NORTHERN GUM LANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIVIII, Issue 17684, 20 January 1921, Page 8

NORTHERN GUM LANDS.

■ ' ■♦■■ ■ i LACK »F CULTIVATION. AID BY, STATE SUGGESTED. Greatly impressed with the possibilities of the North of Auckland district Mr. George George, director of the Seddon Memorial Technical College, has just returned to Auckland after a motor trip extending for the most part to country usually referred to as " the gum lands of the North.'" He related some of his experiences and impressions yeßterday. Mr. George, who was accompanied by Mr. T. Pettman, instructor in agriculture at the college, said they had gone North by way of Devonport, Waiwera, Warkworth, Wellsford, Maungatoroto, Whangarei, and Kaikohe, and had returnod by the same route as far as Woipu, and from thence via Mangawai to Wellsford, through Port Albert, and Helensville. back to Auckland. The trip had been of great educational value to him. The thing that had struck him most was the almost entire lack of thorough cultivation over the enormous areas of land that he had passed through. It was a very rare tiling indeed to find a paddock which was supposed to be down in grass that showed any signs of it having been thoroughly cultivated before having been eowu with grass. In most cases there were infinitely more signs of weeds than there were of grass, and want of lime was indicated almost everywhere by the sourness of the land and the lack of leguminous plants. SoU's Fertility Demonstrated. " I am quite convinced," said Mr. George, " that with the climate w-j possess in Auckland Province, even the poorest gum land can be worked profitably. It was most interesting to visit Puwera, where the Government possesses about 6GOO acres of the poorest gum land imaginable. Experiments here are being carried out on about 100 acres, and eome truly remarkable results have been obtained. I saw here lucerne (Grimm's alfalfa), 3ft. high, growing where I should have said it was quite impossible for lucerne to grow, yet this had been, down for three years, and had been cut five times a year. The land had originally been treated with ground lime at the rate of 12cwt- per acre and 3cwt. of bonedust. This was three years ago; since then nothing has been done except cultivation. Plots oi wild white clover and lodina clover sowrr three years ago were looking splendid. These had been treated with 12cwt. of ground lime and 3cwt. of basic super per acre, and had never been top-dressed since. Swedes and turnips sown last November had made remarkable growth, many of the roots being already sin. or 6in. in diameter. "I feel sure, from what I have seen in various parts of the North, that by the aid of lime and thorough cultivation the gum lands can be made to carry excellent pasturage. The mistake that is often made is to endeavour to establish firstclass grasses on second and third-class soils. I think the Government should lead the way and show what can be done by cultivating large areas of these lands and establishing them in suitable pasturage. There would then be no difficulty whatever in finding purchasers. People seem to forget that we have a climate where the grass is growing almost all the year round, and that with cultivation and the judicious use of suitable manures, particularly lime and phosphates, land that in colder countries would be practically useless can here, with thorough cultivation, be made productive and remunerative. Unfortunately, the average farmer knows very little of the chemistry of soils, or of soil physics, and the value of cultivation is almost unrecognised." Inadequate Boading. Mr. George said that the north of Auckland suffered terribly from the lack of good roads, most of them being unmetalled, and while fairly passable in dry weather, in the winter-time, as roads, they must be quite useless- Many of them seemed to have been formed by following the tracks made by a cow, and in consequence there were many unnecessary turns and bends, while the grading left much to be desired. Very little attention was paid to water-tables to see that they were kept clear, and) in consequence, after a heanrv downpour of rain, what would otherwise be a good summer road, often became impassable for several days until the water had ha* time to get away. In the meantime indispensable traffic had cut deep ruts. There seemed to be very little evidence of the employment of surface men by the county councils to look after repairs, and direction-posts were conspicuous by their absence. New Zealand had a great name for experimental legislation, but he thought there was *till room for further improvement. Local bodies, in his opinion, should be compelled to place direction-posts where ever roads meet. Through lack of such he lost his way on several occasions, and he had no doubt many other motorists had had the same experience. Authentic road maps issued by "the Government would also be a great boon ,to travellers.