A range of shrubs was evaluated as potential sources of forage for grazing animals. Shrubs were established in rows in hill pastures near Wood ville. Nine #x201C;true#x201D; shrubs and two erect grasses, pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) and toetoe (C. fulvida), were evaluated. The true shrubs were:Chamaecytisus palmensis, tagasaste;Medicago arborea, tree medic;Ulex europaeus, gorse (two variants: wild gorse and short-spined gorse);Cytisus scoparius, broom;Robinia pseudoacacia, black locust;Leptospermum scoparium, manuka;Cassinia leptophylla, tauhinu; andCeanothus griseus, ceanothus. Based on four harvests per year (one each season), the most productive species were: wild gorse(817 g dry matter (DM)/mrow); pampas (677); broom (581); toetoe (538); tagasaste (422); and black locust (315). These values were more than doubled where harvests were made only once as opposed to 4 times annually. Comparative pasture production was 422 g DM/m row. Percentage of leaf in the harvested material from the true shrubs (on an annual basis) was 21 (broom)-82 (short-spined gorse) for seasonal cuts and 8#x2013;75 respectively for one annual cut.
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