STONES AND BROWN TOP TO FOUR EWES

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30146, 1 June 1963, Page 6

STONES AND BROWN TOP TO FOUR EWES

It was snowing while farmers attending a field day organised by the Foothills branch of Federated Farmers made an inspection of the 875-acre property of Mr R. E. Buick at Buccleugh last Monday.

Mr Buick, a returned serviceman, took up this block of flat, featureless, Ruapuna stony silt loam country early in 1944. It was then in browntop and sweet vernal and was in a handful of paddocks up to 153 acres in area. Stock at the time totalled 959 sheep. An important part of the development programme, which has been carried out since, has been subdivision In one winter, Mr C, P Whatman, farm advisory officer of the Department of Agriculture in Ashburton said that four miles and a half of fencing had been done. Now there are about 43 paddocks.

' Stocking has increased to 3350 sheep, including 2150 ewes and 1100 ewe lambs This is about four-ewe equivalents to the acre. Flock replacements are bred on the place and surplus ewe lambs are sold off the shears in October.

Mr H. E. Garrett, ‘reader in farm management at Lincoln College said, during the field day. that experience in recent years had indicated that where the climate was favourable and there was a good class of stock, maximum stocking of ewe hoggets was more profitable than ewes, and certainly more profitable than cattle, and tn this case he suggested that carrying over of the surplus to the ewe fairs might be preferable to sale off the shears. Mr Buick’s reply was that this country could dry out in the summer but Mr Garrett said that relatively little feed would be needed to carry them through to the fairs. Liming Another aspect of Mr Buick’s farming which aroused a minor controversy was his liming policy. Most of the property has had four tons of lime to the acre and he is continuing to apply about a ton every four years Both Mr Garrett and Mr Whatman considered that this programme was >xcessive. Mr Gerrett warned that if it was followed for another 10 years it could lead to stock troubles with copper, for instance. Mr Whatman suggested using a ton every six or eight years instead and Mr W. R. Lobb, superintendent of the Winchmore irrigation research station, after noting that lime was only lost in the soil by exchange, which was a slow process, suggested that a ton every 13 or 14 years might be nearer the mark. Mr Whatman noted that

Mr Buick did not rely for winter and early spring feeding on autumn saved grass using instead swedes and hay. The area sown to swedes is 36 acres and 8000 bales of hay are available.

Mr Buick indicated that he had no trouble with pregnancy toxaemia, but he does, sometime before lambing drive the ewes over a period of days gradually cutting off 400 or 500 which tend to fall behind and are presumably carrying twins, and these are put onto grass paddocks—a piece of stockmanship which Mr Garrett commended. Where ewes had been feeding on swedes and hay in August they had had to be chased on to adjoining saved grass, Mr Buick said Mr Buick puts 7cwt of super, scwt of which is borated, on his swedes and this practice also aroused some discussion. Mr Garrett suggested that trial strips should be treated to determine the effectiveness of lesser amounts. Mr Buick has also found that grubbing swedes early on gives a better crop, with two grubbings being better than one. Cultivation There was also some comment on the extensive cultivation carried out on the farm. This year 800 acres have been chisel ploughed, but Mr Buick pointed out that once ground was clear of a grain crop it was chisel ploughed about four times to work in the stubble before conventional ploughing and levelling and sowing to grass. The pasture mixture comprises 1$ bushels of perennial ryegrass. 41b of white clover, possibly 2 or 31b of red clover and 31b of dogstail. Mr Whatman said this was too much dogstail. DDT super is applied to new grass and subsequently only when needed, which in practice meant that a second application is rarely given Here Mr Garrett suggested "hat widespread activity of few grubs could be holding back production. Pastures now receive 2cwt of super annually and it was suggested that at the distance of this farm from the sea, use of sulphur super might be desirable. A lucerne stand on the property has been invaded by browntop to the extent that in its sixth year it was harvested for bro ™top seed. Mr Buick said that the ground was very tight 18 to 20 inches down and Mr Whatman said than he would personally give up trying to grow lucerne. Mr Garrett suggested that a sowing of red or Montgomery red clover would give a good clover ryegrass hay in four seasons out of five. Mr Lobb said that the problem might be a fertility one, in which potash and sulphur might have a pert. It might

also be desirable to feed hay out on the stand up to July and there might be a failure of noduliation after four or five years. Under certain conditions, be said, super would only encourage grass growth in lucerne. Some 300 acres was harvested in the most recent season. This included 70 acres of wheat with two paddocks of Arawa yielding 55 bushels. 40 acres of barley, 56 acres of white clover. 90 acres of ryegrass, a little crested dogstail and 20 acres of lupins.