THE WAIOURU CONUTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14359, 2 May 1910, Page 5

THE WAIOURU CONUTRY.

MANURING THE SOIL. [BY TELEGRAPH.— OWN CORRESPONDENT.] .'■' ~ Wellington, Saturday. The traveller to Auckland by the Main Trunk express will- have noticed how, after passing through the bush country in the Upper Rangitikei, the line suddenly emerges out into clear tussock land stretching away for miles round the basa of Mount Ruapehu, and on the eastern slopes of that mountain Tunning almost up to the shores of Lake Taupo, some, 50 miles distant.' Immediately om getting into the open country the traveller is in Messrs. R. W. Chapman and Sons' big Waiouru sheep station. ,/ Mr. Chapman is at present in the city, and in the course of conversation yesterday "stated that his property was carrying a sheep to three acres all the year round. The country was not so good as it looked from the train up in the district around Ruapehu. One did not talk of how many sheep to. an acre, but of how many acres to a sheep, a distinction with a difference. The sheep had to travel for his dinner in the mountainous country, and on one big property of about 40,000 acres, which, however, was . not as fully stocked as it might be, there were no more than 5000 sheep. Mr. Chapman's neighbour, Mr. Duncan, who is on a portion of the old Karioi Estate, this season put in about 300 acres of turnips, and the crop has done remarkably well. This is the first time any considerable area of. turnips has been put down in the tussock country, which a few years .ago was thought to be almost worthless. Mr. Duncan is stated to have used about 2cwt of manure (superphosphate and bonedust) to the acre. Mr. Chapman also put in some turnips, which have done equally well. Much more surprising, however, is the result of Mr. Chapman's first oat crop, also sown this season. ~ Mr. Chapman ploughed a patch of 250 acres, and on this he obtained a splendid crop of dun oats, the straw in some cases reaching a height of- fully 6ft. The crop was not threshed, but Mr. Chapman says he estimates that it would have gone at 50, or 60 bushels to the acre right through. .The only bother with the crop was. that -it had too much straw. No manure of any sort was used.;