July 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 473 



Sudan Grass in Western Districts* 



At Cowra Experiment Farm. 



C. McCAULEY, Assistant Experimentalist. 



A PROFIT of over £100 from 20 acres of Sudan grass in a dry district and a 

 season of indifferent rainfall is a result that should commend the crop to 

 graziers and farmers in the drier portions of the State. 



The land was ploughed 6 inches deep with a disc plough between 17th 

 and 30th July, 1919, and an excellent seed-bed, free from weeds, was 

 obtained by spring-tooth cultivating and harrowing just prior to planting from 

 29th September to 3rd October. Sowing was effected with the wheat drill 

 at 5 lb. per acre, in drills 21 inches apart. Superphosphate was sown with 

 the seed at the rate of 60 lb. per acre. 



The germination was good and even ; despite the dry season the crop 

 made steady growth and it was some 18 inches high when useful rains fell 

 early in December. The subsequent growth was rapid, and the grass was 

 soon 4 feet 6 inches high. A strong second growth appeared at the base of 

 the plants. On 24th December the ciop had reached the late flowering stage 

 and was cut for silage. The yield was good, av(!raging 25 c\yt. per acre, or 

 25 tons in all. 



A very succulent growth followed, and was fed off to the cattle between 

 1st and 6th January. The cattle ate the grass readily, and it proved 

 itself of good feeding value by the increased milk yield during that period. 



The crop was harrowed crosswise on 7 th January, and on 9th February 

 the second growth was cut for hay when it was 4 feet high. The green 

 weight of the stuff was 1 ton per acre, and the dry weight 12 cwt., or 12 tons 

 in all. 



The stubble was again fed off by the cows, which were turned in from 

 15th to 2.3rd February. Another harrowing was given on 24th February, 

 but owing to the hot dry weather prevailing the third growth was rather 

 slow. Grood rain fell on 12th and 13th March, and the crop made a quick 

 recovery, and late in April was 3 feet 6 inches in height and setting a good 

 crop of seed which it was intended to harvest. However, early frosts caught 

 the crop, and as there was no chance of the seed maturing, it was decided on 

 10th May to graze the crop off. For several weeks twenty-one head of cattle 

 and one horse were run on the area, and following these 400 sheep got a 

 week's feed off it. In such a season, the value of the grazing is very 

 conservatively estimated at £40. 



