DREDGE TAILINGS

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4347, 11 January 1938, Page 6

DREDGE TAILINGS

SUCCESS OF TREE-PLANTING , WEST COAST OPERATIONS

A good deal has been said at one time or another about the destruction of good farming land by dredges, much of it pointless, for the reason that most of the land dredged is not even farming land, much less good farming land, says a writer in the ‘Christchurch Press.’ Black sand beaches, river beds, and gorges and such like' derelict country are of no farming value. However, during the boom period in the south of 30 to 35 years ago, there was much damage done to fertile land, damage which, in the light of experience, could have been prevented. At Miller’s Flat and at Waikaka Valley are cases in point. As against such instances there are those where low-lying, swampy land, without any fall for drainage, has been turned into excellent grazing country by the raising of the surface and the mixing of the wash with swamp soil, and this without any levelling process. The extension of dredging on the West Coast again raises the question. Many of the dredge tailings of the earlier days are now covered with gorse, blackberry and other weeds, which infestations, however, are not singular to dredge tailings. Little of the land dredged then was of a farming character, but when some of the big machines projected to start operations within the next year or two are operating considerable areas of pastoral land are likely to be included. The extra cost of restoring the top soil can be well repaid, but apart from this the utilisation of ordinary tailings is being successfully demonstrated by the planting of trees on the Rimu Company’s claim near Hokitika. These tailings were left staoked_ and generally in a very rough condition, but the trees planted on them are doing very well. In the Maimai district, south of Reefton, forest trees were planted about four years ago on old dredge tailings. The trees are making excellent progress, and should soon cover up the tailings and reduce the weed growth. The tailings of most of the new dredges are not being stacked, but are being deposited on a more or less even surface, and the question of the grazing possibilities of these areas is being investigated by the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture. Last week Mr R. McGillivray, the superintendent of the Fields Division at Christchurch, while on a visit to Murchison, visited the tailings left by the Mataki Junction dredge, and inspected the work being done by Mr C. O'Brien in the direction of rendering these tailings suitable for grazing purposes. Mr McGillivray told a representative of the ‘Press’ that where Mr O’Brien had sown a grass mixture there was quite a good take of white and red clover, and also some crested dogstail and ryegrass. Mr 0 Brier, was also planting trees, such as pmus radiata, poplar, and eucalyptus, and was putting* in several thousand plants of pampas grass. Mr McGillivray states that although the dredging has been done in recent times, the land was consolidating fairly well, and Mr O’Brien’s efforts were well worth

while. Mr McGillvray said he was sure that this land would eventually provide useful grazing and should be ideal for winter stocking, owing to the much-improved natural drainage. It would take some years, however, to bring the areas of such land into production. Shelter belts across the tailings were necessary, and the early start that had been made with tree i planting was a step in the right direci tion.