In each ; case noted a reasonably good strike has been obtained, indicating that, neither the seed nor the fertilizers used have been at fault. . Relatively heavy frosts can be expected in this county from the beginning of May onwards, and it would appear that the young clover plants have not advanced sufficiently before these occur. Where the clover has ( been sown on ploughed ground which has been well cultivated and probably fallowed for some time it usually makes rapid growth and develops a good rooting system before the winter. On freshly grubbed land, however, growth is slow. Many of the plants possess a stunted appearance, • and the rooting system is apparently, so poorly developed that the succession of frosts merely lifts the plants, with the result that very few survive the winter.

Department’s Trial.

< In. a trial laid down by the Department last February the results obtained have been somewhat similar to those experienced on a field scale. Not only is the growth backward, but the clover has had

to'contend with much competition from flat weeds and • sweet vernal At the present time (June) there are many plants which have not passed the three-leaved stage, and the chances of these surviving the winter are somewhat , slender. In the light of evidence so far available, farmers are recommended to confine their

sowings of subterranean clover to ploughed land. It is possible that grubbed land, provided it is'fallowed for some time, may be satisfactory, but grubbing followed by immediate sowings should not be considered. —G. K. McPherson, Instructor in Agriculture, Ashburton. ' ■ :