Grasses and Clovers of New Zealand

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 60, Issue 1, 15 January 1940, Page 17

Grasses and Clovers of New Zealand

Characteristics of Cocksfoot

-By-

S. H. SAXBY,

Instructor in Agriculture, Dunedin.

✓COCKSFOOT (Dactylis glomerate). COCKSFOOT (.Dactylis glomerata). —Cocksfoot is a valuable perennial grass with a wide habitat range, and will grow and produce good feed on all but the wettest and the driest low fertility country. Its chief use is on country that is rather too dry to maintain ryegrass and white clover permanently. Although it will grow well on the better ryegrass country, its value is relatively not as great there. Cocksfoot is a bushy perennial grass which makes the greater part of its growth during the summer months.

Its spring ’ growth, although early, is not rapid, and is soon overtopped by that of ryegrass. In the mixed pasture cocksfoot shows up to the best advantage on the poorer ryegrass soil types, where, during dry spells, the production from ryegrass is negligible. During these dry spells the production from the cocksfoot is considerable. Cocksfoot is a shade-loving grass, and when regularly allowed to become rank will soon smother out other grasses until it becomes dominant. Because of these characteristics cocksfoot is best suited to second-class country that is seldom ploughed and is comparatively lightly stocked. Continual heavy stocking will ultimately reduce the amount of cocksfoot. This is brought about largely by the fact that under close grazing cocksfoot will not spread very much, and will not stand o« a n

up to competition from strong-grow-ing, mat-forming grasses, such as browntop. Close grazing of cocksfoot is also definitely injurious to the crown, which at most times needs some protection of top growth. Grazing on Hills The establishment of cocksfoot on the general run of hill country has been found to be both difficult and expensive, especially on unploughable country which is liable to revert to secondary growth. The hard grazing necessary to control the secondary growth makes it difficult for cocksfoot to thrive. On coastal hill country which has a good rainfall cocksfoot will do well so long as grazing is, in the main, confined to cattle. As soon as sheep grazing is started the replacement of cocksfoot by browntop, sweet vernal, and annual grasses begins. This is exemplified by the present condition of much of the Akaroa and Otago peninsula country which, under sheep grazing, is losing its cocksfoot dominance. The restoration of cocksfoot on this type of country can be brought about only by light grazing and spelling in order that the cocksfoot may smother out the other grasses that have replaced it. This process is much longer than that which has brought about its depletion, ;■ and the economics of the practice is questionable.

On ploughable country the hard grazing factor is not of such great importance, as, when the cocksfoot has gone out, resowing is possible. Consequently, such great care in the main-, tenance of cocksfoot dominance is not as important (i as on ' unploughable country. Establishment The establishment of cocksfoot is difficult and expensive when small quantities are sown in competition with a heavy seeding of strong-grow-ing ryegrass. Under these conditions cocksfoot takes some two to three years to. establish even under a system of fairly lenient management. Frequently, a. small seeding of cocksfoot is sown with ryegrass and the pasture is subsequently managed as a ryegrass pasture, that is, by early, close and continuous grazing, all of which,. together with the competition, prove too much for the - cocksfoot. Under this system of management' very little

cocksfoot is seen for the first three years or so. When sown pure, especially if drilled in at a shallow depth, cocksfoot will establish fairly rapidly. A common practice now being adopted is that of drilling in the cocksfoot and then broadcasting the rest of the seeds mixture later. As with most grasses, a firm . seed bed is essential for the successful establishment of cocksfoot. Importance of Management In the maintenance of cocksfootdominant pastures management plays an important part. Two pastures sown and treated similarly may be very different from each other in composition in a few years, depending on the type of management adopted. Although there are several strains of cocksfoot, . only two of them are offered on .the New Zealand market. These are ' the' Danish and New Zea-

land strains, the latter being offered under the various names, New Zealand, Akaroa and plains. The Danish cocksfoot is an excellent seed producer, but has the disadvantages of being short-lived, low in leaf production, and quite winter-dormant. The New Zealand cocksfoot is permanent, very leafy, ? and in the north produces a fair quantity of winter growth. Farmers sowing cocksfoot should always purchase New Zealand cocksfoot, . even though the seed of the Danish type is frequently much more attractive to the eye. The Department of Agriculture is certifying to the New Zealand type in order that the purchaser may have a guarantee that he is obtaining 'the, long-lived, leafy type and not the short-lived, stemmy type. '■ Cocksfoot, may be recognised by its flattened and almost sharp-edged sheath. The ligule is fairly. long and conspicuous. The whole plant is hairless, and by this may be distinguished from prairie grass.

Crested Dogstail Crested Dogstail (Cynosurus cristatus) is a comparatively low-producing grass. In some . cases it is perennial, but remains ' permanent in pastures chiefly on account . of its prolific seeding habit and the fact that stock will not eat the seed heads readily. , Its soil fertility and moisure requirements are between those of ryegrass and browntop, being, very similar to cocksfoot in these respects. For these reasons crested dogstail forms a prominent position in many sheep pastures on second-class country. > Before the introduction of permanent strains of ryegrass, dogstail was, together with browntop, a valuable constituent of second-class country pastures. With the use of a permanent strain of ryegrass, and topdressing the value of dogstail on ploughable country has been greatly lessened. , . On hill-country where it is firmly established, dogstail is still a valuable grass. It produces its feed, which is very attractive to stock, early in the season, and is usually earlier than ryegrass in this respect., Crested dogstail - will not thrive under shading from other grasses and, although similar to cocksfoot in fertility ; requirements, ' will not . associate • with it when the cocksfoot . is regularly allowed .to become rank. Crested dogstail and perennial’ ryegrass are very easy to confuse in the vegetative state, but may/be readily distinguished by the colouration at the

base of the stems, which is red in'ryegrass and -yellow in dogstail. For Special Purposes Phalaris Tuberosa is more generally known by its . botanical name than: by its “common” name of Toowoomba grass. Its greatest. virtues are in its adaptability to a wide range of soil conditions and to its winter production. It has been grown at odd times in New Zealand for many years with varying success. The reason for this varying success is due partly to the sowing of the comparatively worth-

less annual Phalaris minor in error, and partly to the lack of knowledge regarding the type of management necessary in . order to obtain a satisfactory sward. Since the certification of phalaris tuberosa was begun in Australia, a greater interest has been taken in this grass in New Zealand. The cardinal points in the establishment of this grass are:— (1) The sowing of high germinating seed which is true to type. (2) A fine, firm, and clean seed bed is essential for a good establishment. (3) Early autumn sowing in order to have the slow, establishing plants well rooted before the winter. (4) Very lenient management in the first year. If possible, a complete avoidance of grazing is advisable during this time. Competition Competition from other strong-grow-ing grasses and weeds .in the early stages is almost certain to result in a very patchy sward. Because of this, the sowing of phalaris tuberosa in a general mixture of grasses'and clovers should not be attempted. Briefly, phalaris tuberosa must be regarded as a special purpose pasture grass suitable for the production of winter grass. On this account its use is somewhat limited, and only} small paddocks of it should be sown. Once established, phalaris tuberosa will stand . heavy grazing, especially by.

cattle, and will thrive on a succession of hay crops. Phalaris tuberosa is tall-growing, deep rooted and perennial.. A useful distinguishing feature of this grass is the swollen appearance of the portion of the stem that is at or below ground level. The ligule is very long, being about as long as the leaf is wide. Bird Seed Canary Grass (Phalaris minor) is an annual grass of little importance, and occurs in small amounts throughout most districts in New Zealand. As it is an annual it is of little value in pastures, and cannot be regarded as a pest in pasture or cereal crops. The only point worthy of note regarding this grass is the similarity that its seed has to that of the perennial, phalaris tuberosa. Until certification of the latter was begun a considerable quantity of phalaris minor was sold as phalaris tuberosd, with the result that phalaris tuberosa was given an unwarranted bad name. ~ As its name implies, the seed of canary grass is used for the feeding of small cage birds. Old Man Twitch Agropyron Repens is also called “old man twitch,” “long twitch,” and “couch.” It is common throughout New Zealand, but is most ; troublesome on arable country which is under the plough fairly frequently. Because of this'it is at its worst in much of the better-class wheat country. in Canterbury. It is a late-growing but vigorous grass, and is relished by all classes of stock. It must be regarded as a weed

grass, however, both because of its twitchy nature and because of the fact that on the higher fertility country where it will thrive, > better grasses, such as ryegrass, cocksfoot and timothy, will also thrive. It may be of some value on loose country where, together with Poa pratensis, it could be used as a binding agent. As it sets very ■ little seed, it would have to be distributed by means of broadcasting and working in broken up stems and roots. The methods adopted in the eradication of all twitches are very similar, but vary slightly according to the type of twitch and the type of farming practised.

Eradication , In the eradication of twitches every effort should be made to strike • it at its weakest j points. In old pastures it will be found that practically all the stems or rhizomes are within a few inches of the surface. By ploughing to a depth of seven or eight inches, where possible, the majority of the roots are turned/ right under. This ploughing should preferably be carried out in the summer. Following the ploughing, several light but thorough workings should be carried out in order to consolidate the soil preparatory to the sowing ! of a smother crop in the early autumn. It is essential that the smother crop be autumn-sown in order that it may get a good start before the twitch begins growth in the spring. If the

smother crop is spring-sown, both it or the twitch have an equal chance of surviving. To be really effective, a smother crop should be a very dense heavy crop. Best Smother Crops Undoubtedly the best crop for such a purpose is one of oats and vetches at the rate of an equal mixture sown at 3 bushels per acre. The paddocks should be ploughed again immediately the oats and tares have been removed for hay. The choice of succeeding crops should depend on both the effectiveness of the previous treatments and the normal farm rotation.

The eradication of twitch in a paddock which has been under the plough for several consecutive years is a longer process, as no weakening of the twitch - can be accomplished by the preliminary and very useful deep ploughing. When setting out to eradicate twitch, every endeavour should be made to start with a pasture at least four years of age. The only grass with which “old man twitch” is likely to be confused is timothy. These two may be distinguished by the presence of the prominent ears in old man twitch, which are absent in timothy. In old man twitch the sheath and leaf shoot are rolled, and the ligule is short and blunt. " The hairiness in various parts is very variable from plant to plant, and is of no value for the purpose of identification. Goose Grass - Goose Grass (.Bromus mollis). is a very common annual weed grass occurring in open pastures and waste places throughout New Zealand. It . is most common in districts which experience a hot, dry summer, and on this account is usually found in seedproducing districts where old pasture ryegrass seed is saved. Goose grass, like any other annual grass or clover, is greatly encouraged when paddocks are shut up for seed production year after year. Seed production, when carried out continually, weakens both the clover and the ryegrass, and consequently leaves an excellent opening in the sward for the ingress of goose grass and other annuals.

Goose grass ripens its seed somewhat earlier than ryegrass, which results in the shedding of much seed before or during harvest. When this process is repeated several times it is not difficult to. understand how goose grass has become practically dominant in many pastures. The seed of goose grass is, in its natural condition, considerably broader than that of perennial ryegrass, but, . if threshed too hard, the sides of the seed are broken off. This results in the goose grass seed being reduced to almost exactly the same shape, size and weight as that of ryegrass. Because of this, seed cleaners have great difficulty in cleaning lines that have been hard-threshed. It is to the ulti-

mate advantage for farmers to see that the goose grass seed is damaged as little as possible when threshing is in progress. Although stock do not relish goose grass, they will eat it fairly readily when it occurs in small quantities in a pasture. The control of goose grass in pastures is reversing the process that has made it increase. That is, pastures in which goose grass is bad should not be shut up for seed or hay for several years. As far as possible, grazing should be close, ;at least up to the middle of the summer. Every endeavour should be made to produce a dense sward of good grasses and clovers. i Under these conditions of strong competition and close grazing, goose grass will diminish. The vegetative characters of goose grass are a rounded sheath and leaf bud, and a small ragged ligule, which is very thin. Both the leaves and the sheath are covered with fine hairs. The base of the sheath is slightly veined, as is that of Yorkshire fog. Ears are absent.

Barley Grass Barley Grass (Hordeum marinum). This is another annual weed grass, and is common throughout the country. Although it is conspicuous in those pastures in which it occurs, it cannot be regarded as a serious pest, as'. it usually thrives under conditions where better grasses will also thrive. Barley grass, to thrive, requires two sets of conditions. Firstly, 7 as it demands high fertility, it will occur only on, country where the fertility is naturally high or where it has been induced artificially. Secondly, a looselymanaged and open sward is required for it to become dominant. Fertility Factor Barley grass is seldom seen in any quantity throughout the general run of second-class country ’but as "soon as the fertility of this country is increased to a sufficiently high level, barley grass is sure to appear. Bearing in mind that its. requirements are high l fertility and an open sward, one

can J usually find this grass on old stack bottoms where the better grasses have been killed out and on sheep camps, whether , they are out in the open or under trees. Stock are : not fond of barley grass, and the seeds are sometimes troublesome in wool. ’ The control of barley grass is concerned mainly with the maintaining of a close sward of , better grasses. Small areas should be cut with the mower to prevent re-seeding, while large areas indicate, a run-out pasture, which should be ploughed in any case, i;. The most striking vegetative character of barley grass is in its prominent, large, clasping ears. This serves to differentiate it from the majority of the common annual grasses. The leaves on both surfaces are dull and hairy. • The ligule is short and inconspicuous, and the leaf shoot is rolled. Creeping Fog Creeping Fog (Holcus mollis) is also called creeping soft grass, and in general appearance is very similar to

Yorkshire fog except that it has long, twitchy, creeping, underground stems which render it a most undesirable grass and one of the worst twitches. The distribution , of creeping fog is fairly general in districts where much cropping is, carried out, and is abundant in . parts of Canterbury,. .where large areas are dominated by it. The methods to be adopted for the eradication of creeping fog are similar to those for agropyron repens. Creeping fog will thrive on poorer country than will agropyron repens, and is consequently more difficult to eradicate by the use of smother crops. The only grasses which are likely to be confused with creeping fog are agropyron repens and Yorkshire fog. The two “fog” grasses may be distinguished by the fact that creeping , fog is twitchy, whereas Yorkshire fog is not. Yorkshire fog differs from agropyron repens in that the former is quite hairy, especially at, the nodes, and has no ears. _______ w ________ ,’

gpifi— nil—tin—>nn—nn-un— —mt—-mi— -mi—--na—mi——n* I This month’s instalment of the I a series of articles on the grasses 1 I and clovers of New Zealand 1 i deals with grasses which thrive | I on soils of medium fertility and I I moisture content. There are | I some valuable grazing species j j found in this habitat, and also | ? some distinctly undesirable ? j types of annuals and twitches. | •j»i—*llll—•mi—UH mi—ll U—— UH