STUDIES IN FARM MANAGEMENT

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 68, Issue 5, 15 May 1944, Page 329

STUDIES IN FARM MANAGEMENT

An Inch Cl u th a Farm

By

J. G. RICHARDS,

Instructor in Agriculture, Dunedin.

AT THE mouth of the Clutha River lies the island of Inch Clutha, one of the most fertile regions in the Dominion. This high natural fertility, combined with a well-distributed rainfall and methods of good husbandry, produces crops which are often amazingly high in yield. The following article describes how crop production and grassland farming are combined on this area.

THE Bruce County, which has as its centre the township of Milton, is some 320,000 acres in area and on this acreage there is a wide diversity of farm types ranging from dairy farms to small grazing areas. The boundaries of the county are the Clutha River in the south, Lake Waihola in 'the north, and the sea coast in the east. The county extends some 16 miles inland from the sea, being roughly rectangular in shape. Foremost among the, natural farming regions of the Bruce County is the island of Inch Clutha, and its environs, which is situated at the southern end of the county in the lower reaches of the Clutha River. It is at the township of Balclutha that the Clutha River divides to form the Inch Clutha Island, the two branches of the river being the Matau, which moves to. the left, and the Koau, which moves to the right. The island area confined between these two brances of the Clutha River is some 7,000 acres in area, and on the mainland bordering these streams is another 5,000 odd acres of essentially the same soil type. (See map). The soil of the island and of those areas on the mainland immediately bordering the edges of the two streams is for the greater part rich alluvial silt, giving the Clutha series of soils which vary from fine sands to coarse sands and gravel. These soils have been formed from the debris of micaschist rocks carried down and deposited by the Clutha River. Towards the seaward end of the region areas of peaty loam and peat are to be found, and the drainage of the island, a not inconsiderable problem, is car-

ried out by the Lower Clutha River Trust. The island is flat, though irregular in shape, due to the sinuous course of the Matau branch, and access to the island from the mainland is afforded by two bridges and a river punt. The bridges are situated at Stirling and Kaitangata and the punt ,at Paretai-. Land as fertile as the Inch Clutha area naturally lends itself to the intense type of farming and thus it is found that the system of farming carried out hinges around the dairy cow. Climate The rainfall of the Inch Clutha area is not excessive, the inland portion receiving an annual rainfall of approximately 30 inches, whereas rainfall on the coastal region is above this, being in the vicinity of 35-38 inches per annum. The distribution of rain throughout the year is fairly even, but from rainfall records covering the period 1930-43 it is apparent that the rainfall during September and October is below that of other months. This is of interest from the . point of view of spring cultivation and spring sowings.. During May to August hard frosts are likely to be experienced and there is generally one light fall of

snow each year, but this at the most does not lie for more than a couple of days. Types of Farming Essentially dairying country the farms in the area, whilst having dairy-

ing as their basis, are more diversified than in the usual dairying districts of New Zealand. Besides butterfat production a variety of produce can be and is grown in the Inch Clutha district, affording much evidence as to the productivity of the soil and to the versatility and skill of the farmers in occupation. It is considered that the soil in this district is one of the more fertile areas, if not the most fertile area of New Zealand. Bordering the land now in production there are many acres of swamp land which if efficiently drained would in crease the productive capacity of this region. Dairy farms, mixed farms, fat lamb farms and cattle fattening farms are to be found in the area. Sources of Income The chief marketable' products derived are:— 1. Butterfat for cheese manufacture, . there being three strategically situated cheese factories. i 2. Whole milk for town supply. . 3. Potatoes. 4. Fat cattle. 5. Fat lambs. 6. Wheat. Other sources of farm income may be the sale of swede turnips for cattle fattening and domestic purposes, the growing of annual crops on contract, such as chicory or mustard, and the sale of hay or grazing. It is rarely that grass and clover seeds are harvested. . Oats when grown are almost invariably for chaff. It will be seen, . from the foregoing that farming in this area is somewhat elastic, the farmer having a wide choice of products with which to supplement his butterfat production. In fact, over the past two or three seasons the output of cheese from the area has fallen, the tendency being for some farmers to reduce their herds and in odd cases to dispose of them altogether and to receive their farm incomes from fat lambs, fat cattle or annual crops. Wheat Growing Wheat growing on Inch Clutha is one of the major sidelines and exceptionally good yields between 60-70 bushels are being obtained annually. The acreage of wheat grown each year is in the vicinity of 250 acres, all of which is the Cross. 7. variety. One of the major , problems confronting farmers on this highly fertile land is the control of annual weeds, and where wheat is grown annual weeds are likely to increase. The position of wheat in the rotation is such that annual weeds are given the least chance to develop. Wheat usually follows on land which has had one or two swede or potato crops, because with these crops the intercultivation given does much to reduce the weed population and the number of weeds likely to occur in the following wheat crop. When following potatoes the cultivator

is. run through the potato ground, bringing to the surface many small tubers which lie there exposed to the frost and subsequently decay. A crop of self-sown potatoes in a wheat crop would seriously affect the yield of that crop, but by using the forces of nature the farmer, is able to reduce the liability of self-sown potatoes to a minimum. Wheat is generally sown in September, the seeding being from 2|-3 bushels per . acre, and harvesting usually commences in February. When following swedes the land is ploughed as soon as is convenient after the removal of the swedes. It is a common practice to sow out in grass after wheat. A field of wheat in stook recently seen had been since 1937 under crops which up till .1941 were swedes or potatoes. For 1942 and 1943 seasons the area was in wheat and the yields were over 60 bushels. This example further illustrates the high fertility of the greater part of the soil in the Inch Clutha area. Fat Lambs It is estimated that approximately 5,000 fat lambs find their way to the

freezing works from this area each year. Those farmers who derive a source of income from fat lambs find it profitable to buy in each March sound full-mouth ewes from which they take a lamb, fattening this and disposing also of the ewes as fats. The ewes purchased are generally good-framed Romney Cross sheep. Footrot is one of the major reasons for disposal of the ewes annually, but in some cases ewes may be kept a couple of years. Where sheep are run on dairy farms in this district areas in other sidelines such as wheat and potatoes have to be correspondingly decreased to make way for further pasturage. Fat Cattle It is generally recognised that of the stock sold at the Burnside market the fat cattle from the Inch Clutha area are some of the finest offered for sale. In recent years the number of fat cattle coming from the Inch Clutha has been increased, this increase being due chiefly to the fact that one or two farmers have changed completely over

from butterfat production to the raising of fat cattle.. Where returns from fat cattle are to provide the major source of farm income cattle of from 2J-3 years old are purchased in September just as grass growth is becoming apparent. . These cattle are in the main Hereford, Shorthorn, and Aberdeen Angus Cross, the two first-named breeds being the most favoured. It is no doubt largely due to the excellence of the : swede crops grown that the production of fat cattle is of such high order. From September to October, when the cattle are purchased until April the major source of fodder is grass. As hay is usually saved for the provision of a supplement/ excellent grazing on hay aftermath in March and April is obtained. The feeding of swedes, to stock commences in May and along with these swedes adequate hay is fed. It is in the month of July that the stock begins to go forward to the market. Prices realised in July-August, 1943, ranged to as high as £35 per head. One field of swedes which carried five bullocks to the acre realised £25 per acre as a grazing proposition, and the stock when sold realised from £3O. to £33 per head at Burnside.

TYPICAL FARM ON INCH CLUTHA. The farm described is one which may be regarded as above the average, but nevertheless is typical of the area and provides an insight into the farm practices and farm management of the district. This farm, which is situated at the western end of the island, is of 146 acres, being divided into 10 main fields the areas of which range from 7 to 18 acres. ■ Centrally situated is an area of 20 acres which is subdivided into small paddocks and contains the farmer’s house and farm buildings. The small fields are utilised for the holding of calves, bulls and horses. At the southern end of the farm there is an area of 11 acres of sandhills carrying a plantation of pines, these affording some shelter from the southerly winds. All fields, except two, are provided with water troughs, the water being pumped from the river. (See farm plan for position of troughs and pipelines). The fields 9 and 10 on the farm plan are those not supplied with troughs, but here provision is made for the stock to have, access to the river for water. All fences and gates are in first-class order, the fences being either wire or live hedges of gorse or hawthorn. Farm Buildings The farm buildings are conveniently situated, consisting of the farmers house (A), a cowshed (B) of solid construction and containing a four-cow, double-unit, low-line machine, a stable and barn combined (C). and an implement shed (D). This implement shed is a feature of the farm buildings, being 108 ft. long by 26 ft. in depth and constructed of timber with an iron roof. At one end of the shed is a loose box. Besides housing implements the shed is of such size that manures and seeds can be stored with convenience. Full use of this shed is made for the storing and grading of potatoes. Labour Requirements v Th® labour permanently employed on the farm is the farmer himself and a hired boy, assistance in the cowshed and at certain other classes of work being given by the farmer’s daughter. Seasonal labour is required for potato picking, turnip thinning and hay-making, and in pre-war times such labour was readily available in the district. Under present-day conditions this source of labour is no longer available, the farmer now having to make full use of schoolboy and army camp labour. Ploughing and heavy cultivation are done by tractor, the farmer’s son, who is in occupation of an area of similar size and undertaking a similar programme of work some three miles away, working the tractor on both areas. Not all farmers in the district do their heavy work with tractors; there still is,a fair amount of heavy work done by horse teams. The part played by horses on the farm in question is not unimportant, for naturally there is a good deal of single and double horse work required and such work as scuffling is more conveniently done by horses than by the tractor. ' Implements The implements of the farm are as follows: Potato digger, potato planter, discs, harrows, ridger (2 row), two double-furrow

ploughs, single digger, power mower, hay sweep and the necessary sundries, implements such as scufflers. Livestock The farm carries 60 dairy cows, 2 bulls, 16 heifers, 19 calves and 8 horses. The dairy cows are Friesians, Shorthorns and crosses of these j breeds; Shorthorn bulls are used. Two 1 of the horses are aged and are due for disposal; for normal working 5 horses are sufficient.

Dairy Herd Management Whole milk is supplied to a cheese factory and the annual butterfat production is 15,000 lb. or 250 lb. per cow. The herd is timed to calve in August and dry off in May; late calvers are milked through the winter. The herd is tested under the supervision of the South Island Herd Testing Association. Dairy calves are fed on whole milk for the first three weeks, then until four months old they receive watered whole milk and meat meal. Autumn supplementary feeding of the dairy herd commences in April

when chou moellier is fed out. Hay and swedes form the main winter feed and swedes are replaced by mangolds in the spring after the cows calve and until grass growth is adequate for full milk production. Utilisation of Fields As at April 1, 1944, the following is the cover of individual fields:— Field 1, 7 acres: Superlative swedes. Previous crop 6-year-old lea. Field 2. 11 acres: 6-year-old lea. A pasture with perennial ryegrasswhite clover dominant and timothy and Montgomery red clover in fair proportions. Weeds mainly, docks and minor quantity of broad leaf plantain and chick weed.' Will probably be ploughed in July for swedes. Hay was taken from this area in January, 1944. This pasture displayed excellent vigour at April 1, 1944. Field 3. 15 acres: Part 2-year-old lea and part 3-year-old lea. Dominantly perennial ryegrass with some cocksfoot, timothy, Montgomery red clover and white clover in fair proportions. Some docks and chickweed present. Field 4. 13 acres: 9 acres Superlative swedes, 3 acres King Edward potatoes, 1 acre chou moellier and soft turnips. This field has now been under cultivation for five seasons and will be sown down this coming spring. Field 5. 8 acres: 4-year-old lea. Will remain down in grass for at least another 2 years before being ploughed up. Field 6. 10 acres: 6-year-old lea. Will probably be ploughed up this year. Field 7. 9 acres: Potatoes. Previous crop was swedes out of lea. Field 8. 8 acres: 6-year-old lea. Field 9. 8 acres: 5 acres swedes; 3 acres mangolds. Previous crop potatoes out of lea. Field 10. 18 acres: Young grass sown in spring of 1943. During the past five seasons this area has been alternately cropped with swedes and potatoes. Crop Management Swedes: From the farm plan and the detailed statement of the present field utilisation it will be observed that the fields 1, 4 (part) and 9 are in swedes, these being sown after lea, potatoes and potatoes respectively. The growing of swedes after such previous crops is almost universal in this district and where lea is the previous crop the field is generally ploughed in July, and subsequently worked down into the desirable seed-bed. The crops are sown on 26 in. ridges from midOctober onwards. Varieties commonly used are Superlative and Masterpiece and seed is sown at the rate of from 14 to 18 oz. per acre and manured with up to 3 cwt. of turnip manure. When following potatoes ploughing is generally a month or so later.

On this very fertile land annual weeds are a problem and no little attention must be given to their control. The growing of cereal crops in the district, although high yields are obtained (95 bushels of wheat and 110-115 bushels of oats are known to have been obtained), is not looked upon with any great favour because of the weed growth such crops encourage. . The chief weeds are fathen. docks and more recently redshank. By the efficient use of the double and single scufflers, hand thinning and hand weeding these weeds are kept fairly well in check in swede crops. Yields of swedes have been known to be as high as 90 tons of roots per acre and good crops usually average between 70-80 tons. The swedes are grown primarily for feeding as a winter supplement, along with hay, ,to the dairy cows and this feeding generally commences in the month of May. On farms where there is a surplus of swedes these may be utilised for the topping off of fat cattle. Good crops of swedes will carry five bullocks to the acre and in the past season swede crops for this purpose realised as much as £25 per acre. Potatoes: It will be noted that part of field 4 (3 acres) and field 7 are in potatoes, the former following swedes and the latter lea. These again are typical rotations adopted in the area in respect of potatoes. The ploughing of lea land takes place in July-August and swede ground is ploughed as soon as is convenient after the removal of the swedes. The two main varieties grown are King Edward and Arran Chief. Average yields for the district are in the vicinity of 11-13 tons but individual cases are known where yields up to 20 tons per acre have been obtained. It is from the Inch Clutha area that 95 per cent, of the certified seed potatoes of South Otago are grown and even those growers who do not plant certified seed for potato seed production are conscious of the benefits occurring from the use of certified seed and where possible use certified seed for their commercial crops. Planting commences from mid-September onwards, but the bulk of the planting is done in early October. The usual cultural operations of scuffling and moulding are carried out at appropriate times, and digging usually commences in early April and extends to the end of May. Crops generally suffer an attack of late blight, but it is rarely that serious damage occurs to the tubers as a result of this fungus disease. Because intercultivation is carried out, potatoes, like swedes, are favoured from the point of weed control. Fathen is the chief offending weed, and if bad, hand pulling is sometimes resorted to. Chou Moellier: The growing of an area of chou moellier for early winter feed is a practice which is now coming into favour. This crop is finding a useful place in so far as it'is early maturing, produces a relatively high yield of palatable fodder, and is more resistant to club root than most other brassica crops. On land which is club root infected it is unwise to grow swedes after swedes, but where it is desired that a brassica crop shall follow a brassica chou moellier can often be grown with success and without much interference from club root. With the increase in the acreage of this crop the local farmers, who each year conduct root crop competitions, have considered it wise now to have a competition for chou moellier growing. C It is customary to sow the chou moellier at the rate of IJ-2 lb. per acre on ridges. Sowing commences from mid- to end October, the seed being ridged in with 3 cwt. of turnip manure. Intercultivation is carried out in the early stages of growth and yields up to 60 tons per acre have been reported. Feeding out to dairy cows may commence from April. The acre of chou moellier and soft turnips in field 4 are for the provision of this early winter feed before the main feeding of hay and swedes commences. Mangolds: An acreage of mangolds is grown in the district for the provision of a supplementary fodder between the tail-end of the swedes and the commencement of the spring grass growth. Mangolds, which generally follow potatoes or swedes, are sown at the rate of 5-6 lb. per acre on 25 in. to 26 in. ridges, sowing generally commencing in October. The chief \- varieties grown are Yellow Globe and Red Intermediate, which may yield up to 90 tons per acre.

Pasture Management From the detailed analysis of the present . field utilisation it will be apparent that the ploughing up of pastures occurs every six or seven years. The question no doubt unconsciously being asked is “Why is it necessary on land of such fertility to renew pastures every year?” It is not inferiority of pasture that necessitates ploughing but rather the system of farming being carried out. Were more dairy cows carried pastures might possibly be required to remain down for three or four more years, but then such crops as potatoes would have to be eliminated from the farm programme. The six- and seven-year-old pastures are indeed good, perennial ryegrass, cocksfoot, timothy, white clover, and Montgomery red clover being the dominant pasture species. Weeds are chiefly docks, plantain, chickweed and wireweed. Field 2, of 11 acres, has been in grass for six years and in all probability it will be turned over in July preparatory to being sown in either swedes or potatoes. The establishment of new pastures generally takes place after swedes or potatoes, sowing being done in the spring without any nurse crop. In pre-war times 14 cwt.-l ton of lime was customarily sown when the pasture was sown down and during the life of the pasture it would probably receive a further 15 cwt. of carbonate of lime. On the farm under discussion topdressing with 2 cwt. of superphosphate was a common annual practice in pre-war days. For the efficient winter feeding of stock and for the maintenance of health adequate supplies of hay must be available to the herd and fields from which hay is to be saved are usually closed up in November, thus enabling hay making to be in full swing by January. In the farm under review hay was saved from field 2 (11 acres) this past season. Hay - was saved from field 1 (7 acres) and field 8 (8 acres) in 1943 and from fields 5 and 7 in 1942. It will be seen, therefore, that 11 acres, 15 acres and 16 acres are the areas saved for hay over the past three seasons. The . area saved each year for hay will, of course, depend on what the previous year’s carryover has been and the available grass growth during the season.