LIGHT LAND FARMING

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25971, 26 November 1949, Page 5

LIGHT LAND FARMING

Effects of Dry Weather

MANY VISITORS TO ASHLEY DENE

More than half of the 1000 or so farmers who attended the two field days at Lincoln College last week made a point of going to see the college’s light land farm at Ashley Dene. The 878-acre property was taken in hand in 1938 for a programme of development based on subterranean clover, carried out on the lines that a private individual with modest capital resources could have used. The success of the development plan attracted widespread interest in the farming community, particularly from those men who farm the lightest plains soils, of which Ashley Dene is typical. The development work ended last year, and the farm is now given over to continuing the stock and pasture investigational work formerly carried on at the Kirwee Experimental farm. For practically the whole term of the development project, the property in common with others in Canterbury, had adequate rainfall, and in several years, rainfall well above the average. It was hoped by the college authorities that there would have been a dry spell during development which would have shown what sub could do in drought years, but there was no serious dry spell. It was also hoped that there might have been a serious infestation of grass grub while the farm was being run on commercial lines, as this also would have given valuable information. Either the district was relatively free from grubs, or the Ashley Dene pastures were kept too short to attract them, but there was no serious attack.

The farm last week looked as bare as would have been expected after a very badly distributed rainfall of only 14 inches for the year. The position was made worse by this very dry time having followed another season well below normal rainfall, and altogether, the farm was seen by the visitors at about its worst. Nevertheless, where neighbouring undeveloped land was showing no signs of l;fe whatever, the Ashley Dene paddocks still had a tinge of green about them, an indication of the increased fertility that has been brought by sub clover, top-dressing, and liming. The sub clover has of course, dried right off, but a great deal of feed in the form of dried leaf and stalk is still left from the growth that the clover was able to make in the early spring. Ihe small area of medium to good lawd included on the farm looked little better than the lightest of the land.

Scarcity of Feed At its highest point, last -season, the property carried 1871 ewes and 434 ewe hoggets. Last week it was carrying about 800 ewes and 560 ewe hoggets, but throughout the winter and until the end of last month, the sheep carried totalled between 1100 and 1200 ewes, with 400 ewe hoggets. The reduction m numbers reflects the scarcity of growth last autumn and this spring. The shortage of feed was aggravated by a shortage of hay for use as a supplement. The farm depends on lucerne for about 3000 bales of hay for the sheep each year. Three years ago the lucerne was drowned out by undercurrent, and the new areas had not established in time to take up the running. In a talk to the visitors Mr R. H. Beym, senior lecturer in agriculture at the college, who has been in charge of the work at Ashley Dene, said that he expected the average stocking of the property to be about 1300 ewes, with 300 to 350 replacement ewe hoggets. The good years had allowed an increase, and advantage had been taken of these years, as it would have been by any farmer under ordinary commercial conditions. Stock had now had to be reduced, as was expected, but sales of stock had provided a fund for | buying replacements when more feed was again available. The accounts showed that over the 10-year development period the property showed a net profit of £5500, said Mr Bevin, but he considered that the interesting lesson was not the money profit made, but the increase that had been obtained in production. When the farm was taken in hand the pastures were mainly hairgrass with a little browntop. and cultivation for supplementary feed was necessary on a large scale. Fertility was steadily declining, and frequently cash crops, which the land could ill afford, had to be taken to meet current commitments.

It was more valuable to compare the relative levels of production than the money returns, he said. In the 10 years of development with subterranean clover, the farm had produced 166,0001 b of wool. Had it been managed as it was previously, wool production would have been about 88.0001 b. In the 11 years to this year 15.000 lambs had been turned off the place. Under the old system between 10,000 and 10,500 lambs would have been turned off. The increase in wool production therefore was 100 per cent., and in lamb production 50 per cent. . “The farm now has a basis of sub clover,” said Mr Bevin, “and that gives you an absolute guarantee that when the rains come in the autumn you will have all the feed you want. In dry times like the present, you have gc£ to come down in your stock numbers. That is nothing unusual. They have to in Australia, and they have to in Hawke’s Bay, but that does not stop them stocking up to the limit in the good years. You simply shorten sail and wait for rain, and with sub you are assured of all the feed necessary for the increased stock when the seasons are again suitable.” Impressive Figures Mr Bevin could have made the figures look even more impressive had he compared the per acre production of w’ool and lamb before and at the end of the development period. In 1938 the property carried 860 boughtin four and five-year ewes. They produced 151 b of lamb and' 821 b of wool to the acre. , In 1948 the farm carried about 1650 two, four six, and eighttooth ewes with 400 replacement ewe hoggets, all bred on the place. They produced just over 501 b of lamb and 261 b of wool to the acre.

In brief, the policy was based on a guaranteed winter supply of forage from the lucerne, plus increasing areas of good sub clover pastures, which were given adequate dressings of lime and super. Sheep were bred on the place instead of being bought in, and lambing was advanced from September to August to allow lambs to be got off pasture. The ewe flock was increased as feed became available, and cultivation was progressively cut. down as pastures were established. The programme meant operating at a loss for the first four years, but thereafter each year the accounts showed surpluses. The losses would have been smaller if a private individual had been doing the work, because the expenses included the salary of a manager, and some labour was paid for where a private individual would have done the work himself. Development in the earlier years called for increased expenditure an top-dressing, and meant decreased sales of stock as the flock was built up, but once stock numbers began to increase, overhead became relatively lower. The farm was brought to a state in which in an average year it would pay all outgoings, including interest on the capital involved and salary to the owner, and show a profit of about £5OO a year. Before development began there was rarely a surplus over bare running expenses.

The South Island Herd Improvement Association is breaking new ground for thte herd recording movement in New Zealand this season. A herd of 17 pedigree Saanen goats has been accepted for group test. While there is an official herd test register for milch goats in Australia, this is believed to be the first occasion on which goats have been placed under test in the Dominion. The herd is the property of Mr V. C. W. Wright, an Invercargill businessman, who has a small farm at Waikiwi, Southland. The herd was founded on importations from Australia, and the milk produced is bottled for local hospital supply. Goat’s milk has a soft curd, is particularly easily digested, and meets a keen demand for use in the diet of sufferers with digestive complaints.