Pasture Notes.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 6, 23 April 1920, Page 13

Pasture Notes.

(BY E. BRUCE LEVY.)

ASSISTANT BIOLOGIST, WERAROA STATE FARM. GRASSING OF FEUtN LANDS. (Continued from our last issue. ) A good temporary pasture would be : — Italian Rye ... ... ... ••• 251b. Red Clover 61b. Oats or Barley ... l^hus. and a permanent pasture : — - Cocksfoot 151b Perennial ryegrass 81b Crested dogstail 61b, Timothy 31bs. Red Clover 31b. White Clover Ub. Such a permanement pasture is suited for poorer country where perennial ryegrass will not hold on more than three years: On better land a good style of permanent pasture to adopt is soniewhat as follows : Cocksfoot 121b. Perennial Rye ... 151b. Timothy 41 o. Crested -dogstail 31b. Red Clover 31b. Alsike 21b. White Clover 21b. On heavier wetter land Meadow Foxtail and Poa trivialis shoul be included, and the Cocksfoot and Dogstail reduced-.-Cocksfoot 61b. Perennial Rye 151b. Timothy 61b. Meadow Foxtail 41b. Poa trivialis 21b. Red Clover ... 21b. Alsike y 31b. White Clover 21b. Lotus Major 11b. If, on a short rotation pasture, Perennial Ryegrass proves the rnost profitable in any on,e particular district, then sow down a short rotation pasture mixture ; — Perennial Rye ... 25lb. Red Clover 61b. It is the practice to add to such a mixture a few pounds of Cocksfoot, but it is very doubtful if this practice issound. A sprinklin-g of cocksfoot plants will result, which will virtually decide the farnaer to keep the pasture going for an otlier year. It has been stated that the Cocksfoot is put in purely as a guard against grass grub attack. TRANSITIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF COCKSFOOT PASTURES : .

Cocksfoot is without doubt the king of the grasses, and its extended use for permanent pasture work is highly desired. The grass certainly has several rather grave defects, but with just a little care •■i the management of cocksfoot pastures these may be to a large extent eliminated. Cocksfoot is a tussock, and on© of the objects to aim at is to suppress this character and so produce a continuous turf without and interspaces. The second object is to keep the clovers in the pasture. I look upon the clover eiement — particularly White Clover — as extremely important, for not only does the clover serv.e as an index as to how hard the pasture should be grazed, but the beneficial eeffct of the companionship is extrememarked. Whether or not this is due to the effect the clover has on keeping the soii surface shaded and moist or whether it is a more or less symbiotic relation, the clover, by virtue of its root nodules, is a& it were loading the ground with available nitrates which may be utilised by the Cocksfoot plants. Cocksfoot will not be permanent under ail eonditions of farm management, particularly on hillside country. This is amply demoristrated at the present time on the cocksfoot country of Akaroa. Here within a short radius, the effect of different methods of treatment is very plain , Where the cocksfoot has not been stocked at all there is a pure association of cock- ^ sfoot, skowing good growth at the present time but with a large ainount of drjr herbage at the base. The areas where cocksfoot has been lightly grazed excellent pasture of cocksfoot clover is present, Again, whare the clover has not been allowud to persist through cranstant and heavy stocking the pasture is giving place to bare ground, inte Which such weeds a» catsear, ribgrass, and field dafisy are gaining eofcry. Ih such paddocks on the very

bare knolls danthonia is also making its appearance, and again in those pastures which have apparently been grazed continually for the last ten years or so the cocksfoot has virtually run out together and the pasture now consists of a pure association of danthonia pilosa. There is no doubt but that the danthonia turf is inferior to the c-ocksfoot-clover sward, and therefore this transition must be looked upon as undesirable on this type of country. It must be borne in mind, however, that had the danthonia not been there to take up the running, the area would have in all probabilty reverted to fern. The following are some of the successions likely to take place in cocksfoot pastures Cocksfoot to Agrostis. Cocksfoot to ribgrass, catsear, field daisy, Cocksfoot to sweet vernal, hairgra&s, thence to danthonia.. The question is how are these successions to be aYoided? (1) — By sowing down with the cocksfoot suitable grasses and clovers ; (2— By so regulating stock as to keep t'v> clovers in the pastures; (3)— By application of artificial manure primarily to this same end ; (4) — By refraining from having cocksfoot, pastures; (5) — By surface sowing of clover seed; (6) — By not allowing the clover growth to get too far away before stocking.