PREPARATIONS FOR SOWING OF PASTURES IN AUTUMN

Te Ao Hou, December 1957, Page 52

PREPARATIONS FOR SOWING OF PASTURES IN AUTUMN Consideration should be given now to the preparation of land for autumn pasture sowing and the selection of pasture-seeds mixtures, says The New Zealand Journal of Agriculture. On ploughable land the aim should be to bring the seed-bed to a fine, moist, and firm condition for sowing as early as the weather allows in late summer or early autumn. One of the last meetings attended by the late A. C. McIntyre, District Officer of the Department of Maori Affairs, was last year's anniversary of the Gate Pa Battle. From left to right: Messrs C. Pihana, A. C. McIntyre, R. Vercoe. A firm seed-bed is essential for a satisfactory strike of clovers and grasses. If the seed-bed is loose, the clovers do not strike; it should be firmed throughout its depth. On light land it is usually necessary to roll on the furrow to firm the bottom layers and on heavy land time must be allowed in seed-bed preparation for the soil to settle. Cultivation operations should be conditioned by the weather and arranged to avoid drying out the soil in hot, windy weather.