Strawberry clover pioneer

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32702, 3 September 1971, Page 20

Strawberry clover pioneer

The death recently of Mr H. E (Horrie) Harris revives memories of his achievements as a pioneer of irrigation near Lake Ellesmere and of his establishment of strawberry clover leading to his becoming probably New Zealand’s leading producer of the seed.

His earliest memories were of the lake waters surrounding his home from which the family were evacuated during the disastrous flood of July, 1895. The lake flat locality between Greenpark and Motukarara suffered severely with large areas impregnated with salt, which still persists. Horrie Harris, after realising the beneficial results of flooding this land with artesian water, sunk many wells on the several blocks he purchased from 1913 onwards. These wells, often sunk by hand-operated equipment, were to the first strata of about 70ft and were sometimes as close as one to every three acres. His methods of producing first-grade pasture from areas of rushes and salt crusts were described at a 1936 Supreme Court hearing when he was a witness during a case involving misrepresentation in a district land sale. After irrigation a strain of strawberry clover known as “Tarwai” was noticeable, which probably became acclimatised to the lake flat area after an importation from England in the early days of settlement. This was found to be an excellent coloniser for the Motukarara soils, ranging from weak to strongly saline and sandy to sandy silt. The ability of the strawberry clover plant (Tri-

folium fragiferum) to withstand flooding in the winter and dry weather in the summer, as well as its long period of growth into the winter, made it a most suitable elover for inclusion in pasture mixtures for development of this and similar classes of land. It has a longer tap root than white clover enabling it to stand prolonged drought. The leaf has a much higher fibre content and both dairy and beef cattle have been known to graze pure stands without ill-effect. The original strain growing at Lake Ellesmere was a prolific seed producer in its typically strawberry-like seed capsule. Because of the prostrate habit of

growth the capsule grew very close to the ground, making mechanical harvesting very difficult, if not impossible. Horrie Harris used the slow, laborious but effective method of cutting low to the ground with a converted horse mower and gathering it into windrows with forks. This was often late in May, when much

turning was required to dry the material before it was carted by horse drawn canvas sheets to be stacked with the use of large, long four-pronged forks. It was necessary to have some dried grass with the clover capsules to facilitate lifting of the material off the ground with a minimum of seed loss.

For over 30 years there were usually two or three stacks to be threshed during November or December by the clover sheller operated by the Everest family. The material broke up better for threshing when it had experienced rain between cutting and stacking. Northerly sides of stacks dried out before threshing whereas southerly ends were sometimes damp and mouldy through sweating. When stacks were threshed twice, the additional seed obtained seldom justified the expense.

The yield of seed per acre by present - day methods (as used for white clover) was not high, but with prices up to £1 ($2) per lb it was a very profitable crop. Some neighbouring farmers began harvesting the clover when they learnt of the high price, but met with varying success. These included Fred and Jim Blanche, Tom Hubbard, Charles Pannell, Jack Stalker and further afield George Cook at Selwyn Huts and Alan Nutt at Motukarara. Bert Eggleston once obtained satisfactory results by carting direct from fhe paddock to the clover shelter in June.

Apart from lake flat growers, Jim Mclntosh at Kairaki also threshed seed from salty pastures for some years. The last seed to come from Horrie Harris is thought to. have been harvested in 1953 when Bruce and Don Watson used their header to thresh a stack twice for a good yield. During the 1930’s and 1940’s much of the seed was exported to Australia, particularly to the drier, high water table regions of Western Victoria and South Australia, where it became a popular legume component of pastures for grazing by sheep and cattle. A certain percentage of seed has a delayed germination as a result of having a thick seed coat. It is known as “hard seed.” This is nature’s method of ensuring perpetuation of the species as this seed only germinates when there is adequate soil moisture. To improve the germination of strawberry clover it was often scarified at seed treatment plants, whereby the seed coat was reduced in thickness by passing it over an abrasive surface.

Strawberry clover can be established from seed or vegetatively from its sur-face-creeping stolons. Once initial establishment has taken place, stock will eat the seed heads and spread stolons with their feet, so ensuring a gradual thickening of the stand. The progress made by Horrie Harris with irrigation and pasture establishment on the lake flat encouraged others to undertake development programmes. Among those to benefit from his achievements was his son-in-law, Douglas Davies. He, for a nymber of years, carried out experiments nearby for the Department of Agriculture, growing pasture plants, vegetables and trees in irrigated plots on the salt flats.

The accompanying item on strawberry clover growing on the lake flat has been contributed by W.J.H. ,