Under The Shadow Of Mt. Hutt

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30206, 10 August 1963, Page 6

Under The Shadow Of Mt. Hutt

In the winter and spring Messrs J. and G. Clarkson, whose 525-acre property lies under the shadow of Mount Hutt, four miles and a half from Methven, send about 850 prime sheep into Addington market.

Snow fell on this oouurtry both this week and last week, and while stock do not generally put on much condition during the winter, there is generally plenty of feed in the autumn, and this enables stock to be brought to prime condition art this time of the year. Thereafter they can be held for sale. At present about 40 lambs and 40 wethers are going into the market weekly.

- Cultivation, liming, and applicaition of superphospitate have raised the carrying capacity of this country, which was formerly under a mat of browntop, from 700 ewes and 300 hoggets to the stage where 2500 sheep were being carried at the beginning of the winter, including 1400 Romney ewes. Some 1200 lambs go to the work* off the ewes, which are mated with Southdown and Southdown - Dorset Down rams, ait an average of about 341 b. There are about 350 lambs for sale this winter. These are bought mainly in Addington during the summer, and are shorn after purchase. They are run on grass until

tihe beginning of April when they also get rape, of which about 25 to 30 acres are grown also for fattening the tail end of the farm's own lamb drop, until the middle of May. At this stage the best of the lambs go on to swedes, with some lucerne hay, on which they gain a little condition, and the lower condition lambs get a run on Italian ryegrass, of which about 25 to 30 acres is normally available. Hoggets are brought in in the autumn and spring. Some 200 of these are sold between the end of September and end of October following shearing ait the beginning of September. These get a bite of kale and Green Globe turnips, of which about 25 to 30 acres are grown for use of the farm ewe flock also, and these ewes feed on the swedes between the beginning of June and end of July The aim is to sell about 300 wethers during the winter, and these are fattened during the summer and then held on grass, with some lucerne hay, pending sale Shorn wethers have sold up to 91s Id at Addington this season, with woollies making to about £5.

All stock brought In are drenched and on this country with a 41in rainfall con-

stant attention has to be given to the condition of the feet.

About 3000 bales of hay is cut off 15 acres of lucerne, and to provide a requirement of 4000 to 5000 bales, the balance is made up of meadow hay. Sometimes hay is bought standing and then cut and baled.

The Clarksons began fattening for the winter market about 13 or 14 years ago and the venture has been sufficiently successful to encourage them to carry on. In a winter like that last year, when the local market was oversupplied, they sent stock as far away as Invercargill.

About 80 acres of the farm is in wheat, which has ranged in yield from 40 to 65 bushels and 30 acres will be in barley which has yielded from 60 to 100 bushels. A white clover seed crop is taken when the opportunity offers, with normal yield of % to 1 bag to the acre, but one crop off 15 acres produced four bags to the acre after one dressing.