IN IDA VALLEY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 46, 3 December 1938, Page 9

IN IDA VALLEY

THE FIRST UNDER IRRIGATION. GROUND MUST BE KEPT WET. SAMPLES OF CARRYING CAPACITY The scheme that is in operation in the fertile Ida Valley was the first that came under the review of the Ashburton farmers. From rising ground the party saw a wide basih lying below them and ono of the first things to he remarked upon was an area in tho centre of the

pan where water appeared to bo lying rather extensively. This scheme, it was stated, was started in 1914, the first in Central Otago, but in those days, wafer was supplied to the irrigators who simply flooded the land as they thought fit. No one knew anything about scientific irrigation in those days and what went on was the wildest .sort of wild flooding. The pan is now in the hands of the Public Works Department, whose engineers are draining it and gradually bringing it back to good producing land. Once irrigation has been started on the heavier land, it was pointed out, the irrigator should uot let the ground dry out thoroughly, as waterings heavier than is necessary are required to bring it back to normal.

No fertilisers are needed for this valley land and the mere application of water will give excellent growth to practically anything that is planted or sown.

On the farm of Mr F. W. Butchers the party were able to see at flrst hand how irrigation has helped production. Mr Butchers explained that he started irrigation in 1915. The paddock lie showed the visitors first was one sown in English grass and clover 10 years ago. No top-dressing has been carried out on it, and it carries four sheep to the acre all the year round< The lambing ranges from 125 to 130 per cent, and Mr Butchers sends away 100 per cent, of his lambs fat off the mother, the weights running from 341bs to 361bs. He usually gets his drafts away in the first week in February. Heavy stocking is carried out by Mr Butchers and all the animals on his place were looking extremely well, notwithstanding they had come through a severe winter, with 47 degrees of frost. Beforo the water was supplied to the farm, the land carried one-half sheep to

the acre. Water is applied twice a year at this place. There are several small lagoons on the property, surrounded by rushes. These rushes do not grow to any height and each plant does not spread much. The spikes of the rush grow fairly wide apart and the grass growing up between them the sheep find a good deal of nourishment there as well as on the thickly carpeted paddock itself. This tends to keep the rushes in hand, and the irrigator makes no attempt to clear them out. There is practically no shelter for stock on this farm and the rushes serve this purpose in place of hushes or trees. The visitors saw evidences of this that day, for a high, cold wind was blowing and the smaller of the lambs were making good use of the protection afforded around the lagoons. Sometimes lucerne is grown to provide winter feed foi* the sheep, but mostly none is put in at all. The sheep keep remarkably healthy and paralysis, which has caused so many deaths in Canterbury, is seldom met with. The pastures have a wonderful bottom and the grass is fresh-looking over the whole of the property. Because the land lies at the bottom of the basin, where some swampy condition prevails, as mentioned earlier, it becomes rather heavy at times, and foot-rot is'one of the worst troubles encountered by the sheep owner. At the same time there is no trouble from worms, and few cases of scouring are reported from one year’s end to the other.

Salt licks are not greatly favoured by Mr -Butchers, who stated that the sheep seldom seem to take an interest in the boxes. Most of the rainfall iit the area is in the spring, but the irrigation supplies any deficiencies in this regard. The figures quoted by him might not be reached with similar work in Canterbury Mr Butchers warned his visitors. He considered Canterbury does not get - the warm sunshine that is experienced in the Ida valley, and to which so much of the success of irrigation is credited.