THE LOWER WAIKATO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16373, 30 October 1916, Page 7

THE LOWER WAIKATO.

USING THE SCRUB LANDS. HIGH AND LOW SWAMPS. WORK ALREADY DONE. No. 11. i I [by our special commissioner.] A FEW years ago the low, rolling hills in the Lower Waikato basin were considered absolutely useless for farming purposes. Rangiriri and Meremere stood out as representing desolate gum-country, but the farmer has found that under a proper system of cultivation these light clay loams mako good pasture and good rootgrowing lands. Now, thousands of acres, which until recently grew nothing better than scrub and fern, aro under pasture or crop, and are carrying large numbers of cattle and sheep, and promise, under systematic rotation and top-dressing, to gradually improve as years go by.

Undoubtedly tho brcaking-in of these lands to pasture has, to some extent, solved the problem of utilising the adjacent swamp country. Tho low hills in this part of New Zealand, as I have already explained, riso out of the swamps as islands and long, broad ridges and peninsulas. Whilst these hills were in scrub there wero no winter feeding-grounds for stock, and no run-off from the swamps in case of summer floods. As soon as man began to cover the hill lands with grass ho opened the way to the use of very large areas of swamp. The Swamp Country. Thero are two classes of swamp in this part of the Waikato—the low-lying areas adjacent to the sluggish creeks and lakes, and the higher areas fringing the elevated country. These higher areas can be cheaply drained; they represent deep bays and bights and inlets running back from the main waterways. The bulk of them are well above the level of ordinary floods, and most of them have sufficient fall to the adjacent creeks to allow a free run for surface water. The lower areas will depend for their ultimate drainage upon the deepening of the Waikato river-bed, or upon a system of pumping plants, but ii must not bo forgotten that even these low areas aro dry for considerable periods in summer time and can be made into valuable pastures during summer droughts. These low level swamps for the most part appear to consist of remarkably firm ground. I saw, during my recent visit, mobs of horses and cattle 'wading up to their bellies in the water feeding on the native paspalum and on Jible sedges, and I was told that in dry weather cattle fatten readily in places where in winter timo they would havo to swim. Work Already Done. Already in tho Whangamarino district alone fully three thousand acres of the higher swamps have been drained and grassed. They take grass well and promise to make first-class dairying country. I saw ono area wliich had only been drained about a year and grassed last March which carried at the end of September a good supply of feed. When I mention the fact that through the past winter it had carried a Mock of ewes, that they had yielded nearly 90 per cent, of lambs, and that some of the lambs were fat enough for the market, I think it should bo convincing evidence that this class of country can bo successfully utilised. From what I have seen of these Lower Waikato swamps, I am certain that they consist more of silt and soil than of peat, and they will sink but little through drainage. The soil is good, as is proved by the luxuriance of the pasture where grass has been sown and br the quality of the stock after grazing there. Summer Feeding Grounds. I believe much can be done to make the lower class of swamps into valuable summer feeding grounds by cutting drains which will clear away the water when tho creeks fall below a certain level, and by the sowing of certain grasses which will stand submergence underwater for considerable periods. There is a native paspalum already growing freely in the Waikato which stands any amount of flooding; thero is paspalum dilatatum and lotus major and there are certain other well-known grasses which thrive well under the local conditions, but even if no grasses aro introduced into these lowlying swamps there is always a considerable amount of feed there, and last summer this class of country fattened some hundreds of head of cattle. One great advantage possessed by these swamps is that dry land is rarely far away and that although thoy are subject to "floods, the floods usually rise slowly so that there is little danger of stock being lost if ordinary care is taken. Another Great advantage is that the very large area of plonghablo country which exists makes it quite easy to raise root crops and fodders for winter use, so that when the swamps becomo flooded or wet stock can be put on the dry country. Great Areas to Deal With. It is difficult to estimate what area of swamp country thero is in this Lower Waikato basin. On a rough calculation there are about 400 square mile of swamp and low hill or downs country, most of which is plonghablo. Nearly half the area seems to consist of swamp lake and water-course. If one put the total area of swamp at oven one hundred square miles it still makes for great possibilities, and if oven half this area is utilised it. .vill make a big difference to the wealth production of the Auckland Province and the trade of Auckland City. But with the development of tho swamp areas the great stretch of arable country will improve in production, and with every acre added to the cultivated area the swamp country will increaso in usefulness, so that whether the State attempts tho complete drainage of the Lower Waikato or not the private landowners are bound to go ahead with the good work they have commenced, and it is quite safo to prophesy that thousands of acres of both swamp land and hill land in this district will como into productive use each year for many years to come, and when private individuals have broken the land into use and made it productive the State may, perhaps, awaken to the importance of inaugurating a great drainage scheme which will keep the flood waters off the swamp area altogether, and allow the endless stretches 'if alluvial soil to be turned into cultivatable farm?