BREAKING IN LAND

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 11 May 1939, Page 13

BREAKING IN LAND

SYSTEM OF FARMER FORMER BLEAK COUNTRY NEAR MOUNTAIN RESERVE Blackberries, although they are ten feet high and firmly established, hold no terrors for Mr Tom Huzziff, Johns road, Taranaki. With the aid of his sons he has already converted one blackberry infested, sour and marshy farm into an area of high production. Now he has started on another. It is situated right at the top of Norfolk road close to the Mt. Egmont reserve, and anyone who knows that country knows that Mr Huzziff has a job in front ol him. He knows it himself, but he likes it.

Mr Huzziff’s methods are simple but they are the result of lengthy experience with rough back-country farms, and there can be no doubt they are Effective. A “Daily News” representative, who found him surveying a splendid 20-acre crop of swedes, knew that particular area some years ago when it appeared to be nothing but a depressing piece of land full of stagnant water, barren of grass, but prolific in blackberry and rushes. “How did I do it t Well, you see it was like this.” Mr Huzziff began to explain.

THE LIE OF THE LAND Firstly, he walked over the wnolo area studying the lie of the land, the depth of water and the nature of the soil. This was not a hurried job. He would plan a drainage system in his mind one day, but that might be completely altered, and certainly amended, during subsequent visits. Before he touched a shovel, Mr Huzziff made very sure that his labour would not be wasted. In the case of this particular 20 acres he cut into a small creek some distance below the field and with nothing but a good team of horses, picks and shovels formed a new bed. working back up the characteristic slight fall of the land to the boundary of the field, then right through it and on unl :i he was able to tap another small creek above it. He now had the nucleus of his drainage scheme. His next task was the digging of subsidiary drains, a job just as laborious

as making the main channel. Dozens of these were dug and slabbed with timber from a nearby piece of bush. When he could get it, Mr Huzziff always used punga. but a considerable quantity of inferior wood had to be used. He mentioned that these drains would have to be reopened next year, and the timber replaced with metal. At odd moments he was already spauling the metal by hand preparatory for this work. FIRST PLOUGHING Up to this stage Mr Huzziff had not concerned himself with the blackberry, but now that his land was drained, and well drained at that, he started on the vines. The larger breaks he slashed down and burned, but the smaller ones he ignored. Then he brought up his splendid team and began to plough. No amateur could have ploughed that field. The single furrow tore through everything, uprooting logs that had then to be chopped out, digging cut stone* that then had to be removed, overturning blackberry that then had to be burned. When ploughed the land was quickly harrowed and a crop of turnip sown with 2 cwt. of super. On this land Mr Huzziff had never had a failure with his first crops of turnips. He sowed at the rate of 9 ozs. of seed to the acre. The feeding out of the turnips did a lot to assist in bringing in the land. It was then turned over with disc harrows and being fairly friable was easily worked into a good seed bed. Temporary pasture was then sown and left for at least two years. The field was then grazed hard and reploughed for another crop of turnips. All this time his field l drains were sweetening the land. Lime was also applied but not in heavy dressings. At the rate, of 2 cwt. to the acre, it was sown with super for the second lot of turnips H hen the turnips were finished the land was closely inspected. According to its state it was either sown down right away in permanent pasture or*a

further crop, generally rape, was taken off and then it was sown down. At the moment the home farm of 255 acres is carrying 1200 sheep, a herd of 73 milkers, 13 heifers, 15 springing heifers, 12 other dry stock and five horses. Mr Huzziff admitted that he was overstocked, but the works were not buying and he could not unload his wethers. Normally he winters 500 breeding ewes as well as the dairy herd and dry stock. It was a tribute to the land, he said, that he had been able to carry so many through the dry spell and have them still in excellent condition. GOOD DAIRY BUILDINGS “Good dairy buildings should include good sanitation,, good lighting, and good ventilation. They should be so situated that dust from roads, smells from piggeries, and other forms of air-borne infection cannot enter them, and’so that the atmosphere surrounding the premises will always be sweet,” says Mr O. C. Balhausen, chief dairy instructor. New South Wales. Mr Balhausen adds that well-constructed and well-cared-for buildings pay for themselves, as they play an important part in the production of good quality milk and cream. They add materially to the comfort ol the cows and also of the farm hands at milking time, the dreariness of milking and separating is largely eliminated, and the cows are handled more expeditiously. These factors alone play an important part in the quality of the milk and cream.