FARMER AND STOCKBREEDER.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 195, 19 August 1927, Page 17

FARMER AND STOCKBREEDER.

RECLAMATION. NEW MEN ON OLD HOLDINGS. SAVING ABANDONED AREAS.

(By "PLOUGHSHARE.")

IL When the Plough Cannot be Used.

Scrub country that cannot be ploughed constitutes a very difficult problem. Where neither discs nor pigs can be employed, reclamation can be very costlv indeed. Such land is found principally on the rhyolite and crystalline limestone formations, and it "is seldom that one sees this class of land in -good pasture. (This does not apply, of course, to country that has grown heavy bush.) The only practicable method is" to fall the manuka in late -winter, burn it in early autumn and sow both grasses and manure. It is essential that the mixture sow n should contain plenty of the hard grasses. There should not be less than 21b of brown-top-and the same of danthonia pilosa, together with 10 or 121b of rye, 3 or 4lb of dogstail. and some lotus major and white clover. Unless the land is very heavily stocked and manured, there will be a second growth of manuka in a few years' time;* thero is also likely to be some fern. The thicker portions must then be cut and the area burnt again. This operation will need to be repeated periodically, but | each time the brown-top and danthonia I will lie stronger, until a permanent turf, [ low-grade it is true, is formed. ] On the bush-country proper the diffiI eulties are not really so srreat, because the soil is usually of good enough quality. if only the land can be economically handled. Generally speaking, poor tawhero spurs and steep shady faces are best left alone; the feed obtained from them -will never be worth the cost of reclaiming and holding them. But we know now that most bush land can be brought back if it is free of excessive liabilities and if the right methods are used. Making a Start. The first aim of the man who takes up an abandoned bush farm should be the creation of one or two secur el v-fenced paddocks in good grass. He should select the best part of the holding for this, and should concentrate on it first. This area will prove invaluable as a base from which to start operations; it win keep his horses in good condition, recuperate his cattle after crushing, top off a few beasts and perhaps carry a few milking cows. It will also serve as a hospital paddock for weak stock, and thereby save many pounds a year. This paddock, or paddocks, should be cleared as far as possible of fern and dead timber, and should be top-dressed not once only, but for two or three years until a good turf is restored. The next most important work is the fencing. Existing fences will want repairs, and it is likely that new ones will be wanted, #or good handling of stock is half the battle, and this is impossible without adequate subdivision. One of the reasons why small bush farms are seldom successful is that the cost per acre of the necessary fencing may easily be out of all proportion to the returns obtained. It will be easy to see which parts of the section have proved the hardest to hold; wherever possible these areas should be fenced off before money and labour are spent on reclaiming them; unless it is made possible to control the stocking of them they will assuredly slip back" again. In laying out new fencing it is important to arrange matters so that the stock draw through the more difficult portions; tracks may also be cut to this end, and it may be desirable to do a certain amount of logging up; fern and second growth always start in those places that are difficult of access to stock. Cattle and Fertilisers. There are several different ways of reclaiming reverted bush-country, each of which has its advocates. All "may be employed according to the conditions; often a combination is most successful. Crushing with cattle is most successful where there is still a good deal of grass among the fern; but the country must be well fenced and there should be some facilities for wintering the cattle. In these days it is most unprofitable to buy cattle simply for the purpose of crushing unless they can be held for a remunerative price. In most cases crushing should be followed by topdressing, otherwise its benefits may largely be lost stock tactics are best —that is the concentration of cattle on comparatively small areas, with frequent changes of paddock. Top-dressing is a big factor; it is indisputable that depletion of soil fertility is a prime reason for much of the reversion. But it always pays to dress the best and cleanest country first; manure will save worn-out grass, but it cannot create grass where none exists. Great discretion is needed; there is much steep and inaccessible land that cannot pay for top-dressing. One dressing alone seldom suffices; generally five to seven cwts per acre of phosphates are needed before the pasture is restored sufficiently to pay for the outlay. It simply does not pay to put good manure into standing fern and scrub; neither can much be done by '"buttering''' rubbish with kainit or other potash manures; it is a very expensive method doing what a little work with a torch can do. Top-dressing often requires a lot of preliminary work, cleaning up and resowing. Burning and Resowing. Tn many instances burning and resowing is the only feasible method. It should always be done in the autumn. Where fern and second growth occupy more than sixty per cent of the ground it is often better to let the country go right back into solid rubbish than to spend money on trying to save a sprinkling of grass. There will be a fair amount of volunteer growth after the fire, and an opportunity is provided for introducing more grass-seed, particularly seed of brown-top, danthonia and lotus major, all valuable speck i on country hard to hold and probably omitted from the original mixture. It is useless resowing with a "good" mixture; oue pound of brown-top seed is more likely to give satisfactory results than ten pounds of cocksfoot. Brown-top, dogstail, lotus major, and white clover will soon cover the ground; rye may also be included for the purpose of giving a quick cover; danthonia and pa spa him are very slow to establish but should often be included. The greatest obstacle to burning is the damp climate prevailing throughout much of our bush-country; burning wet growth is a forlorn hope and may do : more harm than good. Every few seasons a good dry spell occurs and

(Specially Written for the "Auckland Star.")

| every advantage should be taken of it; Bracken fern will usually burn easily enough, so will soft water fern if there Is enough dead timber amongst it. Hard or ring fern requires a very hot fire if a clean sweep is to be made; it is useless trying to burn young growth or any growth that is not perfectly dry. Manuka and wineberry should always be cut. Manuka is best cut in late winter and left through the summer; wineberry should not be cut until January, otherwise the stumps will shoot again; it is hard stuff to burn at any time, but scattered clumps may be left for the stock to break down without any great harm resulting. It is nearly always desirable to sow a little manure with the seed or soon afterwards; this gives the young grass a chance to establish ahead of the fern and encourages stock to stick to the area and nip off the young fronds as they come through the ground. However, newly-sown areas should not be stocked until the young plants have taken good root-hold. Adequate fencing is then needed in order that the country may be held. Stocking Up. The newcomer should always beware of overstocking and must exercise great caution until he has learned the capacity of the place. It is most unwise to bring stock off good topdressed land or from a more genial climate. Locally-bred stock will be the safest until such time as the quality of the feed has been raised. This applies particularly to cattle; unless the beasts are used to fossicking among fern and logs the death-rate will be very high. Generally speaking, mature cattle and full-mouthed ewes are the best for a rough place in the early stages of reclamation: there may not be much ! money in them, but they will adapt themselves best and give a minimum amount of trouble. In inspecting a property one must always be on the lookout for possible death-traps, boggy creeks, awkward gullies, lawyers, and hidden cliffs: these may look innocent enough in the summer, but in winter, when the stock are hungry, they are forced into dangerous places, and the losses may be heavy. In conclusion, it may not be amiss to repeat that both experience and ready cash are necessary for anyone taking up abandoned or neglected farms. There are many cheap places to be had at the present time; some of them are good investments, some are not. But in any i case a considerable sum must be spent: jon improvements, and there may be a I lensthv period of waiting before the returns come in. Hard work alone is not sufficient. Probably the great majority of farms now empty will be restored to productivity before many years are past, but it will be no advantage if they are 1 taken up by men who cannot spend their labour to "best advantage for lack of either capital or knowledge. EGG-LAYING. WINTER CONTEST. AUCKLAND FO U LTK YKEEPERS* ASSOCIATION. RESULTS FOE NINETEENTH WEEK. The nineteenth week's laying in the Auckland Poultrykeepera' Association contest concluded last Saturday. The following are the leading teams, the figures in parentheses being the weekly totals, and the last set the team aggregates :— SINGLE BIRD CONTEST. Black Orpingtons (11 birds). —Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby (4). 110; J. Black (3). 105; A. H. Clark (6), 98; C. Dnnstan (4), 9t ; R. S. Higginbotham < 7). SS : Mrs. A. Harvey (6) 76: F. G. Baylia (3). "3; Mrs. Leo. Ay ling (3>, 60; J. N. McLean (3), 6S. Light Sussex (1 bird). —Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby (7t. d 9. Buff Orpingtons (2 birds). —Thos. Dowthwaire (7>. 91; Mrs. I. Dimant (4). S2. White Leghorns (14 birdsi. —J. W. Perry (6> ill: Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby (•"). 103: Mrs. R. G. Hunt <6>, 09: A. Taylor <61. 'j-j ; Mrs. I. Dimant (6). 01: L- G. Beiiford (Hi. s»:J ; J. >*. McLean (6). S2 ; N. Dickey ((i>. SO; B. A. O'Brien (3). TS ; J. Johnson (3). 73; Mrs. R- S. Higginbotham (3). 73; Mrs. Aif. Stewart (3), (59; L. Z. Nixon (-). Go. ! DCCKS. Kliaki Campbells (2 birds). —K. B. Cruickshank (7). 126; J. N. McLean (4). 104TEAM CONTEST —FOUR BIRDS. LIGHT BREEDS SECTION. White Leghorns (31 teams). —A. R. Browne (IS). 407; G. H. Shaw (-0). 36S ; J. W. Perry (IS). 368: W. H. Oliver (14). 338; I. Montgomery and Son (21). 337: A. Harvey (17). 333; H. Astbury (19), 332; J. Johnson. No. 1 (23), 332: J. N. McLean, No. 2 (20), 332: T. L. Thompson (23), 331: A. Wood (19). 327: F. S. Allen (17). 326: Geo. Webb (20). 317: A. Taylor (19), 315: Sam. James (20). 309: R. J. Roberts (19), 308: Tom. Ingham (20), 308; T. A. Harrison (20), 308; Mrs. R- S- Higginbotham (20). 304 Aif. Stewart (20), 302 ; Leo. Ay ling (13), 300; Len. Smeed (18). 298; Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby, No. 3 (13). 203: N. Dickey (22), 200: A. W. Bradley (16), 259; Mrs. J. W. Williams (13). 259: J. N. McLean, No. 1 (20). 287; J. Johnson. No. 2 (13). 253 : J. E. Noton (13). 254; R. Woodcock (20). 283; A. Boyd (10). 281: J. Havern (13). 279: J. W. Williams (13). 278: A. Broudweil (10). 260; Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby, No. 1 (22). 237; Mrs. N. Dickey (20), 251; E. B. Fawcett (20). 231: F. Marriner (101, 249: J. Nixon. No. 2 (13). 248: J. L. Fray (10). 244: Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby. No. 2 (21), 242: H. G. Morris (12). 230 : E. Wrigley (10). 212 : G. H. Bates (14), 207 ; J. Nixon. No. 1 (0). 202. Minorcas (1 team).—Mrs. I. Dimant (13), IS7. Black La Bresse (1 team). —E. W. Marriner (18), 316. HEAVY BREEDS SECTION. Barnevelders (2 teams). —J. H. Kissling (16). 216. Light Sussex (1 team). —Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby (13). 238. White Wyandottes (3 teams). —H. A. J. Edgfey (24). 200: Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby (22). 284; L. G. Bedford (16), 270. Black Langshans (2 teams). —H. Harrison (16), 247: J. Kissling (20). 244. Rhode Island Reds (3 teams).—J. H. Kissling. No. 2 (17), 367: J. H. Kissling. No. 1 (14), 241; J. V. Siddall (10). 224. Black Orpingtons (37 teams). —C. H. Oliver (24), 429; H Astbury (22), 40."; G. H. Bates (22). 309 : J. N. McLean. No 1 (23). 390; G. H. Shaw (22), 398; J. N. McLean, No. 3 ( 23). 393: F. G. Baylis (21). 390; I. Montgomery and Son (21), 388; J. Nash (21). 388°: Thos. Dowthwaite (22). 367: T. E. H. Evans (25), 360; Miss C. E. A. Purvis (22). 345; C. Dunstan (20). 330 : R. .T. Roberts (23). 329; B. A. O'Brien (20). 327; R. S. Higginbotham (23), 324; F. Marriner. No. 2 (21). 318; Wm. Blomfield (19), 316: J. N. McLean. No. 2 (23). 304; Mrs. J. A. B. Hellaby. No. 2 (21). 303; Isaac Walters (12). 301; M. Yates (22). 301: Mrs. H. E. Worsp (21), 209F. Marriner. No. 1 (20). 296: W. U. TimeweU (16). 295: S. Wright (21). 201- A. H. Clark (17). 233; »Alf Stewart. No. 1 (IS). 282: Aif. Stewart. No. 2 (22). 27S : H. G. roe (10). 274: J. Black (16). 268; Sam James (19), 264; Mrs. J A. B Hellaby, No. 1 (21), 260. DUCK SECTION. Fawn and White Indian Runners (0 teams).—D. Riley. No. 1 (23), 444* F. G. Baylis (12). 3t9: Thos. F. Dowthwatte (II). 339; G. A. Frethey, No. 1 (20), 331H. B. Fawcett (19). 310; H. Astbury (IS), til/h. i White Indian Runners (3 teams) —A Wwd. No. 2 ( 21). 484: A. Wood. No. 1 (-3). 460: W. A Be a (12). 203. Khaki Campbells (5 teams).—Mrs. T. Dimant (27). 390: R_ B. Cruickshank No. 1 (141. oS2: *G. N. Bell. No. 1 (ID. 379: R. B. Cruiekshank. No. 2 (21) 3T> - G N BcH. No. 2 (10). 267. •Denotes bird dead.