LAND FOR DAIRYING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20890, 4 June 1931, Page 6

LAND FOR DAIRYING.

CLOCKS AT TE KAUWHATA. CONVERSION OF PLANTATIONS PROGRESS OF OPERATIONS. I RELIEF WORKERS' LABOUR. / No. I. Two* years ngo the wattlo plantations ton the Crown lands at Te Kauwhata were in a parlous state, and were steadily becoming worse. For years the trees had been the victims of a characteristic fungoid disease, a fact which had long epelt the end of their usefulness in the production of tanning bark, for which purpoiie tho plantations were originally established. A veritable jungle of noxious undergrowth had developed as the seasons passed, the übiquitous blackberry, especially, profiting by the large reserves of free nitrogen left in f he soil by the wattle trees, forming an almost impenetrable mass of vegetation :n many parts. What /.was a.t first a definite State asset had deteriorated into a distinct liability. Tho trees themselves, being profitless, were an encumbrance, and the area they covered was productive only of vegetable and insect pests. To-day a more pleasing picture presents itself. Months of labour by relief workers has brought about a great change. Blackberry, bramble and fern have been eradicated, the useless trees have been felled, the land has been cleared and cultivated, and in many places it now carries a luscious sward of new pasture. Soon it / will be making its contribution to tho country's butter-fat returns, for the area is to be divided into blocks suitable !'oj- dairying. Cost of Work to the State The breaking-in operations commenced fn October, 1929. They were first carried on with Maori labour, but subsequently the work was let in contracts to tho unemployed generally, as one of the Government's relief schemes. As many as 140 men weie engaged last winter, but as the clearing of the land nears completion the number is being gradually reduced, the total at present employed being under 50. ! Planned on a system of sectional contracts, the work has been costing the State, through a grant administered on behalf of the Lands- and Survey Department by tho Agricultural Department, a sum varying up to, aud in some cases exceeding, £2O an acre. Vast quantities of timber have been won during the clearing process, and it is hoped that I by tho sale of this in the form of firewood, fencing posts and mine props there will be a slight reduction in the ultimate cost an acre. Furthermore, the areas now in grass will be grazed with sheep until the sole is sufficiently consolidated to withstand the grazing of dairy stock. Whatever profit is made in this respect should, of course, bo written off the expense incurred in bringing in tho land. In some cases the cost of clearing, ptumping and ploughing has been only about £lO an acre. Compared with the £2O to £22 an acre required to clear and plough the more heavily wooded and more seriously infested portions, the .figure appears comparatively low, yet the over-all costs liavo been undoubtedly heavy. Under.the methods pursued by the State the expenses have mounted more than they would have done if, for instance, tlie work had been let to experienced private contractors, or had the land been handed over for breaking in by the individual, but it has to be remembered that the work has been regarded by the Government more as a scheme for the relief of the unemployed rather than as a definite land settlement measure. Thorough but Costly Methods. In so far as the employment provided has had a definite reproductive value, the expenditure involved, or rather that- portion of it which may have been in excess of bare requirements, doubtless could be justified more readily than can the expense incurred under many other relief schemes in progress throughout tho country. The ordinary settlor, charged with bringing such land into occupation, might have saved the cost oj much of the stumping, for instance, in favour of surface sowing and letting the roots rot with the passing of time. The stumping, followed as it has been by almost immediate ploughing, has, nevertheless, left the soil m an excellent, condition for the reception of the grass seed and since the future occupier cannot be expected to pay anything near the cost of clearing tho land, that is if lie is to farm it profitably, he stands to reap a great benefit from such a thorough preparation of the seed-bed. ' One point, worthy of mention is that there have been few, if any, administrative costs. The manager of the Government experimental area at Te Kauwhata, Mr. B.' E. Rodda, is in charge of the work. The whole of it has been planned, organised and executed without addition to the normal staff or expenditure at the station. Mr. Rodda claims a knowledge of the area in question extending over the whole lifetime of the old wattle plantations, portions of which he planted oyer 30 years ago, and he also has had a wide experience in clearing and bringing land into occupation. The various contracts for scrubbing, felling the timber, stumping and ploughing have been set by him. He has exercised a daily supervision and the thorough results apparent in the newlylaid pastures are a reflection of his. experience and knowledge. Details of the Blocks. According to a recently-completed survey by Lands and Survey officials, the area, which comprises over 1800 acres, will be divided into 11 farms, varying in sizo from 93 acres up to 265 acres. About 95 acres are being reserved for the purposes of the experimental station and there is an additional area of between two and three acres which will probably be let as a small holding. Situated in the heart of a district contains the greatest area of unreclaimed land in New Zealand, the majority of the blocks embrace varying areas of swamp land. In some cases there appear to be reasonable prospects of successful drainage, but on the other hand there are many instances in which drainage/is a very remote possibility. A substantial differentiation between these areas and the ones actually in grass will be necessary if the occupier is to have a reasonable chance of making good. Some portions of the newly-cleared land have been scrub-drained, a system which has been giving efficient results on the experimental station for tho last 25 years.