“DREAM” SHED OF SHEARER

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 28008, 30 June 1956, Page 7

“DREAM” SHED OF SHEARER

SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF

Big Undertaking At Palmside BREAKING IN DESERT COUNTRY An old shearer’s dream has come true. For 50 years, Mr R. A. B. Kingsbury. now attached to Palmside station. North Canterbury, has shorn under all sorts of conditions, some good and some bad. Having a flair, too. for carpentry. over the years he treasured in his mind various ideas which from time to time occurred to him; these he hoped to put into practice, if ever he had a chance of designing and building a shearing shed. Last year chance came his way to his dream. Happening to be on the Palmside pay-roll he expressed to the owner. Mr J. H. Rhodes, his longing to have the opportunity of incorporating his ideas into the design of the new shearing shed which was planned for the station. The upshot was that Mr Rhodes told him to go ahead, design the shed, submit his ideas to an architect for execution in plans-form, and then supervise its construction himself. All this has been carried out and, today, a model shearing shed graces the homestead. According to men of many years’ experience who have been flat to its boards, the shed and its appointments constitute a practical answer to a shearer’s prayer. Although given carte blanche by Mr Rhodes, Mr Kingsbury, as he confessed to the writer the other day, was determined not to incorporate any fanciful ideas, simply for effect. “I wanted.” he said, “a shed which would make for the health and comfort of the shearers—for shearing is an exacting job—and at the same time cut handling time and labour generally down to a minimum. It had to be 100 per cent, effective in workability.” Thus, the general design of the shed has not been greatly changed from accepted standards. Rather, it is the oldtime shed brought up to date, mainly in point of sacking, ventilation, and the drafting of the sheep before they reach the shearers’ hands.

Some Features The shed is of 3300 square feet, and will accommodate 650 woolly ewes. Its exterior walls and roof are of galvanised iron, its beams of Douglas fir, the sacking is of cimu, the lining of pinus cadiata, and all pens and cails of Malayan teak, commonly called keruing. The chief virtue of this imported timber. Mr Kingsbury explains, is its toughness, and. too. it is longgrained and does not warp or split. He describes it as one of the good hardwoods, which should last 100 years. The gratings are of Australian hardwood.

Horizontal, sliding gates are used throughout the building. They slide back inside the rails. Mr Kingsbury designed this style of gate some years ago, and it is now coming into vogue. The whole shed is sacked and the woolroom is lined. Ventilation and light are secured through 27 louvre windows of ample size (2ft 6in by 3ft 6in). It is thus both the coolest shed on the property in hot weather, or the warmest in cold weather. When shearing was in progress one day this season the thermometer registered 123 degrees. yet the coolest spot on the farm was the shearing shed. Referring especially to the provision of sacking and, speaking with a lifetime knowledge of shearing conditions. Mr Kingsbury explained that condensation under an iron roof which has not been sacked is very pronounced at times. A constant drip in such a case sets in. rendering the shearers very susceptible to rheumatism and bad backs, as he had learnt to his cost. The amenities provided for the shearers include roller blinds on their louvre windows, an electric tea urn in the woolshed and a water-flushed lavatory. So as to fit in with the sloping contour of the ground, and to provide some shelter for the shorn sheep, the shed is built well up. supported by substantial concrete piles made on the station by station labour. A ramp leads from the yards to the double sliding door giving double-feed access to the holding pens in the shed. The layout of pens is so designed as to compel the sheep to travel in clockwise direction to the end of the shed, and thence down again into the forcing pens. The advantage claimed for this layout is that the first sheep in the shed must be the first sheep out, and generally it makes for continuous, easier running. Thus the ewes are not separated from their lambs too long and the risks of thirst and other effects set by excessive heat are reduced to a minimum.

Interesting Details Another attractive feature of the lay-out is that behind each catching pen is a forcing pen of the same size, each holding 18 sheep. Shearers can thus catch with a minimum of trouble and delay. Behind the forcing pens are the main holding pens. There are four shearing stands. Leading outside from these are steep ramps on which the sheep slide to holding pens after being shorn. This arrangement avoids the danger of sheep panicking and coming back into the shearing pens at high speed. These draught-proof receiving pens, which are recessed well back under the shed, provide shade and shelter for the newly-shorn sheep. The wool room is a masterpiece of organisation designed for speedy and efficient handling and a constant even flow of fleeces and pieces into the sorting bins and fadges, and thence to the power press. The loading ramp for the bales is almost level with the second layer of bales on the waiting truck. Station labour was employed throughout on the construction of the shed. Two of the hands. Mr Kingsbury and Mr J. D. Clarke, worked on the job more or less continuously. The rest of the labour was provided by the manager (Mr Terence Rhodes), and the shepherds and other station hands, whenever they had an odd hour or so to spare from their other duties. All worked with a will and became intensely interested in the project. Mr Kingsbury recalls with a chuckle the friendly criticism of visitors to Palmside when the plans for construction were explained to them —that was before a start was made with the project. “We started work in June last year, and said we would have the shed ready for December’s shearing. All expressed amazement and some ■said that it would take six years, not six months. Well, we finished the shed on time. I flatter myself we made a good job both for Palmside and the shearers, and the over-all costs were surprisingly low.” His Monument

Realising that the old shearer had built what really constituted a monument to his lifetime work among sheep and shearers, the owner of Palmside affixed to the interior of the wool room a brass plaque and prominent among the names inscribed are those of “R. A. B. Kingsbury and J. D. Clarke, designers and builders.

With the occasional assistance of the other station hands, Messrs Kingsbury and Clarke are at present engaged in concreting the whole of the model yards attached to the shearing shed which they recently completed. These yards are designed to work 3000 sheep and the guiding principles in their construction have been practicability, smooth, quick and efficient handling. The yards are gently sloped, and perfect drainage has thus . been accomplished. Nearby is a large pressure dip, constructed by station labour, which can be worked in conjunction with the yards. It is designed to dip at least 1500 sheep in three hours. The plant is operated by a tractor. The spray attachment at the bottom is fixed; the overhead sprays are rotary. Not the least interesting feature of the station lay-out is the slaughterhouse. Designed and built by Mr Kingsbury, it embodies all the latest hygienic principles and makes for smooth working, quickness and efficiency. It is of concrete block construction, plastered on the inside, and topping the walls are fly-proof louvres. High-pressure water and a water heater are among the facilities provided. Attached to the slaughterhouse is a concrete block skinhouse, well ventilated and vermin-proofed, replete with drying racks. This skinhouse pays for itself handsomely, in that it has doubled the value of skins sold off Palmside. Seldom does a skin reach less than top-grade price, and, with a total of nearly 250 sheep slaughtered last year for station consumption, real money is involved.

Experiment with Desert Country

Coincidental with the rehabilitatio: of the homestead buildings, Mr Rhode is embarking upon a gradual and sys tematic improvement of the pasture at Palmside. This work is in its earl, stages, but it promises good results The property is of about 5300 acres 3200 acres of which, comprising th' the homestead block, consist most);

of hilly to steep country on the Lowry Hills Range, but includes 600 to 700 acres of good downs country. The balance is light to medium flat land. Three years ago the property wintered 1500 breeding ewes. This year 3000 ewes (halfbreds and Corriedales) were put out with the rains. At the moment there are about 450 b sheep on the place besides cattle. A start has been made with the systematic ploughing of the flats and foothill country, which are being limed and topdressed. Naturally, it will take some years to complete this ploughing programme. Some 1200 acres of the flat land forms part of what is known as the Amuri Desert. This country was well named, consisting as it does of stunted matagouri. native grasses and stones. Last autumn 200 acres were ploughed, and put down in Algerian oats for greenfeed. The lesponse has been truly amazing. When inspected last week by the writer, after 2000 sheep had been running on it for five weeks, there was feed to burn, though there had been some severe frosts. Actually, the oats were still too rank and the paddock looked good for several more weeks of winter grazing. The sheep are shifted each evening to camp on an adjoining paddock of typical desert country, where they have the run of about 1000 acres.

“Remains to be Seen” This paddock, which is in Algerians, was ploughed last winter and left to fallow till the autumn. It should, in <pite of the heavy winter grazing, provide a nice bite for the ewes and iambs in the spring. As the manager. Mr Ted Rhodes, pointed out, it remains to be seen whether, when sown down, this land will hold a pasture but it is certainly good country to winter on. If the experience of Mr R. I. Black (with what, in its original state, appeared to be similar class of country on the Balmoral Plains) can be taken as a guide, Mr Rhodes need have no fears about the ultimate outcome of his experiment.

Meanwhile. 200 acres of this unimproved run-off area have just been aerially topdressed with 21b of subterranean clover to the acre in one cwt of superphosphate. The idea is lor the sheep folded there to tramp in the clover during the winter in the hope of a strike for consumption in the spring.

As an interesting experiment, a Galloway bull is being used on the hills for crossing with the run cattle, the hardy Scottish breed Laving great reputation as foragers on high country. The late Mr G. H. Rhodes, of Claremont. South Canterbury, father of Mr J. H. Rhodes, was. by the way, the first man to import Galloway cattle into New Zealand—that was more than half a century ago. A Polled Hereford bull is also retained at Palmside for cattle depastured on the easier country.

Incidentally, on the recommendation of Mr E. G. (Bill) Smith, fields instructor. Department of Agriculture. Rangiora. a portion of the foothills country is being got ready for a trial sowing of lucerne and cocksfoot. The Palmside management rightly places great store on the advice so readily available to North Canterbury farmers from Mr Smith.