NEW SIGHTS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 40, 26 November 1938, Page 4

NEW SIGHTS.

IN CENTRAL OTAGO.

THE FARMERS REACH CROMWELL SUCCESS OF THE TOUR. (From Our Own Reporter.) CROMWELL, November 23. The first half of the tour of the Ashburton ■farmers in Central has been accomplished with great success, and the members of the party have been given a thoroughly enjoyable time.

’ Organised by Mr W. R. Hammond, of Winchmore, the tour, which was suggested by him, has gone through without a hitch, and the object of the trip, to ascertain what the Central Otago farmers are doing on their irrigated lands, is being achieved. Throughout the large area already inspected the farms are all under irrigation. So rocky and barren are the hills and valleys not under irrigation that it has been a source of continued amazement to the travellers to see the differences brought about by the use of water.

Valuable Information Given. The trip to-day started a„t Alexandra, and the local party was accompanied by Mr E. J. Iversen (president of the local Farmers’ Union) and Mr J. Mair, also a member of the Union, and by Mr R.. Taylor, all of whom gave the farmers valuable information as the district was crossed. %For a brief period this morning Mr J. 1). Watt, of the Public Works Department, travelled with the party. The Agriculture Department’s representative, Mr G. G. Calder, who is guiding the tour throughout, was again a mine of information.

The manner in which the residents are assisting the Ashburton men to find out all that it worth noting has been referred to several times during the last three days by Mr C. C. Winn (president of the Mid-Canterbury Provincial Executive of the Farmers’ Union), who is leading the visiting party.

Leaving Alexandra, this morning, the tourists went to Galloway Flats, where they saw the irrigation work going on at the farm of Mr H. Bissett, who told the party that the pastures “grow in spite of everything’’ under irrigation. They then went a few miles to a hill country farm owned by Mr Muir, where they were shown and told several highly enlightening things. Morning tea was supplied at this place bv*tho members of the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union, some of whom had travelled long distances to assist. Mr Winn expressed the thanks of the party for the hospitality extended, and, replying, MJiss Symons (president of the Women’s Division) replied.

The Galloway; Scheme. The next stopping-place was the lower Manorburn Dam, which stores water to supplement the Galloway scheme. The Water makes a sheet extending for three miles back into the hills and with an area, of 90 acres. In the winter coatings of iee of eight and nine inches form for about six weeks, and the ice skating championships of Central Otago are decided there. Last winter there were 1000 people on the ice at one time. Visitors come from all over the southern portion of the South Island to take part in the skating.

Crossing a divide in rough country, the ’buses paused at the top to look down into the green valleys Galloway Flats on one side and Springvale on the other, with the wide Manuherikia River flowing between. There were more trees to be seen in this part, a welcome change after tho treeless miles that had been covered earlier.

Approaching Clyde, the party saw how an irrigation channel is taken down the side of a hill on concrete steps. The water has to fall about 80 feet in a distance of a hundred yards, and to prevent scouring of the channel bed, hundreds of concrete steps have been built, and these so break up the foirce of the water that it arrives at the bottom with no more velocity than it had at the ton.

Rabbits Eat Down Gorse. Further along from this point there were many more trees, the first gorse bushes seen for three days were noticed in a. small river-bed. The gorse bushes were small and widely scattered and they were well eaten down for about a foot from the ground, rabbits having accounted for this. Ewes and lambs were lying side by side seemingly very contented with their lot, as one visitor put it, adding weight without having to work to do so. Green feed in abundance was all over the slopes. The party went back to Alexandria for lunch, seeing many extensive orchards and fields of tomatoes on the outskirts of the town. The route after lunch lay over very rough hills with steep roads, but with nine h to see, and not far away on the right snow lay lightly on the bill-tops. Now and again there was a glimpse of the top of the Remarkables, and the party felt that they were indeed close to famed Queenstown.

A Miniature Banquet. Afternoon ten was taken at Mr Iversen’s home, whore Mrs Iverson had prepared, with the aid of a friend, a miniature banquet, topped off with a plate of huge strawberries and cream for each visitor. The house, in the centre of F.ainseleugb Flat, is approached along a shady avenue of trees. The appreciation of the visitors was extended to the host and hostess by Mr Winn and cheers were given. It had been intended to visit a sheep farm further up the valley, but time was short and there was a long run ahead to Cromwell. A large dredge working its slow way up the river was seen some miles beyond Clyde. Then, just before the day’s run ended, there was a brief stop while Mr Calder explained the irrigation of an orchard on the other sicie of the river, the water being pumped from the river up a bank about 100 feet high and placed in a huge storage basin above the orchard, to be used as required.