THE KING COUNTRY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22344, 15 February 1936, Page 15

THE KING COUNTRY

SCHEME DEVELOPMENT NATIVE LAND EXPERIMENT EXCELLENT RESULTS ACHIEVED LACK OF CAPITAL PROBLEM No. VJLiI. Following a fairly extensive tour through the King Country, in which practically all types of land there to be found were inspected and discussed with men having considerable local experience and farming knowledge, one is forced to the conclusion that "scheme development" of all but the richest areas offers most prospect* of success. The small farmer, with limited capital and dependent from the very first upon returns from the land to keep him going, has not a chance of giving the land that treatment in clearing, cultivating, sowing, fencing and stocking which is essential if it is not to become invaded with weeds, and ultimately more damaged and exhausted than when in its native state.

The whole King Country is full of examples of the failure of individual effort where this has not been backed by ample capital and a practical knowledge of the special treatment which the land requires if its fruitfulness is to be tapped and maintained. Capable departmental officers at Taumarunui and Te Kuiti have done excellent work in advising, directing and supervising the development of farms in which the Government has a financial interest through loans made to the settlers, but the lack of sufficient implements, manures, stock, subdivisional fencing and so forth, combined with the varying ability of the settlers as farmers and their amenability to direction, makes the task of keeping these men steadily improving their holdings and still earning a living a hard one. Reinstating Abandoned Land Already a large amount of abandoned land, most of which had reverted to a condition of infertility demanding considerably more outlay to rierrect than its original development, has been taken over by the Government. With a carefully thought-out plan for reinstatement, and funds for its undertaking, many of these areas have been brought back to a point where they will again support prosperous, and contented settlers. Under proper methods and control, however, these lands would originally have been successfully developed at much less cost, and would never have reverted through exhaustion to weeds and rubbish had they been, in the first instance, brought in under a co-opera-tive or Governmental scheme. An example of the success which has resulted from " scheme development " is to be seen near Waimea, where, on what has been acknowledged as some of the lightest pumice land, the Native Lands Development Board has brought in over 2000 acres which to-day are producing"' heavily and show neither sign of exhaustion nor of reversion to weeds. The results achieved here are the more creditable in that most of the knowledge of what to do -and what to avoid, had to be learned through the painful process of trial and error. Barren Area Transformed In spite of this, and at a cost said not to exceed £l2 10s an acre, this previously barren land has been cultivated, sown down in pastures which carry a dairy cow te two acres, fertilised and subdivided into paddocks of from six to eight acres in extent. Also, comfortable homesteads have been erected. The progress made has been possible only through the utilisation of a complete plant, with which the whole area could be developed with a minimum of overhead expense, and the utilisation <)f fodder, plants particularly adapted te the type of soil. The seeding mixture has been compounded to include a considerable amount of red and other clovers, whose deep-rooting system enables 'them -to withstand dry spells, and which rely for their food on reserves deep down in the subsoil. These' are also steadily enriching the surface soil with humus and nitrogen gathered largely from the air, thus preparing the ground for the support of shallow-rooted pasture grasses. Experience here has proved that the deep-rooted grasses, such as cocksfoot, crested dQgstail, Timothy and paspalum are permanent, and in association with the clovers form a dense sward in which weeds cannot establish. As this land is consolidated with the trampling of stock, the earlier species of shallow-rooted grasses, such as ryegrass, will establish permanently, and require only careful farming methods to maintain them in excellent vigour. Providing a Water Supply One of the serious disadvantages of this light pumace terrace country ig the lack of a good and permanent water supply, but this is now being provided through a .piped system which gravitates from a permanent supply to concrete troughs serving every paddock. This will cost a further 28s an acre. The present area under grass, 2200 lacres, has been subdivided into 24 sections or farms, each again fenced into from 10 to 15- paddocks of from six to eight acres each in area. The fences are all sheep-proof, and with this subdivision rotational grazing can be practised. So far dairy cows only have been farmed, the stock being of mixed quality and breeds, such as could be purchased throughout the district. Jerseys and their crosses predominate. It is found, however, that the Ayrshire-Jersey cross survives the conditions better tha.n the straight-out Jersey, and this is likely to be more extensively introduced in the future. Intention to Keep Sheep A considerable amount of both hay and ensilage is saved from the luxuriant summer growth, and this is fed out to the stock during winter, serving the dual purpose of maintaining their condition and fertilising the sou with manure and humus in its most available form. It is intended to keep a flock of upward of 1000 sheep, which can be utilised to quickly graze off any area where growth may require to be kept in order, or to clean up land where there is any suspicion of parasitic infection. Salt licks containing limonite and boneflour are available to the stock, which, it must be acknowledged, compare favourably in appearance and production with thosp farmed on the best alluvial areas. As the land is brought to full production and improved with fencing and buildings, the settlers., selected from the native owners who show most aptitude in the work of development, are given individual farms. Six families are now thus established, and the area ■jvill shortly bo ready to receive a further 18. Experience in this scheme has taught many valuable lessons, which could be profited by in the subsequent development of over 5000 acres of land remaining in this block, and of many other areas, both native and Ciown land, in the King Country. The knowledge of the suitable cultivation, plants, manures and general treatment of pumice land gained should be of the very greatest value.