WONDERFUL RESULTS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 109, 18 February 1935, Page 6

WONDERFUL RESULTS

IRRIGATION AT OAMARU. VISIT BY COUNTY COUNCIL. A PARTY FROM ASHBURTON

At the invitation of Mr A. W. Hurst, oif Papakaio, near Oarnaru, members of the Ashburton County Council, accompanied by the County Clerk (Mr G. Kelly), Mr A- H. Flay, ol Lincoln College, who has been in charge of the Seafield irrigation expenmerits, and Mr Cook (manager of the Seafield irrigation farm) made an inspection of the irrigation activities of Mr Hurst on his farm on Saturday. Athough none of the party was conversant with the exact locality of the farm, a good direction sign was given by tile greenness of the verdure on the hillside of Mr Hurst’s property, which, in contrast to the dry and burnt up condition of the surroundings, left no mistake that the party had reached their destination. After introductions had been made, Mr Hurst conducted the party over his farm, where he has a right of drawing water from the main race or cliaiinei which supplies the Oarnaru domestic supply. He may draw water to irrigate 200 acres of land and the contrast between the irrigated and non-irrigated portions of the farm was startling. A pasture which had been down for many) years was carrying dairy cattle; another, of heavy grass, was being used to fatten old ewes and late lambs; while on. another, which had not had water for some time, a mob of sheep, 20 to the acre, was being grazed. A crop of swede turnips of tremendous size and one of liiangolds of similarly large growth were seen, these being crops that probably are without equal in the South Island at the present time. Mr Hurst explained that these wops two weeks ago were suffering from blight and fly. H!e turned the water in and in a short period the effect of the fly was entirely overcome and the turnips had made wonderful growth. This area carried a similar crop last year, and to the visitors the carrying capacity appeared to be beyond belief. The return from grazing sheep and cattle at the standard rate of 3d a head a week was £37 10s an acre for the turnips and £33 10s an acre for the mangolds.

A crop of red 1 clover and one of white clover had been fed off till Der cember and had made ■exceptional growth and was being saved for seed, it being estimated that at least one bag to the acre would be taken off. The low cost of the work involved in leading the water over the ground appealed to the party of visitors, as the cost has been the stumbling block in most irrigation ventures. However, in Mr Hurst’s case, the slope of the ground lends itself admirably to coverage with water. Furrows are used to lead the water to the desired areas and a man with a shovel could turn it to almost any part of the land. The steep slope near the race, which was the first part of the farm seen by the visitors, had been irrigated recently and it carried a growth of grass of suitable quality for dairy cattle.

The rainfall in that district was stated by Mr Hurst to be 22 inches a year (average), and he found that autumn irrigation was the most satisfactory. One head of water was sufficient for 20 acres in 36 hours, and he estimated that the services of one man for three months of the year was sufficient to water his 200 acres.

Mr Hurst impressed the council by bis statement that a plentiful supply of green feed at this time of the year, and a consequent flushing of ewes, assured a very high percentage of lambing in the spring and kept the sheep in first-class condition through the winter, with the result , that all his lambs were taken, fat off the mothers.

A number of questions were answered by Mr Hurst, and one important point brought out was that- with the use of 2cwt of super to the acre each year the grass seemed to improve in quality and no bad effects were noted from the constant use of water. It was stated that few Californian thistles were to be seen on the irrigated land 1 , and that the application of the water encouraged a growth of. grass that discouraged tile growth of thistles, which were becoming fewer each year. Barley grass, likewise, was giving way before first-class pasture. The council was much impressed with the success of Mr Hurst’s work, and expressed thanks to him for his invitation and for the practical way in which he had explained the whole of his experiments.

The opinion was voiced that if the farmers of Ashburton County could see the results of Mr Hurst’s work there would be an immediate demand upon the council for the provision of water to farms in the County for a similar purpose.