216 



THE GARDEN AND FIELD. 



October, 1913 



Summer Forage Crops. 



— Room for Maize and Ensilage. — 



The weakness of South Austra- 

 lian agriculture, said Mr. Cole- 

 batch during the course of a lec- 

 ture on " The growth and utiliza- 

 tion of summer fodder crops," was 

 that it was not sufhciently 

 " mixed." In the cultivation of 

 wheat South Aristralia was equal 

 to or ahead of all the other 

 States, but green fodder crops had 

 l>een sadlv neglected. Of course 

 South Australia could not hope to 

 equal those States in the 

 growth of summer fodder, for there 

 \ras a very large area of this 

 State that would never produce 

 any green forage. But, on the 

 other hand, there was a very large 

 area on which it could be grown 

 successfully. At present in some 

 of the best dairying districts it 

 was necessary to shut down but- 

 ter factories in the winter time 

 because there was not sufficient 

 forage ta feed the cows all through 

 the vear. It had been said South 

 Australian farmers took no interest) 

 in anything but wheat, but there 

 was now an awakening interest in 

 the cultivation of fodder crops. 

 Farmers, however, did not realise 

 the care that was necessary in the 

 cultivation of these crops. Green 

 fodder crops were voracious crops, 

 and theAf needed to be planted on 

 land that was in good heart. In- 

 deed, he believed they required 

 greater care and attention than 

 wheat. Both for dairy farming 

 and for the raising of fat lambs, 



fodder crops were of the first im- 

 portance, and whilst the lamb in- 

 dustrv had grown immensely thev 

 still had a long wav to go before 

 they reached the limits of the pro- 

 ductive capacity of South Austra- 

 lia in that direction. In choosing 

 their fodder crops thev must con- 

 sider the crops most likely to 

 suit the climatic conditions of the 

 country, and the crops that would 

 -return the best feeding quality — 

 not the greatest tonnage per acre. 

 For instance, thev might get much 

 better value otit of a inaize crop 

 than out of a much more prolific 

 crop of sorgh|um. The digestible 

 albuminoids were the factors that 

 determined the feeding quality of 

 the crop, and thev varied as fol- 

 lows : — Sorghum, .60 ; Japanese 

 millet', 1.05.; maize, i.io ; barley, 

 1.90; rve, 2.10; oats, 2.60 ; and 

 mixed grasses, 2.50. Where rape 

 could be grown successfully It was 

 absolutely the best crop for the 

 fattening of the stock. It was es- 

 sential, however, that it should be 

 sown in land that was in good 

 heart. The feeding of rape must 

 be carried out with judgment. 

 Rape, spring-sown, was very forc- 

 ing as a food, and sheep that were 

 put on to it while hungrv very 

 frequentlv sufTered from intiernal 

 complaints. As protection arainst 

 that it was a common practice to 

 feed the sheep on grass and rape 

 at the same time. Rape had to 

 be given a start with manures, 

 and if it was not coming on well 

 thev might stimulate it with a 

 light top dressing of nitrate of 

 soda and sulphate of ammonia. 

 Kail for sheep grazing was almost 



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as good as rape. It was not so 

 effective in itself, but it would, last 

 throughout the season and was 

 much safer to feed. It was also a 

 true fallow crop and would im- 

 prove the land. Sorg-hums, maizes, 

 and millets, were another class of 

 cr»ps altogether. Sorghum was 

 likely to have a much larger range 

 of cultivation than maize, but he 

 would say vmhesitatingly that 

 where both could be grown maize 

 was preferable. It was richer in 

 food value and there was not the 

 same danger in feeding it green as 

 there was with sorghum. Many 

 farmers were afraid of feeding sor- 

 ghum to their stock, hut really 

 it was only necessary to use dis- 

 cretion. Sorghum that had been 

 in any wav stunted in its growth 

 was unsafe for grazing, but after 

 it had once been ,cut and staclKtd 

 it was not dangerous. It liked 

 land that was of a sandy na- 

 ture, and had plenty of substance 

 in it. It could be grown satis- 

 factorily under a rainfall of 18 

 in., or even. I5in. Maize was. not 

 likely to go very far north without 

 irrigation, but in the south it 

 should ho grown more than it was 

 — 15 or 20 tons to the acre should 

 be nothing to take off in the 

 Mount Gambier district. They 

 should be able to get 30 tons to 

 the acre without very much 

 trouble if they treated the crop 

 l)ro]>erly. In that district they 

 could grown on a small area 

 enough maize to supply, them with 

 fodder all the year round, and 

 there was no reason whatever why 

 any factory should have to close 

 down. If they went in foT conser- 

 vating fodder' in the form of en- 

 silage — and thev certainly shrudd — 

 then maize was by far the best 

 crop to grow. Millets were more 

 particidar than either maize or 

 sorghum as regards the quality of 

 the soil, and Japanese millet was 

 the only variety that had given 

 him satisfaction at Kybybolite. 

 i 



