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Berry Finds out about Maize as a cover crop and friends

I have been a busy old labrador this week, lots of tail wagging, some friends round for the night and of course not quite enough food to satisfy. You may think I am barking mad but I still love to find a new walk that lets me sniff around fresh mud. Boy did I find a goody, it combined open fields, a lake and some great fun rushing in and out of 10 ft high corn.

Dog Walking in Wiltshire

If you know South Wiltshire very well you may be familiar with the Fonthill Estate at Fonthill Gifford. As well as having one of the best pubs in the land (dog-friendly of course) The Beckford Arms, the estate has some massive shallow lakes that any pup worth its fur can plunge into at will. Luckily for the humans, there is a well-trodden footpath that stretches along the side of the said lake so you can find them again when you need to shake your wet body at them.

Walking in the corn

As we approached the lovely Beckford Arms pub for a quick Ploughmans and a sniff of the local pooches, we came through a field I haven't seen before. Now I checked with Holly Spaniel in the office and she assures me this is a field that has pretty much been laid for her and her spaniel friends. According to Holly this is where her favourite meal is allowed to run around free before it gets chased into the air and unceremoniously shot out of the sky to be eaten. I checked with one of my master's magazines, the informative yet bullet-ridden Shooting UKand here is what they say on the matter:

Maize as a cover crop can help:

Provide options for early-season drives when the woods might have too much leaf on the trees to push pheasants out

Link areas of land where there are no natural transfer points such as hedges or ditches

Give more options in terms of areas we can shoot, eg transforming a massive hill field into a haven for game to be flushed.

Provide wildlife with shelter during the winter, cover from predators during the spring and a significant food source at all times of the year

Read more at https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/answers/best-cover-crops-99498#sxUrMi3Zc5EY7UFf.99

Dog Friends

Moving on from that, I have had some old friends Buddy and Tonka to stay for a few nights. It gets a little crowded in my room to have them both, but I don't seem to get much choice in the matter. As part of my protest, I do insist on nicking Buddie's bed whenever he leaves it for more than a second. He does leave it lovely and warm. Anyway, enough from me. Remember to look after your dog, lots of water and more food than you would think will keep him or her happy.

Yours, Berry Labrador.

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