THE FARM COMPETITION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2116, 13 September 1894, Page 6

THE FARM COMPETITION.

MR WILLIAM SCOULLAR'S FARM, .MONTE CHRISTO.

This farm, which, under the points syttem of judging for the Lawes prize offered for areas aVov. 400 and under 1000 aoes in exteit, was a clos. econd to Messrs John Reid and Soni farm (the winner), is one of the subdivisions of the Monte Christo Company's property taken over by Mr W. Scoullar, Messrs John Reid and Sons, and Mr Anderson respectively, all of whom still continue in occupation of their allotted portions. Mr Scoullar's in extent nearly approaches the 1000-acre limit in the competition, and on the left of the road to Waimatuku Flat borders the railway embankment at a short distance from the Wright's Bush railway station. Not far from tt,e line the propn-ty crosses the road, and a considersblf portion of the farm is on the rirht, both ri- ht and left now extending to the bounda.y with John Reid and Sons" farm, the dw<4 ing and out-buildings being on the left and about 100j ds from the main road. f The dwelling and surroundings of extensive garden and orchard, with shelter plantations, are very attra tive and tastetully kept The houfe is well designed, ai-d so commo"ious as to accommodate a large and cultured family. It is solidly and substantially furnished, everything within doors scrupulously clean and tidy, and it is not therefore surprising that "the farm " is the f »vourite resort of Mr Sccullar's family in holiday times. Tbe out-offices are designedly capac : ous— more so, in fact, than needed under the present syftem of management, while indispensable were it found advisable to cultivate move extensively The stabling (with loose box) is amp'e, and so const- ucted as to ensure ventilation aud cleanliness. Thr cowhou-e, with well-arranged stands for 'he rattle, cannot occasion much trouble in cleansing -ml the piggeries are substantial and well cons, jcted, as are tbe fowlhouse, buggy house, and shed for machinery und implements. Special attention is gi*en to the farmyard manures. The different sorts from the stable, the cowhouse, »nd the piggeries are mixed, and the depot, while convenient for the deposit, is nearly at the extremity ot the bu'ldings, so thi.t any exhalations cannot possibly reach the houses for stock, while all liquid from it is carefully husbanded and applied at a fertiliser. Over the greater portion of the f»rm the soil is a deep, rich, peaty loam. Near the homestead, and for a short distance on both sides of the road, there is a higher level, over which the pea'y characteristic disappears, and the soil is simply a friable, fertile loam. Throughout the cycle of bad times passed since the acquisition of the property, nothing has ' damped Mr Scoullar's efforts in its improvement — a formidable task considering its condition when acquired. Sfivcn-tentbs of the area was owampy, abounding in op-n springs and necessarily interseced by tortuous water cours-s, big and little, while dead roots and stumps of trees witbin a few feet of each other must bave impeded cultivation, snpposing the land to have beendry. The reclamation therefore involved the expenditure of ft large amount of money, justified only by a. correst appreciation of tbe producing capabilities of the to'l when improved. Of course drainage* operations first engaged attention. Crooked water educes wh-re strftigbt^ii'd and the chanu A* dropmed in order to provide an out fall i'or uub-drair.s. This work completed, mmy open drains •fere cut so as to receive the discharge from the jubdrains in each paddock. The Utter were so mufh needed tb>t over much of the property they are only 15ft apart All the open drains discharging into the main channels are effective save one, which, running parallel to the main road, borders the flat beyond tbe homestead. ■When the farm was visited this drain tim carrjinjs a large body of water to within 9ia of

the surface, and not in wet weather either. It is bridged over to (jive access to the fields bayoud, and it was plainly to be seen there was an obstruction about 50yds below this bridge which, if removed and the drain deepened up to theboundaryof thefarm, wouldlowerthe level of the running water and provide effective scour. A hinh level of water in an open drain m*ans soaVage of the land abound, theretore fall, wher*ver possible, should be utilised and, if necssary, "relief drains" opened. Following the thorough drainage, the removal of haltburied dead timber, tree stumps, &c. was proceeded with, and judging by the last portion to be dealt with — some four or five acres at tbe extremity of 'he farm— this item in the reclamatioi expenditure was more formidable than th? drainage and fencing together. The farm is judiciouclv subdivided, the fei ces generally iv good order, though two or tbree • are "grosgy" and nearly worn out. Portion of a furze boundary fence i 3 scraggy in the extreme, but through no fault of Mr Scoullar's. Th% object sWdily kept in view in the managemeut of this farm from the outlet has been to cope witti falling pries by increasing its carrying capacity for live stock With the exception of the inappreciable quantity required for the few boraes, cowe, aud pigs kept, the crops produced ro to feed the sheep fl< ck Last season about; 200 acres were under cultivation, con.ptising 65 acivsoats, about 120 acres turnips, and 20 acivs rap- and grass se f ds. All the pastures are Engli-h gr«sse<. and ar« broken up immedia^elv they s^ow si^ns of deterioration. In one of the grass fi-lds th-re weiv numerous tbistf.e stems Th« plan s should have beeu cut before seeding, as they must bave spreid the infesture. As all the rest of the farm was free from weeds, the manager attributed the thistle jfi-owth to the linv'ng of the paddock before laying it down. W<th the pxcep'ion of one wornout field, thp sole of grass on the pastures - ould satisfy sny grazier. The turnip crop was bu^ middling, a* from early failure res* edin? was necessary but the yield is suflk-if nfc to amply supp y the sheep until well on in the spring. All the oats not threshed for howe feed are shpaf chaffed and ftd to the young and fatting sheep. As wanted oat straw is carted out and put in racks for the breeding she-p. Semi-starvatinn of the flock in wintr and the nrcess^ry three moi.ths' sunonvr f«7 dto recover condition is abhorrent to Mr M'Gillivray in the man*g»-n)ent of this farm. The stock on the farm con-isted of 3300 sheep in all, considerable numbers having been previously sold off Irom time to time duri g summer and autumn. There are about 1900 inlamb ewes to Romney Mm-sIl rams, a few pure Romneys and Border Leicesters, and' the balance made up of rams and fl ck sheep in variety Tbe breeding ewes are mostly enssbred Romney and are fairly levd, well-woilled sheep. tJver 300 lambs sold last summer as fr< ezers brought 10s each, and Ihe wether lambs left averaged 8s 6d per he id. Some 200 or 300 ewes are Lincoln cross. There is a small stud fluck of pure Romnys. Fiftj-fiw- ram and ewe hoggets in this class badl> need culling, and Mr M'Gillivray so acknowledges. A pure Romney ram bought a twelve month ago by Mr Si oullac at a long price is no better than he should be. There are some 30 pure Border Le.cts'er hoegets— lo or 12 culled out of them * ould leave a r«re selection.- Tte Border Leicester ram used— a-ix-tooth— is »n exceedingly symme'vical sheep, but showing failings of a^e ; however, he compa-e5 favourably with thr "se'e< t Romney r-m. Tbe condition of the entire fl. ck is excellent, and it is deserving of note that the manager largely attributes the thr.fu of the sheep to the practice fol'owed of hurdling off the pastures so as to give the flock a frequent change and a clean bite. He contends th*t managed in this way the flock and the pa'tures do better than if the sheep had a wider range. Two tennis, four «ervicrabl* draught horses in each, are in work on the farm. A few cow* are k*p' to supply dairy products required by the family in town and the employees on tbe farm. A few pigs— excellent specimeis of the large Yorkshire breed— are also reared tor household requirements, as well as amu titude of poultry. _ . Mr Scoullar's farm must bave cost him in its improvement a large exp^diture of mon*y, but to compensate for the outlay he has a valuable and available as>et. Were it unimproved it would be comparatively worthless ; as jt is, its intrinsic value exceeds that of all but an exceeding few properties in tte colony.