MORVEN HILLS RUN

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 16

MORVEN HILLS RUN

■REGRASSING EXPERIMENTS. PROPOSAL FOR SMALL FRUIT AREAS. At the meeting of the Otago Land Board on the 9th Ranger Leonard reported upon the condition 'of Run 238 J, Morven Hills subdivision, which was reserved a few years ago for regrassing experiments, and upon which the Government has been carrying out experiments. The time is approaching when the run will again have to be dealt with by the board, and it is considered that part of it might prove useful for fruit farming. The Ranger stated that above the Main road the run was divided into three parts. The part near the road had been used for the regrassing experiments. Some of the experiments had given good results this year, more especially when it was considered that the grasses had been grown without irrigation. The tall cat grass had grown from Sin to Bin high, and looked to be a good grass for hay. Another first-class and comparatively unknown grass in the district was the prairie grass, which had also done remarkably well. Ryegrass, cocksfoot, and some of the native grasses had also done fairly well. The middle part of the run had • been left without stock upon it. It had been well rabbited, although there were a good many of the pest still upon it. This part looked remarkably well, and showed a wonderful improvement. The native grasses being allowed to seed, they had already covered a great many of the bare places; and even the sunny, dry faces, which, before the area was fenced in, looked as if. the vegetation was forever gone, showed signs of recovery. Thistles, and in some places grass, were coming back. In some of the gullies the star thistle was five or six inches high. Later on it was proposed, he understood, to experiment with sm-face sowing on this area, which contained about 2600 acres. The upper portion of the run, which contained about 8550 acres, was let under a grazing license for eight months in each vear. and in the remaining four months stock was kept off it. Some suggestions had been made that a portion of the run should be divided into fruit grazing areas, another portion let as small grazing runs, and about • 1000 acres retained for experimental purposes. There was no doubt that there w*as an area of some excellent land--which would bo very suitable for.fruit-growing if it were irrigated. If a race were cut from die Li rid is River to water this area there was little doubt that the sections would be readily applied for, and would give splendid results. The Ardgowan block, which had just been subdivided into small areas, and which joined the run in question, could be irrigated from the same race. If, however the Government was not prepared to irrigate the area, he was of opinion that small fruit-growing farms would prove a failure. The board resolved to adopt the report and suggestion. The area will be inspected by the commissioner, probably early next summer. ,