"An Inspiration To All"

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30745, 8 May 1965, Page 9

"An Inspiration To All"

In the last seven years 7000 tons of lime had been spread on the property, Mr R. D. Robinson told more than 100 visitors to the farm of Mrs D. M. Stephenson and Company at Te Pirita this week.

Speaking at a field day attended by members of the Carew branch of Federated Farmers and also merchants, stock agents, stock buyers and departmental representatives, Mr Robinson said that as manager he had spent more than £27,000 on lime and superphosphate in that time.

He considered that the use of D.D.T., as recommended by Mr J. M. Kelsey, of the Entomology Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, for the control of grass grub to be one of the most significant aspects in the development of the property, and he proved his point by showing the group a 10-year-old pasture still in first-class order, probably one of the highest producing on the property. Stock numbers included only 1000 ewes and 500 hoggets in 1957 when the property was taken over by the present owners, said Mr R. L. Bennetts, of the farm advisory division of the Department of Agriculture. Three thousand acres out of a total of 3374 acres was still in tussock at that time, but by chisel ploughing about 600 acres per year, applying lime and super and sowing the grass with either turnips or oats, the whole area had been covered, much of it twice and some of it three times.

Mr Bennetts said that 240 miles of plain wire had been used, 80 miles of barbed wire and 47 tons of standards to

give 53 paddocks, where there had been only 10 in 1957Eight miles of alkathene piping now supplied water to 45 troughs, instead of water being available at only five points on the boundary fence. Striking results of this development and work can be seen today. One of the visitors was heard to remark that he doubted whether there were enough stock on the property to cope with the 90 acres each of turnips and swedes available for the winter. The significance of this remark can be judged when it is realised that there are more than 10,000 sheep and 400 head of cattle on the property. Mr Bennetts said that Mr Robinson’s policy had not been to run wet sheep but to crowd on young sheep in the winter and spring period and to sell two-tooth ewes for replacements in other flocks. That young stock do extremely well on the property can be judged from the recent sale of Romney two-tooth ewes at up to £6 4s per head at Addington market and by fat two-tooth ewes topping the sale at Addington and Burnside on the same day. Future policy will be, however, to increase the 150 acres of lucerne and as shelter belts grow to change over to a ewe flock plus replacements and some cattle.

The two varieties of trees, Pinus radiata and macrocarpa, widely used by the early settlers, were still hard to beat for shelter belts, said Mr R. D. Dick, senior conservator of the North Canterbury Catchment Board. He commended Mr Robinson for his efforts and made a plea for farmers not to top major shelter belts, but added that side trimming with a machine could be an advantage. Large-scale development, pioneering in fact, was generally expected from young men, said Mr Dixon Reeves, chairman of the Carew branch of Federated Farmers. For a man of Mr Robinson’s age group to tackle development on this scale and do it in such a manner was an inspiration to all.