IRRIGATION AT LYNDHURST

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25549, 17 July 1948, Page 5

IRRIGATION AT LYNDHURST

Rate of Stocking Disappointing CONTROL OF PASTURES A PROBLEM Irrigation gave useful grazing through this very dry summer, but did not give the high carrying capacity expected, said Mr C. Hilgendorf, chairman of the Irrigation Development Association, in his address to the annual meeting of the association this week. Control of pastures was likely to be one of the main problems, he said. “The past season has been so favourable for irrigation that anyone who still thought that water would not make grass and lucerne grow has probably changed his mind.” Mr Hilgendorf said, “Useful grazing was obtained throughout the summer from irrigated grass. On unirrigated paddocks growth was very slight from Christmas till April. Watered lucerne produced three and four cuts; unwatered. 1J cuts. On the other hand, most paddocks did n6t give us the very high summer carrying capacity which we have been led to expect, and which is essential to the complete success of the scheme. It may be that pastures will not produce their best till they have been down some years, and fertility has been built up by topdressing and the grazing animal. “Control of high-producing pastures is likely to be one of our chief problems. Cattle, closer subdivision, rotational grazing, and the mower are the alternatives, and judging from experience elsewhere, a combination of two or more may be the answer. No matter what measures are taken, however, the surplus feed in January and February is going to require some thought. Our system of sheepfarming is rather well adapted to a dry summer climate. In fact?, it would seem to have been planned to suit it. After weaning, not much grass is normally needed till it is time to flush the ewes, and the question is what to do with the surplus summer grass. Dairy Cows a Possibility

“Of course, it is possible to avoid it altogether, by ceasing to water for a couple of months; but some farmers have found it difficult to start grass growing quickly again when it has once got dry. Another possibility is to make late hay. The buying and fattening of lambs, ewes, or wethers are possibilities. It may be that a system not uncommon in certain districts in the North Island may be tried. The farm will remain primarily a sheep farm, but a herd of dairy cows will also be run—dairy cows are the most efficient means of utilising summer grass. It may be that more farmers will keep their own ewe lambs for flock replacements. The summer feed shortage has been one of the deterrents to this in the past. I merely state the possibilities. “I should like to say a word or two about the vexed question of how lambs thrive on irrigated pasture. Up to weaning, lambs seem to have done reasonably well, but after weaning, the experiences of individual farmers have been very mixed. Some lambs have done very well, others have done very badly. I would suggest that the truth in the long run will lie somewhere between the two extremes; and, again, that we may learn something from the grassland experience of the higher rainfall districts. In fact, I think they provide a close parallel. I can. so far, see no difference between how grass behaves under irrigation and how it behaves under heavy rainfall.

“Under the heavy rainfall conditions, lambs can be, and are fattened on grass, though not nearly as quickly as they can be on rape or on wilting red clover. Further, the fattening depends on the cleanness and control of the pasture. Lambs can hardly be exv pected to do well on a paddock from which a large concentration of ewes and lambs has just been removed. They can be expected to fatten on hay aftermath, or on a paddock which has been spelled for some weeks from sheep. “I do not wish to spend much time on this but there are a few points I should like to make. It is fairly obvious that an increased gross income may be expected from irrigation, but unless his net income is corisiderably increased the farmer will not persevere with irrigation. Any added costs are going to make that net profit problematical. I think myself that the net profit from using irrigation on a comparatively small area as an insurance. is certain to be satisfactory; but whether there will be a satisfactory net profit if irrigation is carried over half the farm is likely to be a very finely balanced question. Price of Water “We realise well enough that in the total costs of irrigation the price of water is not an overwhelming item; but it is one of the few items which can be varied without major economic changes. Two years ago the Public Works Department raised the price of water 33 1-3 per cent. By assuming that contract water at 4s is equivalent to water on demand at 6s, the department tacitly admits that it now proposes to force the price 50 per cent, higher still. In my opinion that is a doubtful method of ensuring the success of the whole scheme. “The Lands Department continues to acquire land for rehabilitation in spite of the fact that the rate of development on some of the land already acquired is very slow indeed, that the returned men show no very great enthusiasm for irrigation farming, and that no soldier has yet been settled on his own farm. I think it may be assumed that part of the reason for this latter state of affairs is that the department has still not determined what is the most suitable area, nor has it determined what the rent should be, and so, how much is to be written off the capital expenditure. These are both good reasons for delaying settlement, but they are not good reasons for taking more land. The question of the writing off of capital, when it comes to be done, will be of very considerable interest to other irrigators on the scheme. After allowing for certain duplication of plant and buildings, the amount written off will give some indication as to whether the private farmer can expect to be able to develop an irrigation farm profitably or not.”

DAIRY PRODUCTION

Recent statistics show considerable decline in butter production from the pre-war level in both Australia and New Zealand. The average annual production of butter in New Zealand for the three year period 1936-39, was 163,700 tons, of which 136,200 tons were exported. In 1946-47, however, the Dominion production decreased by 17.700 tons and exports were only 125,200 tons. The production of butter in Australia in 1946-47 resulted in a decrease of 47,700 tons in the same period. Australian exports of butter dropned by 29.400 tons from 90.000 tons in 1939 to 60.600 tons in 1946,47. New Zealand is therefore exporting twice the amount of butter Australia is. The cheese situation in the two Dominions is rather different. There has been an increase in New Zealand’s production of cheese, but a very slight decrease in exports. Over the three years, 1936-39, average annual production of cheese was 88.300 tons. Last season production was 2700 tons more. Pre-war exports were 83,600 tons a year—last year New Zealand exported 600 tons less. Australia has shown a big increase in both production and export of cheese. From 1936-39 production was 24.900 tons a year. Last year it was 41.800 tons, an increase of 16,900 tons. The export of Australian cheese was more than doubled. In both Dominions the number of dairy cows has decreased. Dairy herds in New Zealand dropped in numbers from 1,723.893 in 1938-39 to 1.657.690 in 1946-47—a decrease of over 66.000. Australian herds decreased by nearly 400,000 in the same time.