Subterranean Clover Hay

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 63, Issue 3, 15 September 1941, Page 228

Subterranean Clover Hay

How 57 Tons of Hoy Were Obtained From a 23 Acre Paddock

In Canterbury

By

T. K. EWER,

Veterinary Research Officer, Christchurch.

Subterranean clover is not usually regarded in New Zealand as material for hay, but this article tells how some 57 tons of hay were obtained from a 23-acre paddock in Canterbury.

IN Australia large areas of subterranean clover are cut for hay each year, and experience has shown that this is a very valuable fodder for both cattle and sheep. This product is somewhat rare, however, in New Zealand, and the following details of a very successful subterranean clover hay crop which was cut last year on the farm leased at Kirwee by the Department of Agriculture for the study of hogget mortality will be of interest.A paddock of 23 acres which had been ploughed out of old grass and sown with rape in 1935 and cropped with oats in 1936 was sown with subterranean clover in 1937, ■ l|cwt. of superphosphate being applied with the seed. The next year, following a poor germination of clover, the paddock was top-cultivated and sown with grass seed. Grass grub caused damage in 1939, and this, with the dry autumn and late spring, resulted in little , feed being obtained.

In the autumn of 1940 the paddock was topdressed with l{cwt. of superphosphate r and scwt. of lime. Rain fell shortly after the topdressing, and remarkable growth followed during April, when ■ very useful grazing was obtained. The paddock was shut up in May with the intention of providing feed for ewes after lambing, but such good growth was obtained during the

spring that this particular paddock was not required for the ewes, and it was therefore decided to cut it for hay. This was. done in the last week in November. 1 Farmers who have attempted to make subterranean clover hay have experienced trouble in cutting this crop, but z in this case a simple dividing device was attached to the end finger of the

mower, and no serious difficulty was encountered. After being turned twice the hay was baled from the windrows, with a pickup baler, four days after cutting. S A really first-class sample of hay was obtained, and an estimate made '• by weighing the bales showed that approximately 57 tons of hay were cut from the 23-acre paddock, which is situated on medium, light land. Although this paddock was shut up from May onwards, most of the growth took place during October, November, and December, and it is probable that the same result could have been ob-

tained by shutting up at the end of September. The making of subterranean : clover hay in seasons such as this can be confidently recommended to farmers z with suitable paddocks in the Canterbury district.