APPEAL FOR GRASS AND CLOVER SEEDS

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 63, Issue 4, 15 October 1941, Page 269

APPEAL FOR GRASS AND CLOVER SEEDS

New Zealand has been asked to help in relieving the acute shortage of grass and clover seeds in Great Britain. This Dominion has the

facilities to double her production of all lines (in some lines a greater increase is possible), and it rests with the farmers and seed merchants whether this call from the Mother Country is answered.

IT is true that New Zealand has, over a long period, been largely selfsupporting in seeds of the major pasture plants. It is also true that, from time to time, New • Zealand has ' exported considerable quantities of certain seeds as far abroad as Great

By

R. B. TENNENT,

Director of the Fields Division, Wellington.

Britain. But the position today is unique. We still need to be self-sup-porting in our own seed requirements. At the same time, Great Britain has been embarked for two years now on a policy of “Speed the Plough.” It is a. simple matter to forecast that this policy must be followed in the very near future by a policy of pasture reestablishment, for pasture farming and cropping have a definite correlation the one with the other. This, in turn, will call for the supply of greater quantities of grass . and clover seeds than have ever before been used in Britain, but the British farmer, concentrating for his very life

on the production -of foodstuffs, must necessarily neglect the production of the still essential materials for the regrassing of areas broken up for cropping purposes. This is where the farflung Dominions—New Zealand not the least —can render true assistance to the Mother Country.

Factors in Our Favour

We claim to be ideally situated for the production of such seeds. What are these claims worth? Firstly, our climatic conditions generally are ideal for the production of seed of high germination and of good sample and appearance. Secondly, our farmers are experienced in the production of such seeds, and with the employment of modern machinery can reap the harvest with the lowest expenditure of man-power and finance.

Thirdly, for the more important pasture seeds, we have been developing in this country strains of outstanding merit which can be expected to give equal results in the comparable climate of Great Britain. What more is required in order to ensure adequate seed . supplies? The other requirement is a willing band of farmers prepared to do their utmost this coming season to increase seed production. - Great Britain has asked to be supplied with increased quantities of grass and clover cocksfoot, white clover, Italian and perennial ryegrass in particular, -'but other seeds also and the appeal is made to the farming community to leave no stone unturned, no seed unharvested, in an effort to meet this call. : In the past, the harvest of herbage seeds has been looked upon by the farmer to a large extent as a matter

of what the season will produce. As with all Nature, however, man can adapt her to his needs, and a little time and thought in this direction are well repaid. , The harvest must not be approached as if it were an after-thought, but with the real aim to produce seed in increased quantities. Give the pasture intended for seed production care comparable to that which is bestowed on a flock of ewes or a herd of dairy cattle. The results which will be shown in the seed crop will be no less astonishing. Certain plants are fairly exacting in their requirements before good seed crops can be expected, while others thrive under a wide range of conditions, ( so that ample scope exists for the farmer to grapple with this task in a manner most fitting to the existing conditions.

Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass, for instance, can be produced under a wide range of conditions, although perhaps giving best results in Canterbury, Marlborough, Central and North Otago, Hawke’s Bay, and Poverty Bay. It requires no elaborate treatment; a dominant perennial ryegrass sward closed up at the correct time and the adoption of up-to-date methods of harvesting are the essentials for success. Pastures of a mixed ryegrass-content—-perennial and Italian—should be

avoided if possible. Every endeavour should be made to produce seed from areas sown with certified seed, and to have the produce certified also.

Italian Ryegrass

As with perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass seed production can be carried out under varied conditions. As this pasture plant is more in the nature of an annual, however, seed production is undertaken almost entirely in the

arable cropping districts. Here again, pastures of mixed Italian and perennial ryegrass should not be harvested for seed, and preference should be given to those areas sown with certified seed.

Cocksfoot

In comparison with the foregoing species, cocksfoot is very particular in regard to the conditions necessary for ideal seed production. Cocksfoot seed is at all times liable to be low in purity due to the presence of considerable proportions of empty husks, while the presence of ryegrass seeds in appreciable quantity detracts materially from the value of the sample. Cocksfoot areas for Seed production are established solely with that view, so that a rapid extension cannot be expected. This is unfortunate, as the prime need of Great Britain is for cocksfoot, but much can be done to see

that existing stands produce to their maximum capacity. In the past, the Akaroa Peninsula has produced large quantities of cocksfoot seed, but these activities are extending more and more to the Plains, particularly in Mid-Canterbury, where lower harvesting costs and higher seed purity assist in enabling cocksfoot seed to be marketed at world parity. Wherever possible, certified seed should be produced, as this type of cocksfoot has already established a reputation in many countries.

Browntop

Browntop seed production is not carried out on pastures sown specifically for seed production, but, probably more so than any other pasture seed, is an incidental in the normal farming programme. The seed is usually harvested on the typical browntop areas of Otago and Southland and along the foothills of Canterbury. While, under present management conditions, little can be done to increase the yield of browntop seed, care in the stripping and harvesting of every available acre will go far to increase the total production of this seed.

White Clover

The harvesting of white clover seed may be undertaken as a straight seed crop from white clover-dominant pastures, or it may be produced in ap-

preciable quantities in association with perennial ryegrass seed. Canterbury produces much of the white clover seed harvested, although considerable quantities are also produced in other, districts which are subject to

reasonably dry summer and autumn conditions, which are essential to a good clover harvest. New Zealand has evolved a type of white. clover of outstanding merit, and all seed produced should be offered for . certification with a view to identifying this superior type. Management of white clover areas plays a large part in the production of successful seed crops.'

Red Clover

There are two distinct types of red clover seed produced in New Zealand. One is the broad red clover—an early type which finds a useful place in temporary leys and as a hay-producer —and the other is the Montgomery red clover, which is used more in permanent mixtures and as a constituent of grazing pastures. , While the broad red clover is more generally used in this country, ; Montgomery red clover is rapidly coming into prominence.. As a seed-producing proposition, however, the Montgomery type deserves every consideration because of the high place already won for this clover in British pasture mixtures. Everything points to the possibility of an excellent export trade developing for . this seed when saturation point is reached' in New Zealand’s requirements.

Other Grass and Clover Seeds i

The production of other grass and clover —Chewings fescue, . alsyke, timothy, etc.is also undertaken locally. But the above remarks emphasise the seeds most urgently required by Great Britain. An article in the September issue of the “Journal of Agriculture” entitled “Clean Seed Production in Otago” gives further information on pasture management for seed production, while farmers desiring more detailed information on seed production methods will find their local Instructor in Agriculture able and willing to give much valuable advice. -

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is desired to reiterate, ■ ' (a) The urge to produce greater quantities of grass and clover seed to meet the needs of Great Britain. ( . (b) The desirability of producing as great a proportion of seed as possible from areas composed, of superior strains of pasture plants. (b) The desirability of producing as production as a definite project and not as an incidental in the farming programme.