In 1918 the late Cr. L. ,Cockayne was appointed by the Department of Agriculture to undertake an economic investigation of our Montane tussock grassland, and members of this conference will in the.main be familiar with the extensive series of investigations which he conducted with a view:,to c,ollecting all the available knowledge of the tussbck areas of the South Island, and,investigating the problem of preventing the comparatively rapid deterioration which,through various causes, was yearly rendering these areas less productive.
In dealing with the question of the pastures of Banks Peninsula it is necessary first of all to say something about the special features of the district and its past . . history, because the Peninsula.as we know it is totally different from what it was at the time of European occupation, and vastly different from the Banks Peninsula of a still earlier period.
Two species of clover come under certification.
The information contained in this paper is principally first-hand knowledge extending over a period of six years gained from personal experience from our own "Oakleigh" farm.
I have been asked to introduce the question of "Canterbury Pastures" or "Seed Mixtures for Canterbury."
The winter feeding of stock is often discussed as though it were of itself the most self-contained aspect of stock production.
In bringing this pager before you today I will endeavour to give you some farmers' experiences in the growing and grazing of Certified Ryegrass of Hawkes Bay origin.
One settler may turn a wilderness of manuka scrub into a green sward of ryegrass and white clover and make a prosperous farm of an apparently barren land, another may fail and leave one of those rather tragic landmarks - an abandoned farm - on the countryside; for the development of poor land is full of pitfalls and the balance between success and failure is very slight
The marked developments in Grassland Investigations, particularly since the War - and with special reference to the British Empire - were briefly reviewed.
Following developments in the segregation of superior types of pasture plants in many countries attention is being focused on the associated problem of the establishment of simple and reliable methods of type or strain diagnosis in the laboratory.
A breeding project directed towards the type improvement of lucerne was comwnccd at the Plant Research Station in 1931. Such a proposition demanded a preliminary trial of numerous regional strains. Before proceeding, thcref'orc, to discuss actual breeding methods brief outline of the origin, I should like to give a distribution and peculiarities of these various forms.
The Canterbury farmer depends to a great degree upon supplementary greenfeeds as part of the diet of sheep and dairy cows, but the actual extent to which he is dependent upon them is seldom fully realised until the occurrence of a very dry period.
Nitrogenous topdressing in Southland has rather more complicated factors militating against its more general use than is the case in districts farther north.
Much work has been done during the last ten or twenty years on the mineral requirements of farm animals, and it is well that stock should be taken of our knowledge from time to time in an endeavour to obtain a true perspective of the progress which any advances provide.
The object of this paper is to record a few observations on the peaty and peat soils of the Waipa Country.
The end phase of selection and breeding is pedigree quality.
The purpose of this paper is to outline the general breeding technique adopted at the Plant Research Station in regard to the improvement of grasses and clovers to pedigree standard.
The title of my paper may be somewhat misleading in that I do not intend to discuss how to produce Brassica seeds, but rather why we should aim at their production in New Zealand in the interests of farming in general and grassland farming in particular.
Uitrogen is an essential plant food and it is particularly important that further knowledge of the correct method and time of making it available to pasture. Plants should be obtained in these days when a steady high production per acre at low cost is desired
The problems confronting the sheep farmer on arable farms in Canterbury may be divided into two classes.
As an outcome of the intensive work now being undertaken in northern districts in the production of elite strains of grass and clover seed and with the publicity of late years, official and otherwise, boosting the merits of the regional strains found incertain northern provinces the position of Southern districts (Otago and Southland) from a seed producing point of view9 is apt to be overshadowed in the minds of many, particularly the younger generation, connected'with strain work and the seed industry generally, and the . past attainments of these districts and their present conspicuous place relegated to the Limbo with the passing.of time.
For the purposes of this paper districts of good rainfall may be defined as ones in which there is a fairly well distributed annual rainfall of from about thirty-five inches upwards.
The question of the most suitable positional placement of different fertilizers is one which has received much attention in the United States in particular for a, number of years pa.st, In Europe too, attention has been given to the importance of the root system in relation to food supply
Since 1928 the Department has laid down a large number of trials of the various strains of grasses throughout the country.
Since 1928 the Department has laid down a large number of trials of the various strains of grasses throughout the country.
Grassland faming does not occur in the Nelson district on the same intensive scale as practised in Taranaki and the Waikato.
Pig-raising in New Zealand is essentially associated with Dairying. The large volumes of dairy bi-products in the dairying districts provide practically the only foodstuffs available in any quantity for pig fattening purposes. Furthermore, these by products have no other marketable outlet, on a large scale, than by conversion into pork and bacon.
The future utilisation of New Zealand's grassland resources will depend largely upon a series of economic factors among which will appear.
The production of Fescue seed although of comparatively minor importance to the Dominion as a whole is regarded by the producers of the major portion of the crop in Otago and Southland from a very different standpoint. Furthermore, at a time when markets for our primary produce are apparently limited, and diversified farming is generally advocated, the growing of small seeds9 and in particular, Fescue Seed for which we have an existing market is to be encouraged. Apart from the loss of vitality of the seed in transit, the overseas buyer recognises the superiority of ew Zealand grown Chewings Fescue for use where a thick fine turf is desired.
In a country such as New Zealand where a high percentage of the arable land is in pasture the question of seed production must necessarily be one of primary importance to the farmer. Every grass paddock is a potential seed crop but whether or not it is harvested as such is governed almost entirely by the adequacy or otherwise of the grazing available to meet the needs of the stock carried, Thus it is mainly in seasons of abundant growth that it is possible to close up a paddock for seed, and the production of this important crop may be a rather haphazard proposition. of recent years, however, type has been a factor exercising a modifying effect on this; and the supposition that our seed will meet with a ready overseas demand has stimulated the production of pasture seed and has brought about a greater concentration on methods which will produce seeds of higher quality.
In this paper the word "lime" is restricted in is application to burnt lime, slaked lime and ground limestone and does not include ,other calcium compounds, such as phosphate or nitrate, which are applied on account of a direct manurial value.
Prior to the World War, the quantity of readily available Nitrogen fertilisers such as N itrate of Soda and Sulphate of Ammonia'which were applied to grasslands in any part of the world was insignificant in comparison with present day conditions, Two factors changed this state of affairs.
The utilisation of grassland in New Zealand is directly affected by international considerations, and by agricultural policies adopted in the United Kingdom which determine, or will at least influence, our own agricultural development in the future.
Canterbury is recognised as one of the main cropping areas in the Dominion and the climate and soil conditions are particularly suited for this type of farming.
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