KING COUNTRY FARMING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19698, 26 July 1927, Page 7

KING COUNTRY FARMING

VALUE OF TOP-DRESSING.

PRODUCTION EXPANDED.

GOOD RESULTS AT TE MAPARA.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] TE KUITI, Monday. Keen interest is being taken in modern fanning methods in the King Country, where dairying prospects, the value of topdressing and land values are being widely discussed by farmers at present. "Prospects are good for the dairy fanner for the coming season," said Mr. H. E. Brickland, of Te Mapara, a well-known farmer, when questioned regarding the outlook. The capacity of King Country land and the value of top-dressing were referred to by Mr. Brickland, who quoted the case of his own farm of 170 acres at Te Mapara. He said 120 acres were in medium grass and carrying 40 cows. The method adopted by him was to top-dress the grass, and chain harrow the paddocks four to five tunes a year. liv two years the results from this method of dealing with the land were remarkable. Mr. Brickland top-dressed the first year and increased the output of butter-fat from 6000 lb. to 75001b., and in the next year, after following the same method, the following results were obtained:—3B cows returned 90001b of butter-fat, 40 ewes were wintered, and had 100 per cent, of lambs, and the ewes were turned off fat by Christmas. In addition 60 head of mixed cattle were carried. He also purchased 360 store lambs at an average price, 200 of these were sold fat and the balance were sold as forward stores. In addition to this 56 pigs were also turned off. Mr. Brickland stated that he had paid £25 an acre for land in another district and he was getting no better results from that land than he was from land at Te Mapara, for which he had paid only £lB per acre. " I am getting good returiis from my 170 acres," he said, "and my land is no better than hundreds of acres surrounding ray place, but I consider that my success is largely attributable to the fact of top-dressing and harrowing. If more farmers were in the position to be able to finance for top-dressing and to purchase further stock, 80 per cent, of the men on the land in the King Country would be doing well." * Mr. Brickland also referred to the climate of the King Country, which was a great attribute to successful farming. Although Mr. Brickland has not had supplementary crops until this winter, he considers ifc advisable to have a small area for winter and summer feed, but with top-dressing this area need only be a very small proportion of the farming area. Further questioned in regard to the cost of production, Mr. Brickland said that similar land in the district when treated in the same way could be farmed at Is per lb. for butter-fat on a capital value of, say, £25 per acre.