End Of The Road

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30971, 29 January 1966, Page 8

End Of The Road

TTALDON Station, at the end of the Haldon road, was visited in the course of ithe field day held last week !by the Upper Mackenzie branch of Federated Farm- . ers. It has been in the hands lof the Innes family since j 1919. Mr lan Innes said that the ' property had comprised a I Canterbury University lease [and three Crown leases each !of 20,000 acres. Before the property was divided between Mr Innes and his brother in 1963 it was carrying 15,000 sheep but in 1950 he said that stock numbers had been down as low as 11,000. Cattle had varied from 80 to 160 head. This country, he said, had been “lousy” with rabbits in earlier days with as many as 20 rabbiters being employed.

Mr lan Innes took over the Haldon and Kirkliston leases in 1963 and on this country he now runs 7500 Merino sheep and 130 cows and replacements. The ewes begin lambing in September and Mr Innes said that with straight Merinos which had to lamb on exposed flats it took them busy to get a 90 per cent lambing. On the old station lambings had ranged from 65 per cent in 1950 up to 103 per cent While the best lambs were kept for flock replacements he said that the others were now making better than works money at the Tekapo fair for replacements in other flocks.

I Sheep are shorn with the ' snow comb in November and ■ dipped off shears. Mr Innes [said that they had been consistently shearing more than 1101 b of wool a head and hog-

gets had been doing better than 7jlb. No topdressing had been done on the station before 1963. Now there were 70 acres in lucerne and ewes receive lucerne in the winter. Mr Innes said he would have trouble in wintering his ewes without lucerne, but he preferred his hoggets running on the hill during the winter and this year young ewes which were on the hill last year, when there was a shortage of hay, had done much better than those which had been on feed.

Some 4700 bales recently made off 52 acres of oats and peas was “only fit for the garden” after four inches of rain had fallen on it, commented Mr Innes.

Some 600 acres have been oversown with Ijewt of superphosphate and cocksfoot, red and white clover and Montgomery red clover and 68 acres have been sod-seeded. Some subdivisional fencing has been done and fire breaks are being put round one block. It is also aimed to plant 50 chains of trees for shelter every year and already some belts have been planted. When Mr Innes was asked about the development of some tussock flats he said that they might be sod-seeded as he did not like the idea of taking away the tussocks which provided some shelter at lambing. Clumps of willows provide good protection for sheep after shearing.