Fern Control With Cattle

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 61, Issue 1, 15 July 1940, Page 8

Fern Control With Cattle

Successful Experiment of Bonks Peninsula Farmer

J. G. McKAY,

Fields Instructor, Christchurch.

THE USUAL methods adopted to control fern over wide areas in New Zealand consist of burning the fern in autumn, surface sowing where necessary with suitable grasses immediately following burning, and stocking heavily in spring when the new fern fronds are tender and brittle. The fern is practically dormant during , the winter, and, generally speaking, the new fronds do not come away until September or October. The object of heavy stocking is to feed off or break off the young growth rapidly, as once the young frond ex-

pands it is far more difficult to deal with than in the curl stage.

Cattle v. Sheep

If sheep are used for crushing, stocking should take place before there is any sign of uncurling of the leaf. Fern can be successfully crushed by cattle at a later stage of growth, and this, is the principal reason why cattle are

generally regarded as the more efficient fern-crushers on land suitable for them. Fern crushing is at times severe on stock, and they should not be left on too long, but good success cannot be achieved by this method unless the area being handled is stocked sufficiently to destroy young growth at the curl stage. For this' reason it is a mistake to burn off a larger area of

fern in autumn than can be adequately stocked in spring. The firing of fern followed by insufficient stocking only makes dominance of the fern more pronounced. Apart from this, repeated firing of country which has reverted from good surface-sown pasture to fern must ultimately result in the destruction of the better pasture plants.

Destruction of Plants

When the first heavy growth of fern fronds has been checked by stocking in spring, it is some time before the next growth appears. As soon as fresh growth comes away the area should be restocked, and stocking should be repeated each time fresh growth appears. The underground stems (or rhizomes) of fern carry heavy reserves of plant food. These food reserves are manufactured by the fronds, and it will thus be seen that destruction of the fronds will ultimately result in the death of the plants. , There are two main types of fernlands in New —natural fern land, that is, land that carried fern before the first Europeans landed in the country, and artificially-induced fernland, or land which became covered in fern after the destruction of the forest. Fern is said to be one of the stages in the transition to forest and many types of our forest lands after being

burnt out and allowed to remain practically unstocked have become infested with fern. Early records give the original forest area of Banks Peninsula as 134,000 acres and the total area of the Peninsula at 223,000 acres. After the clearing of the bush, mixed grasses including perennial ryegrass and clover, were

sown. The first record of cocksfoot being sown was in 1852, and this grass became the chief support of Peninsula farming. / Methods of Control Certain parts of Banks Peninsula are natural fernlands which have been in fern for a considerable period. Fern has, however, encroached on areas that

did not carry any when the first settlers began clearing., the forest and occupying - the land as grazing farms. Fern is spreading on some Peninsula farms, while on others it has been kept well in check by systematic methods of stocking. In this connection the practice adopted by Mr. J. E. Thacker, of O’Kains Bay, to control fern on his property is of interest. Mr. Thacker is farming a property of 1680 acres, typical of much of the cocksfoot country of the Peninsula, where members of his family were among the first settlers. Mr. Thacker states that some thirty years ago about 400 acres of this particular ■ block was badly infested with fern, and today the property is practically free from it. This almost complete elimination of the fern has been accomplished simply by stocking with cattle in combination with sheep. The fern is not burnt off. Mr. Thacker considers burning unnecessary and harmful to the grass. System of Stocking The system of stocking. has been to run cattle with sheep. The cattle are

stocked at from one beast to four acres to one beast to eight acres, according to the extent of fern on the area being dealt with. Starting off as yearlings the cattle are put on a certain block in the spring when fern is plentiful so that they may reach winter in good condition. These cattle are kept on the same area during winter, it being considered they work better as scavengers and go more readily into the ferninfested places to trample and feed than would cattle strange to the area. This method is distinct from what is commonly called fern-crushing in that the beasts are not crowded in large numbers on small areas. Naturally the cattle are compelled to - get into the fern-infested areas to forage during winter months through lack of feed elsewhere, but they are not unduly punished and come through to spring in good store condition. Mr. Thacker not only regards stocking with cattle in the way he does as a sound cojmmercial proposition, as ultimately he sends them away fat, but he also considers that cattle are essential to keep the fern in control.

He is a firm believer, however, in stocking with well-bred cattle, preferably bred on the place, and is, now breeding his own beasts, using Hereford, Shorthorn, Black Poll crosses of good strains, from which he is getting excellent results.

Financial Aid For Farmers ATTENTION is drawn to an advertisement appearing in this issue relating to facilities available to farmers for obtaining loans on the security of stock and chattels under the provisions of the Rural Intermediate Credit Act. The administration of the Act has been entrusted to the State Advances Corporation, which invites farmers who are desirous of securing financial assistance for productive purposes to address any inquiries for further information to the nearest office of the Corporation, or to . the Office of the Secretary of any Rural Intermediate Credit Association established under the Act.

•j«ii—mi—mi—mi—mi—mi—mi—mi—mi—mi—mi^—mi—j The methods employed by a I T farmer on Banks Peninsula to 1 F control fern infestation with j | cattle are described in this j I article. Although his farm was | ! at one time badly infested, to- | j day it is practically free from = j fern, and the cattle used have I f proved a sound commercial 1 | proposition. j 1 . T