IRRIGATION IN CANTERBURY

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21323, 16 November 1934, Page 12

IRRIGATION IN CANTERBURY

♦ HELP WANTED FOR INVESTIGATION RESULTS OF SCHEMES IN PROVINCE THREAT OF STAGNATION OF INDUSTRY A challenge to the people of Canterbury to interest themselves actively in the irrigation of the plains was made by Mr G. H. Holford when speaking at an important meeting at which the subject was discussed last evening. Was it to be irrigation or stagnation for Canterbury, Mr Holford asked. He and other speakers, ivith the aid of films, slides, models and maps, put up a very impressive case for extensive irrigation in the province and for the continuation of the important experiments which are being undertaken on the several irrigation stations. The speakers generally emphasised the need for continuing the investigations being carried out at those stations, including Seafield, Hororata, Oxford, " Southbridge and Motukarara, and at the end of the meeting a resolution was adopted, asking the committee undertaking the work to urge on the community and the Government the need for additional finance to allow this to be done. The meeting, which was held in the Chamber of Commerce Hall, was called by the combined irrigation committee of the Canterbury Progress League and the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, and was attended by a fully representative gathering of members of local bodies, business and industrial organisations and the farming community. Mr Holford presided. They were welcomed by Mr F. W. Johnston (president of the Progress * League), and Mr F. W. Hobbs (president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce). Public Apathy In his address Mr Holford made some outspoken comment about the apathy of Canterbury people generally to the potentialities of irrigation. One of the barriers to this realisation, he said, was that largely because of easy conditions of living there were probably 100,000 people in Canterbury who were "steeped in apathy and fortified by alibis." "Looking abroad, we can see that apart from the increased production of agricultural goods, science is raising a barrier against any marked rise in the price of primary products," he said. "It looks as if we have to fight one brand o£ science with another, and that is why I think that we must adopt irrigation in Canterbury, as in this way we will decrease the costs of producing our crops and stock."

Mr Holford pointed to the fall in external and internal trade at the Canterbury ports, and the comparatively flow industrial development of the province and the almost static position of stock population over many years as indications of the necessity for some agent which would enable the province to progress. The population figures also showed a tendency to stagnation in town and country, if retrogression had not already begun in some directions in Canterbury, he added. He contended that future development would have to be based largely on an increase in productivity on the land. Extra production there would filter through all classes of the community and would mean greater prosperity all round. This could be achieved by irrigation.

Loss Through Drought The comparative dryness of the Canterbury climate and the undoubtedly uncertain incidence of rain was to his mind a very big factor in the apparent marking time of the progress of the province. In one year it was estimated that owing to the dry season the loss in lamb in Canterbury was £200,000. The loss in lamb alone m one season would possibly cover the cost of a complete irrigation system for the whole of the plains. Mr Holford mentioned the desirability of irrigating a percentage of the farm to provide feed for periods of scarcity and also of providing special feed farms situated in suitable areas where complete irrigation on modern lines could be adopted. There was no justification for the belief that by putting on water in an artificial manner some dire thing would happen to the soil. Speaking of the possible costs of irrigation. Mr Holford said that recent investigations of certain irrigation schemes in Canterbury had indicated that the Public Works Department would in those instances supply water to farmers at the following rates:— One shilling an acre for the first year. 2s 6d an acre for the second year, and 5s an acre for the third and subsequent years, that rate being for 24 inches of water, or the equivalent of the entire year's rainfall in Canterbury. There was reason for thinking that on many other areas in Canterbury, the cost of applying water to the boundary of a farm would be no greater. He had held the opinion that if the water could be supplied to, say, 20 per cent, of a farm, it would ensure at least an adequate supply of feed for the live stock in any season..

"People on Trial" "I firmly assert that irrigation, since it has been used for thousands of years in various parts of the world and one-third of the people of the world live on irrigated land, is not on trial. In Canterbury I think it is the people who are on trial, At the same time the committee is determined to make no proposals without full investigation, but the committee wants more help. I think that sufficient has been said to indicate that there is at least a fairly good case for the people of this province giving much more consideration now than they have done m the past to irrigation. It is not only an important matter for Canterbury but for New Zealand. To-day the province is marking time, and because farmers are forced to get the maximum from their land there is a marked tendency to overtax much ox the medium and lighter soils, particularly where cropping is practised. By irrigation we can build up the fertility of the soil and we can leave a heritage better than we found it." Mr Holford also emphasised that irrigation could play an important part in the solution of the unemployment problem.

', ,MrT. G. Beck, officer in charge on -, irrigation in Canterbury for the Pub- ;: lie Works Department, gave an interesting summary of the investigations ~ -which a staff of qualified men is undertaking under Mr Beck's direction ST™ an "e? o£ man y hundreds of l thousands of acres in South CanterIbury. But he at first mentioned that i«Kwf a + 8 ,, a Sl ß nifl cant fact that while in ,££ii he area under irrigation in the ■world was approximately 100,200 000 acres, to-day reliable authority placed the area at 200,000,000 acres. Those figures indicated the big trend to controlled water in crop production. In the United Stales the area irrigated was approximately 20,000,000 acres all

[of which was more or less intensively i cultivated. An important feature of some of the systems in the United States was the co-ordination of irrigation and power development in the one scheme. For some cases, MiBeck said the costs of the entire work had been liquidated bv the sale oc power. The prices of water for irrigation in the states would probablv be considered exorbitant in New Zea"land, yet irrigation was apparently paying there handsomely. Speaking of his own work in South Canterbury Mr Beck gave a detailed description of the investigations being made there. The work was in six phases, he said. The first was a survey of the topography of the land which might be irrigated. This included close contouring. In this phase more than 500,000 acres had been done, and the area was increasing at the rate of 15,000 acres a month. The other phases were a study of stream flow and the methods of recording the discharge of streams, a study of soil moisture content, a ground-water study, precipitation and run-off, and evaporation. The work being done under the survey would take probably another two years to complete. Mr Beck said, and not until then could any comprehensive statement on the results ot the investigation be made.

Seafield Experiments

"Irrigation is coming in Canterbury," said another speaker, Mr A. H. Flay, of Canterbury Agricultural College, who has taken a Drominent part in the experiments at Seafield, in the Ashburton county. Mr Hay described the experiments at Seafield, and gave details of the highly-favour-able results which have so far been achieved there with irrigation in the improvement of the carrying capacity of sheep land, of its production of farm food, of crops and seed crops. At Seafield comprehensive experiments have been made with several types of irrigation, and these wore explained by Mr Flay. He emphasised that there was a need for more information on several important details, including construction cosß It v—ni-i be a pity if irrigation did go ahead without there being avaiiab..-- ».,.,. o farming information, he said. Irrigation was going ahead in Canterbury, and in a few years there would be a scheme at Glenavy-Redcliffes and one in the Levels county, and this development made more necessary some s'°r> in the direction of securing farm information to co-ordinate wi.n uio mechanical data available. Mr Flay suggested that demonstration fields should be instituted in the areas, which would afford the opportunity for farmers to secure a knowledge of the correct application of the water. Failure to develop the investigations from the exact point of view and the point of view of demonstration meant failure to develop the irrigation possibilities in Canterbury Mr R. L. James, of Lincoln College, who has undertaken the engineering side of the investigations at Seafield and the other irrigation stations, mentioned some significant statistics. In the dry autumn of 1933 at Hororata, Oxford, Southbridge, and Seafield, the carrying capacity of the land was increased remarkably by irrigation. The increase of sheep carried at Hororata was from 1.2 sheep to the acre, on the non-irrigated land to 7.1 on the irrigated pastures; at Oxford the figures were from 1.3 to 10.8. at Southbridge 0 to 3.8, and Seafield 0 to 3.1. Mr James said that at Seafield an experiment was being carried out with considerable care and the results achieved could be applied as well to the 100,000 odd acres of Canterbury land of which Seafield was a representative type. Referring to the future progress of the scheme, Mr James said that it was vitally necessary to continue the tests at Seafield and the other stations a few years more, so that complete data could be obtained. He also advocated the installation of demonstration farms in the areas to be irrigated.

Work Appreciated A vote of thanks to all the speakers and of appreciation of the work of the investigation committee was moved by Mr A. R. Galbraith, who spoke of the necessity for getting unemployed on to land which could be utilised for irrigation. One of the things needed in Canterbury to expedite the development of irrigation was a regional survey to show in proper detail the nature of the soil levels and all the scientific data necessary for the benefit of the community. For this work Mr Galbraith advocated an aerial survey. He said that seme very strong move should be taken to expedite the work generally, and to urge this necessity on the authorities, particularly as the problem affected unemployment.

Mr J. Parlane gave some details showing the success achieved with irrigation on a small scale on the Cashmere flat, and Mr D. Campbell of the improved pastures and grazing which had followed the small irrigation scheme undertaken at the Raneiora High School farm.

Mr M. J. Scott expressed the hope that the meeting would decide to take steps to see that finances be secured to allow the investigations of the committee to be continued.

Mr Galbraith then moved that the meeting express to the chairman, the speakers, and the investigating committee, its gratitude for their valuable work; that the meeting endorse the objectives of the committee, and that it would like the committee to urge on the community generally and the Government the necessity for additional finance and also for expediting the work. Mr Scott seconded the resolution which was carried with acclamation.

A SUCCESSFUL UNDERTAKING ACHIEVEMENTS OK SOUTH CANTERBURY FARMER Striking details about a successful irrigation project in South Canterbury were given by Mr H. C. Hurst, of Papakaio, in a letter read at the meeling held to discuss irrigation last evening. Mr Hurst has successfully irrigated a large area of light land on his farm at Papakaio for some years. He was prevented from attending the meeting, at which he was to have given an address. "It seems incomprehensible thai, there are still people who are opposed to irrigation, especially in a district such as Canterbury, with its low average rainfall and subjection to periodic droughts," Mr Hurst wrote. "The conditions at Papakaio are very similar to those in Canterbury. We have now; been irrigating for five years, and we find that each year the grass is improving in quantity and quality. Ground which formerly carried two sheep to the acre has—under irrigation—continued to improve until now its carrying capacity is 10 sheep. Many people thought it would go to rushes, but we find that this is not so." Mr Hurst's system is to use contour ditches on the steep ground and ohi. 1 l\ furrows on the flats. It was not practical to water the whole of the jand. but if two-thirds was watered theso other portions made ideal sheep camps, and it was always advisable to leave some of the paddock dry for camping ground. "One soon learns how to get the water spread, and a man working with a pair of horses can do quite a lot in a day." Mr Hurst wrote.

The letter set out the following summary of the benefits of irrigation:—

The grass improves in quantitv and quality year by y?.ai\ There is no appearance of rushes. Grass prow.; longer into the winter and conies earlier in the spring (very noticeable on sunny faces). Irrigation eliminates the grass grub. It turns farming into a business, not a gamble, and gives lull benefit from top-dressing. On a tarm with only one-tenth irriaated the entire farm's carrying capacity can be nearly doubled, and this with safety Irrigation will allow tor the pmiKnb'c use <■■[. iiien in droughty as well as wel .seasons.