Regeneration Of Grasmere Block

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30763, 29 May 1965, Page 19

Regeneration Of Grasmere Block

Production had been trebled at a cost of just over £5 an acre spread over eight years, said Mr T. W. Preston, when the North Canterbury Catchment Board yesterday considered a report from its soil conservation officer (Mr R. D. Dick) on the regeneration of 1250 acres of burnt-out tussock on Mr D. McLeod’s Grasmere property, near Cass.

Mr Dick said that fire swept bare the 1250-acre block iin January, 1956. A committee comprising the board’s chairman (Mr R. M. D. Johnson), a board member, Mr J. M. Pickering, and Messrs McLeod and C. L. Watson (University of Canterbury) was set up to supervise its regeneration. The area was oversown and topdressed in July, 1956, and subsequent topdressings were made. Lincoln College cooperated with the board’s soil conservation staff and the Soil Conservation Council and Mr McLeod had financed the expenditure on seed and manure.

Mr Dick told the board that the 1250 acres were now almost entirely covered with vegetation, without doubt better cover than it had had in the last century. There had not previously been work on this scale on this type of tussock country, said Mr Dick. The results had been highly successful, enabling stocking to be modem-

ised and trebled on the figures returned before the fire.

High Increase

“A 300 per cent increase in production is something to take note of,” said Mr D. R. Wilkie. “How does the new vegetative cover affect what is coming off these slopes?” Mr Dick said that the protection from soil erosion was better now than for many years. He would say erosion had decreased considerably. The present work was the end of “chapter one.” It covered the land up to 3500 ft, and he felt something could be done on the land up to 6000 ft. A study of the figures showed the work to be a sound investment.

Mr Pickering said that the Grasmere results spoke for themselves, but it remained to be seen whether they were applicable to other types of Waimakariri country. Mr Johnson said he thoght there should be discussion as to how far the Grasmere experiment had led, and how much further it ought to go. It was agreed to refer the question to the committee, and to coopt experts on to it.

Catchment Board Boundaries

Proposals by the Local Government Commission to extend the board’s boundaries by bringing in North Canterbury and Banks Peninsula counties were discussed by the North Canterbury Catchment Board at its meeting yesterday. Mr T. W. Preston reported

that inquiries for information on the proposal had been received from Wairewa, Amuri and Cheviot counties. He would stress that the initiative was not the board’s, but the board would help with information. It was agreed to call a meeting of the counties concerned, tentatively for June 23.