Convenient Type of Pot Dip Chewings Fescue

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 95, Issue 3, 16 September 1957, Page 289

Convenient Type of Pot Dip

Chewings Fescue

By

G. L. WICKENDEN,

Sheep and Wool Instructor, Department of Agriculture, Wellington A CONVENIENT type of pot dip has been built on the property of Mr. E. Ellis, "Benhar", Ponatahi, Carterton. A farmer should have no difficulty in dipping sheep on his own in one of these dips if other labour were not available. THE approach to the dip is by two tapering crush pens leading from the sheepyards to a 3ft.-wide platform or apron which extends round the dip and which holds approximately. 16 big Romney ewes. This platform has a lin. in a foot slope toward the dip.. A gate at the far end of the platform gives access to paddocks. This allows for pre-dipping training of sheep if they , ever become difficult to get in and is useful for drafting when the footrot bath is being used. A 2ft. 9in.-high railing made from lin. galvanised piping runs round the edge of the dip. This rail is supported at intervals by four pipes embedded in the concrete approximately 4in. from the edge of the dip. The rail is a protection and a help to the man putting the sheep into the dip. A lift-up, counter-weighted gate gives access by way of a 2ft. 6in.-wide ramp to the draining pens. The draining pens are each 23ft. long and 10ft. wide and each holds approximately 60 to 70 Romney ewes. These pens drain into a sump 2ft. lOin. long, 2ft. wide, and Ift. sin. deep which filters out impurities before the dipping fluid returns to the dip. The pot dip is 6ft. across at the top, tapering to approximately 3ft. 4in. at the bottom, is approximately sft. lOin. deep, and holds 1000 gallons when full. As the dip has no anti-splash lip, dipping is carried out from the 800gallons mark down to approximately 400 gallons. Beside, the dip a 600gallon concrete tank fitted with a large 2in. valve supplies water for replenishment.

A 7in.-high curved lip of concrete surrounds the draining pens. A 3ft.wide apron of < concrete outside the 3ft. 2in.-wide exit gates from these pens prevents wear. Concrete posts and four 4in. by ljin. red birch rails have been used for all the fences, which are 3ft. high. The sheep are easily kneed or backed into the dip one at a time; rough handling is not necessary. The dip holds from 4 to 6 sheep. As the operator is working with the sheep nearest the entrance the ones farther round the apron or platform act as

decoys to those entering from the crush pens. It would be an advantage and would give a wider and an unimpeded space for putting sheep into the dip if the pipe guard rail round the edge of the dip were supported by three pipes rather than by four. Foot-rot Trough A foot-rot trough leads from a crush pen to a draining pen. This concrete trough is lift. 9in. long, Ift. lin. wide, and 3in. deep. The fences on each side

of the trough are 3ft. high and the distance between the fences is Ift. 6in. COST OF DIP £ s. d. 3 tons of cement at £l3 a ton .. 39- 0 0 16yds. of metal at £1 a yd. (delivered) .. <.. .. ' .. 16 0 0 lyd. of sand at £2 ss. a yd. • (delivered) .. .. .. .. 2 5 0 A 600-gallon concrete tank . . .. 23 10 0 Cartage of tank .. . . . . 4 0 0 40 concrete yard posts . . . . . 25 0 0 Gate hinges .. .. .. .. 6 0 0 Timber rails, Ilin. by 4in. (red birch) .. .. .. .. .25 0 0 lin. galvanised pipes for guard rail and supports round dip and 2in. valve for water tank .. .. 6 10 0 2cwt. of gin. reinforcing .. .. . 4 0 0 Contract and farm labour .. .. 90 0 0 Boxing— recoverable for other work .. .. .... 10 0 0 251 5 0

(All concrete work was done by a contractor. Farm labour for fencing and other work was estimated at approximately £2O).

Seed Production in New Zealand

By

W. FAITHFUL,

Instructor in Agriculture, Department of Agriculture, Invercargill THE production of the seed of chewings fescue (Festuca rubra var. fallax), though of • comparatively minor importance to most farmers in New Zealand, has been regarded very differently by the producers of the major portion of the crop in Otago and Southland. The history of the production of chewings fescue seed goes back to 1880, when a farmer in the Rimu district of Southland sowed down a 2-acre paddock in grass. He was probably unaware that this common farming operation would open up a new avenue of export for primary produce which would be of considerable financial benefit to a large number of farmers in the province. The grass seed he used was later to be known as chewings fescue.

THE origin of the seed that was sown is obscure. A pamphlet issued by the New Zealand Grain, Seed, and Produce Merchants’ Federation, “Grasslands of New Zealand”, states: “The imported seed which originally produced chewings fescue was some type of fescue grown in Europe, and it is claimed by some that the seed was dropped from grasses used to pack goods coming to New Zealand”. A more likely explanation is that the seed was supplied in a lawn grass mixture obtained from Hurst and Sons, London, and that this mixture was sown by the Rimu farmer, as he required a grass that would make a dense sward quickly and would not

be poached by cattle. The mixture is said to have been recommended to him by an Invercargill seed merchant. Whatever its origin, most reports about the development of the production of the seed during the years following the original sowing more or less substantiate one another. Origin of Name The small paddock was harvested for seed, and later some, if not all, of this seed was used for sowing in some of the paddocks on “Glenelg”, a property in the Mossburn district of Southland. In 1887 that property was bought by Mr. George Chewings, and the first considerable quantity of seed, about 80 sacks, was harvested in 1890.

The following year about 250 sacks were harvested and sent in for cleaning. By this time the production of the seed had attracted neighbouring farmers, and in the next season more than 600 sacks were sent to Invercargill to be dressed.

During this early period it appears that all the seed produced had been bought by one seed merchant, and with the increase in the number of producers and the larger quantities of seed some difficulty was experienced in disposing of it. However, about this time Mr. Chewings went to the North Island on holiday, and during his visit advised various runholders to try some of his fescue seed, as he thought it would probably be suitable for the pumice lands of Auckland. The result was that inquiries were received in Invercargill for samples of and quotes for “Chewings’. fescue”, and the seed has been called chewings fescue since then. .■ Export Trade As a result of the difficulty in selling locally the increased quantity of seed produced the 600 sacks were taken over by To thill, Watson, and Co., of Invercargill, who were agents for Sutton and Sons, Reading, England. Through the efforts of these two firms interest was aroused in chewings fescue in Britain and the foundation of an export trade was laid. However, the fame of this fescue has not been confined to Britain.

Shipments to many parts of the world have resulted in regular orders from the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Holland, Denmark, and South Africa. For many years Germany was also a steady importer, but after 1927 the quantity of seed sent to that country decreased remarkably, declining steadily until 1933, when export to Germany ceased. The United States of America no longer imports seed, but

shipments to the United Kingdom are being maintained. Place in, Farm Practice In earlier times large areas of land in Southland each year were sown in oats, the most profitable crop that could then be grown, but this necessitated repeated ploughing and cultivating with an attendant loss in fertility. The introduction of fescue seed production at that time was decidedly advantageous, even though the seed was sold for about 2gd. a pound at the mill. As fescue could be harvested for a number of years without the necessity for resowing, it was sown on large areas which had previously been used for growing oats. Later fat lamb production became attractive, and as much of the land which had been producing fescue seed was able to carry better-class pastures with the aid of lime and artificial fertiliser, a further change was brought about. Instead of the farms being mainly arable and fescue seed producing, more and more of them were used for sheep farming and the fattening of lambs. Because of these changes many farms were more closely subdivided and the acreage of fescue to a farm was reduced considerably.

At present any extensive blocks of fescue are mainly on land which it is considered cannot be economically raised to a sufficiently high standard for lamb fattening. However, it must not be concluded that all the fescue is produced on low-fertility land, as quite a large proportion is being grown on paddocks of comparatively high fertility, but usually these paddocks are only a very limited part, of the farm. The seed is regarded as a cash crop, or, as one farmer has expressed it: “Seeding fescue on this type of land is bad farming according to present farming practice, but the return from a good crop is a good ‘lift’”.

Climate and Soil For seed production fescue requires moisture in spring and sufficient heat and moisture during summer to ensure well-developed seed of a good colour; good seed is steel blue and weighs 271 b. or 281 b. a bushel, and seed of average quality weighs 231 b. to 241 b. a bushel.

Hot, dry conditions are necessary during the short harvesting period. Soil type is also important in seed production: Very light land inhibits early establishment and vigour of the fescue and permits the ingress of undesirable weeds such as sweet vernal, hairgrass, catsear, fog, and browntop; on too heavy land the fescue sward thickens up quickly and seed production suffers in consequence. The balance between soil type and climate appears to be nicely adjusted in the central Southland district, where the bulk of the seed is grown.

The main seed-producing area is on the silt'loam soils in the valleys of the Waiau, Aparima, Oreti, Waimea, and Mataura Rivers and their old courses and extensive flood plains. Almost surrounding and penetrating into the fescue country are ranges of hills and mountains, which have an important influence on the climate. Winter conditions are usually cold and bleak, but conditions in spring, summer, and autumn approximate those necessary for the production of good seed. Attempts have been made to produce fescue seed in other parts of New Zealand and overseas, but they have not been very successful, unsuitable climate and soil conditions probably contributing to failure. Preparation of Land Clean land is a fundamental necessity in any paddock intended for fescue seed production. The growing of cleaning crops and fallowing are advocated, though these are not always

carried out. A true fallow permits the thorough working out of such weeds as browntop and fog, both of which tend to thicken up in the sward and suppress the fescue. A run-out fescue paddock is usually ploughed in May with a swamp plough with undercut coulters; undercutting permits the furrow to be turned over quite flat. The land should then be fallowed and have sufficient working during summer to bring couch to the surface. Ridged turnips may follow as a cleaning crop, and grain the next season.

If the paddock is clean, the fescue seed may then be sown. This should not be attempted if the paddock is still dirty, but a further cleaning crop should be sown or the land fallowed again. Fescue may be sown with or without a cover crop, but usually lamb-fattening feed such as rape or rape and turnips is used.

The seed is usually sown in November. It may be drilled in or broadcast; seeding rates are about 141 b. of machine-dressed seed an acre for drilling and 181 b. to 201 b. an acre for sowing broadcast. If drilled in, the seed is sown through every coulter; it is advisable-to use old coulters to avoid burying the seed too deeply. Management Usually fescue is not regarded as a good pasture grass, but if it is kept short, sheep graze it quite readily. On quite a number of farms the fescue paddocks are grazed and seeded in alternate seasons. .Usually this method is used on land of rather high fertility, where it is found that, the grazing animals tend to control weed growth and the aggressiveness of other grasses, both of which are most undesirable in a fescue seed-producing area. By this method the fescue stand is maintained for a longer period before any renovation is necessary.

The lower-fertility areas, where the fescue blocks are usually more exten-

sive, may be grazed or not according to the vigour of grass or weed growth, but it is advisable to fun a few sheep in a fescue block to control the seedIng of catsear (Hypochaeris radicata) . The sheep keep, the heads of this objectionable weed nipped off and prevent its seeding. One sheep to 3 or 4 acres Is usually sufficient, and to avoid damage to the crop they are taken out about a week before the flower goes off the fescue. Ryegrass in a fescue stand is mainly controlled m a. ±escue scano. xS mainiy coniroiieo. in the same manner. The chief objection to catsear and ryegrass is the difficulty of separating their seeds from those of chewings fescue because of their similarity in size. Topdressing „ - . , • ™ . Results from topdressmg are sufficicontroversial to prevent a definite recommendation being made. Some very profitable returns have been produced by an application of sulphate of ammonia or ammoniated superphosphate, and there have also been very disappointing results; much depends on the weather after the application, as there must be sufficient

moisture to ensure benefit from the fertiliser. It would seem that best results are obtained if the application is made in early spring. Harvesting „ . J^ ju h d a "SH nd l x fa XceTt£ skill, judgment, and experience, as the disadvantages of the fescue country is that stron S westerly gales during , < .. rnnkp thp savin? nf thp harvest tim ® make the saving of the crO P s what, hazardous. In an average season cutting is done in December, and the work must begin as soon as there is any evidence of the developed seed falling when touched. To secure a good sample it is necessary to permit the seed to be as ripe as possible before cutting it; f be need f or s kiH and judgment is obvious and speed is essential. j r . ... j lj .. binder Cutting and Heading Fescue is usually cut with the binder; direct heading, though it has been done, is not common. For direct heading, the crop has to be left until

it is almost dead ripe, which is inadvisable, as a strong wind at that stage is likely to shake all the seed. If heading is done too early, the seed will heat in the sacks.

The crop is stocked immediately after the binders have passed, remains in stook for about 3 weeks, and, if possible, is threshed out of the stook. As the seed sheds very easily at this time, special care is necessary when forking and special trolleys which considerably reduce the loss of seed are made to take the sheaves to the mill.

Though fescue is threshed very easily, care is necessary in the setting and speed of the mill, particularly a tin mill with a peg drum, ; which, if not properly set, chops up the straw. This very short straw is difficult to remove when the seed is dressed. The setting of the mill depends a great deal on the condition of the crop, but usually the concave should not be set too close to the drum, and in tin mills only sufficient concaves should be left in to ensure clean threshing. Speed should be as low as is commensurate with good threshing. Renovation The “twitchy” habit of fescue in time causes the area to become “turf bound”, and as it will not then produce seed, renovation by skim ploughing is necessary. Good judgment is necessary to decide when a fescue stand should be renovated, and renovation should always be done before there is much ingress of Yorkshire fog and browntop, as the skimming will increase rather than decrease these weeds. This ploughing should not be done until the frost risk has passed, as frost breaks up the furrow and kills the fescue. ' .

If the job has been done skilfully, the fescue comes away between the plough furrows in the following spring. No seed is harvested from a renovated area in the harvest period following renovation. Weeds and Seed Cleaning The need for care during threshing is manifest at the dressing plants; if the line has been badly threshed, the small pieces of chopped-up straw are very difficult to remove at dressing and the purity of the line is reduced by excessive inert matter. The most objectionable weeds in fescue seed are catsear, sweet vernal (Anthoxanthum odoratum) , and hairgrass (Vulpia bromoides). Catsear is the worst of the three, as the seed is the same size and weight as that of fescue and cannot be removed by either riddles or cylinders on the seed-dressing machine. Sweet vernal is removed by placing felts or blankets on one of the riddles, the bent awns of this seed causing it to adhere to the felt. Hairgrass is removed by the cylinders if the awn has not been damaged; if that has happened, it is difficult to remove.

For export, merchants endeavour to supply seed with a minimum purity of 98 per cent, and a germination of 90 per cent. Germination Practically all the seed produced is exported, but the overseas market was affected for many years by the fact that the germination of fescue was subject to deterioration while the seed was in transit. During the First World War cool stowage on cargo ships was not available, and the long period during which fescue seed was sometimes in the hold appeared to aggravate deterioration so that on arrival of the seed large quantities failed to reach the minimum germination standard required by the importer. It was thought that probably the time or the stage of ripeness when the crop was cut, or the usual practice of threshing direct from the stook without giving the seed time to “sweat” in a stack, might be responsible for this loss in vitality. To study the various factors connected with this loss of germination the Department of Agriculture did extensive investigational work during 1932 and 1933. One of the trials covered 12 commercial lines of seed, six of which were threshed out of the stack and six out of the stook. The

seed from these trials was sampled and sent away, part of it being artificially dried and part undried. In addition, part of the seed was shipped in cool store in moisture-proof sacks and part undried and under ordinary hold conditions. The result of these experiments was that the artificially dried seed in waterproof containers showed very little loss of germination, and as a result the artificial drying of fescue seed and its packing in moisture-proof containers are now the standard method. Serious loss of germination is now most unusual. Uses of Fescue Chewings fescue is capable of forming a close, fine, and even turf that will stand hard treatment. It is therefore an excellent grass for recreation areas, bowling greens, golf courses, and race tracks, and has proved admirable for aerodromes, particularly during the Second World War. The area which can be sown with the quantity of seed exported every year is not as large as would appear at first, because the sowing rate for turf establishment is 2/3oz. a square yard, and for reseeding worn turf such as the playing ends of bowling greens |oz. a square yard.