Pasture Establishment and Management

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 94, Issue 2, 15 February 1957, Page 179

Pasture Establishment and Management

Seasonal Notes by the Extension Division

TOPDRESSING

AUTUMN pasture management plans should now 7 receive ** careful attention, for pasture production during next winter and spring depends very largely on autumn management methods. Attention should also be given to final seed-bed preparation and sowing of autumn grass.

IN the initial stages of pasture improvement with fertilisers and lime it does not matter much at what period

of the year fertilisers are applied, but in the management of dominantly perennial ryegrass-white clover swards under intensive grass farming methods autumn topdressing with superphosphate is desirable. Autumn topdressing raises late autumn, winter, and early spring production and hence raises winter carrying capacity. —H. G B. HALLIWELL

SAVING AUTUMN FEED

MANAGEMENT of the dairy herd in autumn should be arranged so that grass is saved for feeding before and

after calving. To do this it is usually necessary to start supplementary feeding in autumn while grass growth is still plentiful. There is no need to feed cows large quantities of fresh grass in late autumn, and supplementary feeding at this time enables pasture to be closed in late autumn and early winter and held over for rationed grazing in late winter and early spring. On sheep farms there are about 2 months after tupping when ewes can be done fairly hard, and during this period fields can be spelled and allowed an opportunity to freshen up for feeding before and after lambing. —M. G. BOYER

SOWING AUTUMN PASTURES

PROVIDED weather is favour-

able, early sowing in autumn is desirable. Early sowing allows the first feeding off to be taken

before growth stops in winter and obviates the grasses dominating the young clover plants in spring.. The success of a pasture depends very largely on a suitable balance of grass and clover plants being secured from time of establishment. Poor clover establishment is usually due to late sowing, sowing the seed on a loose seed-bed, or allowing the pasture to grow too long before grazing so that the more vigorous grass plants smother the young clovers. Inoculation of clover seeds is recommended on lower-fertility soils; inoculated seed should be covered from sunlight and sown immediately after treatment. — W. L. OSBORN

LUCERNE SEED

IN the main seed producing districts lucerne seed areas are normally in full flower in late January and early February after two hay cuts have been taken, and seed is

harvested mainly in March and April. Normally, cutting the crop with the mower and then threshing it after it has been in the swath for a period is the method that gives best results, but direct heading also produces satisfactory results under some conditions, such as when a thin crop ripens evenly or when wind is liable to blow a

cut crop. A crop to be direct headed should be allowed to become as ripe as possible. Sometimes it is necessary to wait until early frosts have stopped growth and withered the leafage. Treatment with crop desiccants has also been resorted to in some instances to facilitate direct heading.

However, as lucerne seed crops do not normally ripen evenly and as ripe pods are likely to be torn off by wind, it is generally advisable to cut the crop with a mower and allow it to ripen further in the swath before threshing it. This method has the advantage of preventing loss of seed through wind damage as well as avoiding late harvesting when the weather is deteriorating. Crops should be cut when the earlier pods are black and most of the later ones are straw coloured. Seed loss will be minimised if cutting under hot, dry conditions is avoided. An inside divider is usually an advantage, and if wind is likely to be troublesome, a light drum roller may be drawn behind the cutter bar to press the swath into the stubble. Threshing with a header harvester may be done after a period ranging from a day or two to a week or more, depending on conditions. Under good conditions the seed threshes easily and very high drum speeds or close setting of the concaves can usually be avoided. —J. P. BEGGS

RED CLOVER SEED

COWGRASS, because of its early seed

setting, does not present the same harvesting problem as does Montgomery

red clover, which is a late-flowering type. Cowgrass seed matures in February when dry summer conditions have dried off the plant leaf and stem, thus enabling the crop to be direct headed in February and March.

The New Zealand type of Montgomery red clover, however, tends to flower over a long period, and though seed may be mature in March, the presence of a bulk of green leafy material normally prevents the crop from being direct headed then. An alternative method is to cut the crop and leave it to mature in the swath for 10 to 12 days before threshing it with a pick-up header in March or April. This method has its disadvantages. A damp period after the crop is cut may result in second growth. This tends to grow through the swath, making it virtually impossible to pick up and thresh. Strong winds have also been known to lift a windrowed crop, resulting in a complete loss of seed. Most farmers, therefore, prefer to leave the standing crop well into winter until heavy frosts have brought about natural defoliation. As a. consequence, harvesting is often as late as June and July. Over this period some seed is lost by shattering, but it is only under very adverse weather conditions that the crop is a complete failure.

Crop desiccant chemicals, capable of bringing about premature defoliation, are now being used to aid harvesting of red clover. Irrespective of the amount of leafy material present, red clover seed crops, with the aid of desiccants, can be successfully harvested within a few days of spraying. In this way the harvest can be brought forward by 10 to 12 weeks, less seed is lost, and harvesting takes place at a more suitable time of the year.

—W. V. HADFIELD