The Rural Voice, 1995-07, Page 4121111111
wire and posts. There are at least a
half dozen fence styles available.
The more permanent the fence, the
greater the cost.
The Line Fences Act is the
responsibility of the Ministry of
Municipal Affairs and full details on
the Act are available through the
township clerk-treasurers.0
Fertilizing pastures
for better production
BY SCOTT BANKS,
PASTURE ADVISOR
On a recent visit to Renfrew
County, several producers and I were
talking about fertilizing pasture and
the benefits of fertilizer. On a lot of
pasture farms in Ontario, the soil's
fertility level is typically low in
phosphorus and potassium. This is
the result in part, of years with little
to no additional fertilizer being
applied either as commercial
. fertilizer or manure. Even though
grazing livestock recycle varying
portions of nitrogen, phosphorous
and potassium back through their
manure, the soil's fertility is removed
over the years in the form of pounds
of meat gained or milk production.
For top livestock performance on
pastures, grazing management (that
is, controlled grazing, paddock size,
water locations, experience, etc.) is
the most important factor when it
comes to making your pastures more
productive. However, fertility also
has an important role to play.
Looking at the different plant species
in your pastures can tell you a lot
about the pasture. Moss, wild
strawberries and/or Indian Paint
Brush weeds are indicators of poor
soil fertility in a pasture. If soil
fertility is low in one or more of
either Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P)
or Potassium (K), fertilizing a pasture
can have a significant impact.
Research has shown that the
application of P & K fertilizer,
according to a soil test, will have an
economic pay -back by strengthening
the plants' root reserves. This will
increase their winter hardiness,
shorten the duration required for
regrowth after grazing, and, in the
case of legumes, improve their ability
to fix nitrogen to feed the grasses. A
Advice: Pastures
soil sample should be taken to get a
base to decide the type and amount of
P & K fertilizer to apply.
If more pasture is needed, the
application of nitrogen can
temporarily boost grass production in
a pasture, especially ,on pastures
consisting mostly of grasses. There
are certain times that you may*want
to stimulate grass production and the
timing of nitrogen application is
important. In the early spring there is
usually more residue nitrogen
available in the soil than what the
pasture plants can utilize. However,
during the first week of June,
nitrogen may be the limiting factor of
production and the moisture is still
available for the plants to take it up.
Applying 40 to 50 pounds of actual
nitrogen will give a noticeable boost.
The maximum amount of nitrogen to
apply at any one time is 70 pounds of
actual nitrogen.
Nitrogen fertilizer favours the
growth of grass at the expense of
legumes in a legume/grass mixture.
Therefore over time, nitrogen
applications will tend to decrease the
legume content of a stand. A good
pasture stand consisting of 35 per
cent or more legume composition can
provide most if not all the nitrogen to
meet the needs of the grasses and
legumes in a pasture. Do a soil test
first and invest your dollars in P & K
fertilizer where it's required.°
How to release crop
trees in managed
hardwood stands
BY TODD LEUTY,
AGROFORESTRY ADVISOR,
UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH
What is Crop Tree Release?
Crop tree release is the selection
of desirable and potentially valuable
trees within a woodlot and removal
of other competing trees or other
vegetation growing too close to the
selected tree. The selected tree is
released from its competition.
Why should crop trees be released
in managed woodlots?
Released trees have a much faster
rate of tree diameter growth, will
have a better chance of survival and
will reach harvestable maturity much
sooner than if left unmanaged.
What is a crop tree?
A crop tree is any tree that the
landowner wants to retain. It is a
dominant tree with a crown forming
the general level of the crown cover
and receiving full light from above,
but little from the sides. For sawlog
and veneer production it should be a
high value species, straight, free of
main stem forks in the lower 17 feet
of trunk (bole), and vigorous with no
sign of top dieback or insect or
disease damage.
When should be released?
Crop trees can be released any
time after they have reached a height
of about 25 feet. This usually occurs
between ages of 10 and 15 years.
How many should be released?
In most cases 50 to 75 crop trees
per acre are released. It is of little
value to release timber crop trees that
will be removed in future
intermediate cuttings. Therefore,
never release more than 100 crop
trees per acre in young stands.
How should crop trees be released?
Apply a crown -touching crop tree
release by cutting all trees except
other crop trees, whose crowns touch
the crop. tree crown. It is not
necessary, unless obviously damaged
or diseased, to cut younger
intermediate trees (trees with crowns
extending into the crown cover, but
receiving little direct light from
above and none from the sides) or
overtopped trees (trees with crowns
entirely below the general level of
the crown cover, and receiving no
direct light). This will ensure a
constant and sustainable supply of
new .crop trees for the future.
In areas within stands where no
suitable crop trees are found, do not
cut any trees. Remember, crop tree
release is cutting only trees that are
directly competing with crop trees. It
is not selecting crop trees and cutting
all other trees in the stand. Try to
pick crop trees that are about 25 feet
apart. Occasionally, two suitable
crop trees can be left close to each
other and touching. Treat the two
crowns as a single crown and apply a
crown -touching release. It is
recommended not to leave groups of
more than two crop trees close to
each other.°
JULY 1995 37