Development Of Land By Crown On Coast

Press, Volume C, Issue 29674, 18 November 1961, Page 6

Development Of Land By Crown On Coast

The Lands and Survey Department has nearly 8000 acres of country under development for settlement south of Hokitika. This is in seven blocks, some of which have only been taken over this year, and in the main these will not come up for settlement for another 10 to 15 years, and at the very earliest it will probably be five years before any of this country becomes available.

In some cases it is not yet possible to be precise about the number of new terms which this country will produce. The removal of water is the prime problem on the bulk of the area and given satisfactory drainage the picture will be a great deal happier. Most of the new farms which will be carved cut of this country will be dairy units. Three of the blocks are located on the southern outskirts of Hokitika and are in an area where the rainfall varies from about 110 to 120 inches a year. Forty to 45 miles further south there are another three blocks in Hari Hart district where the rain-fall is of tlie order of 150 inches. A further block is situated five miles from Wbataroe and 65 miles from Hokitika with a rainfall of 170 inches. Hotel Farm Further south again the department is also in process of developing an 870-acre property three miles south of Franz Josef for the Tourist Hotels Corporation. This will eventually be handed back to the corporation to provide the dairy produce, mutton, beef and pig mea's for the corporation's proposed new hotel at the Franz. Here the rainfall is about 200 inches. Under the grey West Coast skies much of this country presents a pretty depressing sight at present. A good deal of it is almost impenetrable swamp, a hazard to man and beast, yet where drainage schemes have been initiated the country has. dried out surprisingly quickly and is today being turned over where a few months ago it would have been impossible to take a horse.

Elsewhere, gorse, blackberry, scrub and scattered timber is being crushed byheavy machinery and burnt, when the weather will allow it to dry out, and the virgin country is then being disced and harrowed for the pioneer crops of roots and temporary pastures. At a stage further the country is in the lush green pastures that would delight the eyes of Canterbury farmers who are threatened these days by drought.

On one of these blocks on country not in particularly good condition sheep are being carried at six to the acre and cattle are fattening well off another very wet block. Kaniere farm settlement of 1481 acres lies only about five miles from Hokitika and has the Kaniere river running through it. It includes about 150 acres of glacial moraine terrace, 200 acres of rich alluvial silt adjoining the river and 900 acres of

swamp. Before it was taken over by the Crown on June 1 this year it was used as a fattening area for stock. Under the previous ownership about 100 acres of the moraine terrace was cleared and sown in grass. Due to lack of adequate fencing and stock control this area has partly reverted to gorse but the Crown now has plans to put the heavy roller over it and depress the stones, cut the gorse "with a scrub cutter and use stock to cope with any regrowth. One of the fundamental principles of the Crown’s development policy is to proceed as soon as possible with the grassing of the most favourable country with the idea of using this as a base to which stock can be withdrawn for a spell after being used on the less tractable areaS.

A start has been made to work the better silt country which can be topdressed with a land vehicle and which is already in some sort of a grass cover. Some 30 acres were recently giant disced and to limit regrowth from now onwards in quick succession it will probably be given another two workings with 24 inch discs, about two workings witi) giant harrows and thereafter towards the end of the month or early next month it will be sown in turnips with a ridger. A year hence the country may go into pasture—probably perennial ryegrass and white clover. Sod Seeding Because this sort of procedure can lead to an excess of winter feed on the one band and a shortage of summer grazing on the other there may be a place for sod seeding on the more favourable areas to even out the feed supply. This country, although in a very raw state, looks even now to have good fattening capabilities. The Crown has already sent away a small consignment of fat cattle, another 20 are expected to be drafted very shortly and a further 40 next month. Currently this country is carrying 90 breeding cows, 60 two-year-old bullocks, 40 heifers, 56 calves and 200 ewes. The cattle are mainly Aberdeen Angus or Aberdeen Angus cross and the sheep Romney or Romney Cheviot cross, a cross that seems to be in favour on some of the department’s tougher blocks. The drainage will be done by the Crown in conjunction with the Westland Catchment Board with a scheme initially bearing a Catchment Board subsidy, but it is likely to be two years before work starts.

Many years ago Daltnation settlers cut straight sided drains through this swamp dotted with native white pine and totara and red and black pine. As these drains have no satisfactory outfall and no laterals they have not done a very good job, and are, in fact, something of a menace to cattle which can quickly

disappear from sight if they become stranded in them.

After drains have been put in time will have to be given to allow this country to settle prior to clearing stumps and sowing to grass. A problem that inevitably seems to follow improvement of this country is rush regrpwth and no completely satisfactory way of tackling it has yet been found. The most economic way meantime seems to be mowing. Most of this country has a peat base and this will receive two tons of lime to the acre initially with the alluvial country receiving a ton and thereafter all will get a ton every four years. The application of super is likely to be about 3cwt a year.

It is hoped that an airstrip will be established on the property at an early date to facilitate topdressing of the wetter country and also possibly oversowing of some of the morainal faces.

An urgent initial requirement is fencing and about six miles will be erected this year. Like most cultivation, this is also being done by contract and the cost of erecting a boundary fence of five plain wires, two barbs with four posts and 20 battens to the chain is about £5OO a mile. Electric fencing is likely to be used internally. Mr P. H. Morton, a field officer of the department, who is supervising work on the block, says that it will probably be eventually subdivided into three or four units, including one sheep and cattle unit and the balance dairy farms. It is likely to be 15 years before the dairy units are settled, but the sheep and cattle property may be taken up before this. Raft Creek farm settlement of 1138 acres about eight miles south-east of Hokitika was taken over by the Crown in April of last year. It was previously in four farms, arid part of the property Is still run as two dairy farms

with 60 cows each operated by two men on wages. Each farm has about 140 acres in reasonable sort of pasture and has a range of implements to carry out a normal cultivation programme. New pig fattening houses have been built on. each farm and new farrowing houses are planned. On the balance about 64 head of dry cattle are carried with between 700 and 800. acres being in swamp. Raft Creek, which collects drainage from a hill at the rear of the property and also from a strip of silt country at the foot of the hill, has been deepened and straightened and a start is now being made to provide drainage for the main swamp area which falls away from Raft Creek. The drainage programme will be a progressive one.

The property will eventually be subdivided into at least five dairy farms, but this could be five and for most of the country 10 years away.

As on Kaniere there may also be a place for sod seeding on better country already in some sort of pasture. On the Rimu farm settlement of 1462 acres, four miles south of Hokitika, only part of the total area is at present being developed. About 100 acres consists of washings from two gold sluicing workings of former days. The shingle has been washed off a terrace. In its natural state this country is very wet with water seeping through from the bottom of the terrace, but it has now been virtually encircled by drains. An area sown in the autumn last year in per-

ennial ryegrass and white clover is showing a useful strike of clover, but it is still rather wet in places and tile drains may be needed to remove this water. Two tons of lime were applied initially and a further ton is now about to be applied. A drain completed about two or three weeks ago has permitted the heavy discing of about 26 acres where last year a bulldozer sank onto its belly. After more working this area is likely to go into temporary pasture after Christmas.

A creek adjoining the main swamp has been cleaned and already there has been a distinct drying out of the verges of the swamp and the appearance of some rough growth. Next year it is planned to investigate the swamp to see if an outfall can be secured to the neighbouring Hokitika river, according to Mr R. Elcock, a field officer of the department. The 50 acres of river flats on this block are attractive pasturelands capable of growing 281 b swedes, but on these seemingly good swards there v-as been some evidence of a mineral deficiency with young stock, in particular, showing signs of unthriftiness. Selenium, copper and cobalt have all been used without success.

The block includes a lot of glacial moraine terrace in gorse and scrub and the potential of this is being tested experimentally on 26 acres. On this country with odd heavy boulders the scrub was crushed and burnt prior

to cultivation and sowing down with white clover and ryegrass about three years ago. Two tons of lime were used at sowing and there has been another ton since and super totalling about scwt has been used. (To be continued.)