LAND FOR DAIRYING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20891, 5 June 1931, Page 8

LAND FOR DAIRYING.

TE KATJWHATA BLOCKS. EXCELLENT PASTURES MADE. 7 ' SETTLEMENT NEXT YEAR. PROMISING CIRCUMSTANCES. // No. 11. The results secured at To Kauwhata, where extensive areas have been cleared of diseased wattle trees and impenetrable undergrowth by relief labour, have been remarkably good The fact is directly attributable to the experienced and efficient supervision of the manager and staff of the Government experimental station there. •Some of those portions of the cleared land which have lately been sown in pasture have now been in about three months. Consequently there is a substantial basis on which to judge the merits of the operations. Obviously the settler will take possession under promis' ing circumstances. With his grass land not only laid, but also consolidated anc. well established, he will be able to pro ceed immediately with the erection of necessary plant, buildings and' subdivisions, and he will be in the happy position of being able to work at a profili from the outset. As in all cases of land development / however, a great deal will depend on the man himself, the resources he has at his command and the price ho has to pay foi: the holding. Cost to the Occupier. When the operations were begun toward the end of 1929 the suggestion in offi/cial quarters was that the price to tho occupier should be fixed at approximately the cost of bringing the land under grass. I Such a price, it was considered, would allow for essential improvements, such as buildings, drainage, water supply and fencing, without loading tho land beyond an economic limit as represented by the average value of improved property in the locality. On the prices for primary producu .which existed then, that basis may noi ,have been too high for profitable utilisation of tho land by a farmer with a good financial backing. Conditions today, howover, are very different from what they were two years, or even 1)1 months, ago, and the Government's ideaii must be modified considerably if it n desirous of seeing the new farms in profitable occupation. From the point of view of the solvency of the future tenant any cost which may have beeu anticipated in settling him on the farm must bo substantial in view of current conditions. Good Strike of Grass. According to present intentions it .will be next year before the selection of the first settlers will be made. Since tho beginning of March 330 acres have been put under pasture. This area, in varying stages of de%-elopment, shows an invariably good strike, and gives promise of excellent establishment, but in the meantime the precaution is being taken of grazing the new grass with sheep, • measure which will serve the double puipose of controlling tho growth and consolidating the sward. The earlier-sown portions are already a little long from the point of view of securing the most nutritive bite, but Ministerial authority has now been received for the purchase of sufficient sheep to control the growth. Under normal , circumstances these should show a profit, i which, of course, should be credited against the cost of bringing in ths land. When herds are turned on next yeaT they should find a luscious bite and ji the occupier should have pastures which, under judicious management, should last for many years. Certified Canterbury ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, cocksfoot, crested dogstail, Timothy and red and white clovers are included in the pasture mixture. This was sown at the rate of 381b. an acre and has received a dressing of superphosphate, blood and bone manure an 1 finely-ground bonedust, in suitable proportions, at the rate of 3cwt. an acre. The treatment is in keeping with that accorded the pastures on the Government station itself, which for (lie past five years has been carrying up to breed- , ing ewes to the acre in addition to the annual crop of lambs. The dogstail and Timothy have not yet made their presence felt in the sward. Under normal conditions the first benefit from these should be apparent next set eon. Provision for Shelter. At various points over the area groves of wattle trees have been left to act as shelter belts, if that is desired, or to lip disposed of as the occupier thinks fit: .At the western extremity a fairly dense growth has been left as tho prevailing /winds blow from this quarter. In the majority of cases the shelter areas could be brought in cheaply and adequately bv the occupier by the simple process of felling, burning and surface sowing. It is anticipated that the actual stumping of the remaining area will be completed by the. middle of June Clearing the land of the timber will probably occupy another three months, in which case the first ploughing should have been finalised within four months. The sowing of tho grass will be continued nest February. One of the greatest problems is the destruction of the seedling wattles which soon infest the portions brought under cultivation. Frequent ploughing has to be undertaken to keep them in check. Seedlings even appear here and there in the new pasture, but it is considered that the sheep, which will lie grazed during the process of consolidation will cope adc quately with these. Facilities and Advantages. Immediately surrounding a Main Trunk township, and well served by good roaclwavs, including the Great South Road itself, tho new farms, when ready, will offer advantages which should greatly facilitate their settlement. Most of the farms will have extensive road frontages, a fact which will prove of great convenience in the transport of the fanner's requirements, in the movements of stock and in the conveyance of tho produce. It is reported that a dairy factory w : ll be erected within two years of the settlement of the area. A site for a factory and ' railway siding lias alreadv Keen selected Residents of the district have naturally taken a keen interest in the progress of the work. Realising the advantages of increased settlement to the district tlie wish exists that other appropriate land in the locality could be similarly treated. A case in point is an area of about 1000 acres of scrub-covered native land, alongside Lake Waiknre," and which is only from two to four miles from Te Kauwhata township. The area has been lying idle for decades, and it. is con- , tended that it could be made fit for occupation much more cheaply than have the old wattle areas.