CONSERVATION PRINCIPLES

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25608, 24 September 1948, Page 9

CONSERVATION PRINCIPLES

EXPERIMENTS ON FARM NEAR TIMARU

CONTOUR METHODS GIVEN • TRIAL From Our Own Reporter

T . oj TIMARU, September 22. mX,, ? 4 1 ’ acre /arm at Adair, near Timaru, taken over by the Soil Conserlon and Rivers Control Council to c e »,, + u oll^ Co 2 se £ vation Principles on the oouth Canterbury downlands will at us ® d for experimental purCant °ur methods of farming to check soil and water loss, which have ttV? successfully practised in the united States of America and Australia, will be applied under local conditions . a nd as far as possible in conformity with the general farming economy of the district. Later it should be possible to demonstrate successfully tested methods of soil conservation to farmers of the district so that they can apply them. Experimentation may tnen be continued to improve successful methods.

the farm was taken over about the middle of this year it was mainly m stubble. Already considerable progress has been made by the staff of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Council in laying down first experimental areas. Three areas each receiving different treatment should provide interesting observations... In one paddock, which will be looked on as a control plot, between six and seven acres of wheat has been sown on the ordinary up-and-down principle, and beside the wheat about four acres of chou moellier will be sown at the end of next month or in November. In this paddock it is proposed to grow a strip of wheat continuously for three or four years. Strip Cropping In an adjacent paddock strip cropping is being tried on an area of about 11 acres Strips of wheat already sown on the contour and chou moellier yet to be sown will alternate, the strips being of approximately a chain m width but varying according to the slope, being narrower where the grade is steepest. It is believed that the wheat, which is a closer growing crop, will check the run-off and any soil loss from the more open-growing chou moellier. In two other areas, which are virtually part of one experimental plot, wheat and chou moellier respectively are to be grown on land on which contour terraces or banks have been formed.

From each of these experiments crop yields on fixed areas will be compared to ascertain under what conditions the most successful results are obtainable. Another area of 11 acres is. to be contour ridged and terraced and sown down in grass with an unterraced strip beside for comparison. A further 15 acres already cultivated and terraced. with a grade on the terraces, may be sown this week, half in barley and half in linen, flax. A . two and a half chain strip, unterraced, is being reserved for equal areas of linen flax and barley to indicate differences in yields from the two methods. It is intended to extend the terraces from this paddock through another paddock of 15 or 16 acres, which it is proposed to sow in pasture in the autumn. In this paddock there are marked signs of erosion in its original state. An area of five and a half acres under scattered gorse is to be top dressed and eventually pasture furrowed. This plot will also have an unfurrowed control area for comparative purposes. On a steep slipping face trees will be planted. A natural hollow through the property will be grassed and used as a water-way, with grassed water-ways leading from the terraces to take away excess water to the main hollow. Run-off Plots Experimentation with run-off plots of about 100th of an acre has been suggested. These, situated on slopes of 7 or 15 degrees, would be boarded on all sides and would have tanks on their lower edge by which moisture and soil run-off would be measured under varying conditions of cropping and cultivation. A suggestion, has been made that run-off and soil loss measurements should be taken on each of the first three areas mentioned by the establishment of ponds at the foot of each, on which careful measurements would have to be m?de.

When the farm is in good working order, it is intended that field days will be held to give farmers an opportunity to see what is being done. There is one other such farm in the South Island, at Wither Hills, near Blenheim, and encouraging reports are being received about it.