A SOUTHLAND TUSSOCK RUN

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 81, Issue 4, 16 October 1950, Page 347

A SOUTHLAND TUSSOCK RUN

By

W. FAITHFUL,

, Fields Instructor, Department of Agriculture,

Invercargill. GROWING wool is a matter of particular importance not only to New Zealand but to countries far beyond it, where famine and lack of adequate clothing unfortunately are often the rule rather than the exception. This article describes sheep farming for wool production on a tussock-land run, Glenaray, which is virtually a small community. Glenaray is. a Southland run of about 112,000 acres, consisting of 110,000 acres of tussock and bush and 2000 acres of ploughable land devoted to rotational grass and crop. The property carries about 13,500 breeding ewes, 8500 wethers, 8000 hoggets, and almost 1000 head of cattle. The growing and feeding off of supplementary winter feed require very careful planning and efficient application and tend to complicate management.

OF the 31 million acres occupied in the Southland Land District some 1 1-3 million acres are tussock country; a further 1 1-3 million acres, much of . which was previously in tussock, has been ploughed for crops and pastures, Most of the runs in Southland are in the higher and more remote parts ' of the district and access is often difficult; in some instances the only h^ a bnat° f approaching homesteads is PJI x boat- th» be r p? llsed therefore that some of the problems connected with the management of these areas are not encountered in the management of the more orthodox sheep farn k Two very obvious differences are the extent of country involved and the . range of altitude, which may be anything from low foothills to the region of perpetual snow. The successful management of a sheep run calls for keen organising ability together with an appreciation of the carrying capacity of tussock

land to “do” sheep well without either overstocking or understocking. Continuous overstocking is of course the greater of the two evils, as its effects are cumulative; understocking can be rectified, and is sometimes advisable. Jhe effect of understocking usually cial return Some blocks of tussock ® al often stand heavier stocking than S ° and ta " d • hea r ™® s r u l° S that good S ’ judgment is essential and the capacity of a good head shepherd or manager f 0 assess this accurately is Hy appreciated. ' ’ Although the carrying capacity of tussock blocks often varies considerabiy rom time to time the over-all carrying capacity of the’ run is fairly ? P t a h C g y fl f u “ is decided by the n^mber of stock that can be suecessfully wintered. This, of course, applies to all types of farming, but it is particularly important with run country.

Wintering If the average farmer finds that he is short of winter keep for his stock, he can usually manage to buy in feed or buy grazing from others, but with the sheep run this is usually imposimpracticable, as often there is little or no country that can be utiUsed for the growing of any winter feed, and reliance, therefore, has to be placed upon the lower-altitude “winter blocks” for the maintenance of the stock during this critical period; so i? mind 1 of the^runholder™ 8 I&rge Glenaray Just as there is variation in the soil type, management, and production of various farms, so there is variation in the management and production of wilf carry more than^others-some runs have TittL country smtable the growing of supplementary feed L® J winter?n c+nnt bid there r ° r where nrnvhdnn ran be mad? winter fodder and these have a higher over-all carrying capacity, Glenaray is one of the runs where special winter feed can be grown. Glenaray is one of the largest runs in New Zealand. The homestead is situated in picturesque surroundings 11 miles to the north, of the township of Waikaia and is approached by . road along the fertile valley of the Whakaea River. The elevation of the country varies between 700 ft. at the homestead to 6000 ft., the highest, point in the Garvie Range, which constitutes part of , ..-.p.,..- nuATArn/nu \*/ .■ l • HEADING PHO iOGRAPH: Wethers being moved off chou moellier at Glenaray.

the property. Of the 112,000 acres in the property approximately 40,000 acres are in bush, and the “quality” of the tussock may be judged from the fact that 30,000 sheep are carried. In addition it carries 400 breeding cows and 14 bulls to maintain the supply of cattle. There are also a substantial number of brood mares, pack horses, and hacks, besides miscellaneous stock including utility horses and milking cows..

Accommodation

. In addition to the homestead, manager’s house, cookhouse, and single men’s quarters separate houses with sections are provided for nine married couples. A particularly interesting feature of the employment of married couples at Glenaray is that the original Glenaray School was established by Mr. George Pinckney, the previous owner of the run. The school was taken over by the Education Department many years ago, but even today most of the pupils are children of Glenaray employees. In addition to the accommodation already mentioned there are 14 musterers’ huts, 3 of which are in the high country. The huts are named, the name usually being indicative of the situation; thus “Blue Lake” hut is situated on the bank of a lake of intensely blue water and “Titan” is situated at the base of the Titan Rocks. Others have a historical association, such as “The Dam”, which is the on the site of a dam constructed in the old gold-rush days, and “Jack Macs”, named after a boundary rider of the early days. History A few years ago a very comprehensive and informative series of articles on the southern runs was written by Herries Beattie and published in “The Southland Times”. In most instances the history of each run was traced back to the time of the Waste Lands Board which was set up. in Dunedin in 1853. This board dealt with all applications for pastoral land in the country, outside the original Otago block. When dealing with the Glenaray run Mr. Beattie says: “This run is No. 328 on the register, but the collector does not know much about it”; and there appears to be some confusion as regards ownership until 1871, when, to quote the collector again, “the run was included in the Southland Land District and in 1874 John

McKellar gave Wm. Boyer an order for 45,000 feet of good birch timber to build the Glenaray wool shed”. The more recent history of Glenaray is more definite. The run has been owned by the Pinckney family since 1898, and from the time it was first taken over a long-sighted policy has been adopted to develop and improve it. A feature in implementing this ; policy was that the previous owner, Mr. George Pinckney, who was recognised as one of the most able managers of tussock country in New Zealand, lived on the run and was closely associated with its administration right up to the time of his death in 1948. From 1930 Glenaray was managed by Mr. George Pinckney and his nephew" Mr. H. W. Pinckney jointly and since 1948 Mr. H. W. Pinckney has been in sole charge.

Type "of Sheep Although the production of wool is of paramount importance to the runholder, other factors have also to be taken into consideration when deciding upon the type of sheep from which it is intended to breed; it is sometimes necessary to make alterations in policy. The aim at Glenaray has been to breed a sheep that will suit the type of country, that will produce a fleece as fine as possible, and yet, having both these characteristics, will be attractive to the sheep farmer on the lower country who will eventually buy the cast ewes. To attain this almost dual type has not been by any means easy, particularly because sheep must be of sound constitution and be agile to make full use of the high country. The last feature is important, as the high country is available for only a limited part of the year and it is essential that the sheep turned out on it keep to the high country from choice, rather than having to be driven there continually. If, for example, the Romney influence becomes too dominant, the tendency is for the sheep to leave the high country in preference to the lower levels. When the run was first acquired sheep were of a rather mixed breed and were found unsuitable for the proposed system of management. Immediate steps were taken therefore to effect an improvement. To standardise the type of sheep Mr. G. Pinckney introduced Merino rams, which were used until 1908, when Romneys were brought in and were used for 10 years. From 1918 to 1933 both Corriedales and Romneys were used, 60 Corriedale and 30 Romney rams being purchased each year during this period. From 1933 Romney rams only have been used. At present the Romney influence is strong, but the type of sheep being

bred is fulfilling the three qualifications mentioned previously: An active sheep, producing a fine but heavy fleece, and attractive to the sheep and dairy farmer as a cast ewe. Rams To maintain the carrying capacity of the run and the weight and quality of the wool 450 rams, are necessary for the 13,500 ewes. Rams are purchased from local breeders, as no attempt has been made to breed rams at Glenaray because it has always been found much more satisfactory to buy in good flock rams of the desired type. Rams are usually disposed of after about 4 years’ use, but this is not by any means a hard-and-fast rule, as age, type, and constitution are all taken into consideration. Every year rams are inspected before any new rams are purchased and any ram, irrespective of age, which is not considered desirable is discarded; all discarded rams are used for dog feed. Type of Wool The type of wool being produced on any sheep run is, of course, most important, as on it depends the return from the only major source of income. There is a wide choice from fine Merino down through the half-bred and Corriedale grades to crossbred, depending upon the type of country, climate, and management of a particular run. At Glenaray the type of wool being produced has been influenced by the same factors as those mentioned previously as governing the type of sheep. As might be expected, the wool is a fairly fine crossbred, the counts of the 1 fleece wools being about 46’s to 48/50’s. The fact that it is possible to ! provide supplementary winter feed has a considerable influence on the

type of sheep, the quality of the wool, the number of sheep carried, and other phases of management of the run. Shearing Shearing usually begins about November 20 with the rams, which are followed by the paddock wethers, hoggets, and hill wethers, and finally the ewes. Once shearing starts there is no break except for wet weather and the Christmas holidays. Mustering of the various blocks is done in rotation and must be organised so that there is no confusion when bringing sheep to the shed or taking them away. After the marking muster musterers proceed to the high country and muster wethers while the shearing of the rams, paddock wethers, and hoggets is proceeding- While the hill wethers are being shorn the ewes and lambs are being mustered on the various blocks and are brought in. Lambs are drafted off, and while ewes are being shorn lambs are being wigged or eye clipped, two machines being kept busy in the yards on this work. Through eye clipping, wool blindness is avoided; a wool-blind sheep is seriously hampered on run country in its search for feed and consequently does not thrive. The shearing shed at Glenaray has a holding capacity of about 2000 hoggets or 1700 adult sheep, and there is accommodation for 14 shearers on the board, although this number is not employed. The shed was built in the days of blade shearing; in fact part of it is the same building for which in 1874 John McKellar ordered the 45,000 ft. of good “birch” (beech) timber from Wm. Boyer. Originally it had holding capacity for only 900 sheep, but it has been extended periodically.

Until the outbreak of the Second World War all shearing at Glenaray was done with blades, but owing to the acute shortage of blade shearers at that time, the owners were forced to change to machine shearing and that practice has been continued. It is worthy of note that there have been no serious losses of sheep since the change-over.

Seven handpieces are used in the shed and in good weather with this number of shearers shearing takes about 8 weeks; in a bad year when there has been much wet weather shearing has extended to the end of February. Seven musterers, 1 packer, 7 shearers, 6 hands for picking up, skirting, and rolling, 2 for pressing, and 1 for penning are required at shearing. A professional wool classer is engaged every year and his services have proved valuable, as with such a large clip to deal with a much more uniform classing is possible than would be the case if this work had to be done by a less experienced person. Disposal of the Wool Clip The wool clip yields about 640 bales every year and is sold under the run’s own mark; it has an established reputation. As is the usual custom, the wool is pressed during shearing and disposed of immediately, being transported by lorry and rail. Sheep Management The management of the 30,000 sheep is of course greatly influenced by the general policy of the run. At the time of the autumn muster in April all sheep are put through the shed and crutched, dipped, and drafted for age by age mark. No sheep are carried beyond full mouth; at this age the cast ewes are disposed of privately and the tops of the cast wethers are disposed of for freezing and the balance wintered on supplementary feed, usually chou moellier and hay, and sold the following spring. There is no special weaning muster at Glenaray, as any such muster would be necessary just after the ewes and lambs had been turned out to the high

MANAGEMENT OF SHEEP

country; consequently weaning is also done at the fall muster. The weaned lambs are grazed in the paddocks on the flats until they are put on to supplementary feed, and the ewes go out to the tupping blocks. Any cull 2tooths are not put to the ram, but are turned out on the low tussock country for another year and they are then put to the ram as 4-tooths. Tupping and Lambing There are 5 tupping blocks, which, if necessary, are all used. Rams go out as near as possible to the first' week in May: The oldest rams go to the roughest blocks; ’ the younger rams are used on the easier country. All the tupping blocks are visited periodically by shepherds and sheep rounded up. At the end of tupping the rams are drafted in yards on ■ the tupping blocks. : The ewes are then let run on the low country until shearing time. Lambing begins during the first week in October. Ewes are kept under general observation during lambing, but this is not made a special job; the lambing percentage is 75 to 80 and

all lambs are kept, no attempt being made to fatten any lambs, as all are required for replacements. Use of High Country As much use as possible, within the limits of safety, is made of the high country, but there is the ever-present risk of snow. By good judgment and by getting all the sheep down to the winter country before snow normally falls the risk may be minimised to some extent. Normally ewes and lambs are put out on the high country immediately after shearing, but wethers are on this country earlier, perhaps in September, according to when the snow clears. All sheep are below the snow line by the end of April. There have been some very anxious times and some heavy losses because of snow at Glenaray; if all the sheep are on the recognised “safe” country and snow comes, nothing need be done about it, but if sheep are in the high country and snow falls in, say, April, there is serious trouble. Sheep cannot be mustered in deep snow, and snow experienced in April does not usually clear away quickly, as it normally heralds the beginning of winter. If the snow is not heavy, some mustering may be attempted, but heavy snow entails snow raking, which is the most heart-breaking of all jobs on a highcountry sheep run. Some idea of the risk of damage and loss from snow may be gained from the records of Glenaray, where in 1945 there was a loss of 3700 sheep owing to heavy snow in April. In 1939, although heavy snow was recorded, losses were comparatively light, as the sheep were all in winter country. One of the worst years was 1933. Snow fell in April and snow raking had to be done from April 20 until June 1. Between April and June 2000 ewes, 3000 lambs, and 1000 wethers were lost. In 1918 and 1923 there were also heavy snow and losses of sheep, although neither year was as bad as 1933. Snow is one of the extremely unpleasant phases of life on a high-country run, and beside being a source of heavy financial loss, snow can, in a relatively short time, nullify the work of many years.

In 1939 a survey was made by aeroplane to ascertain the condition of the sheep and cattle in snow; by this method a complete survey, which would otherwise have taken at least 3 or 4 days, was made in 35 minutes, Health of Sheep The health of the sheep on the hills is good, but it must be remembered that the hoggets are wintered on turnips and hay and there are approximately 8000 concentrated on the flats during winter. For many years it has been the practice to drench the sheep wintered on the flat three times — April, at the end of May, and finally in August; this drenching minimises the incidence of internal parasites. Foot-rot is found to be rather troublesome and there are 4 foot-rot troughs on the run, which are used continually during late winter and spring. Wintering and Supplementary Feed When Glenaray was first taken over there was very little flat country available for supplying supplementary feed and the sheep had to be wintered almost entirely on the low tussock country. It soon became obvious to Mr. G. Pinckney that if the carrying capacity of the run was to be increased and his general policy developed, a first essential was sufficient winter feed, at least for the young sheep; the problem was where to grow it. The obvious place was the good, fertile flats of the Waikaia Valley and gradually three farms on the flats adjoining the homestead were purchased, and at present, there are about 2000 acres of agricultural land available for wintering the hoggets and some of the wethers. Full use of this land is made throughout the year, and to winter the sheep satisfactorily it is necessary to grow approximately 400 acres of swedes, hard turnips, and chou moellier every year; in addition about 200 acres are sown down to grass every year. The preparation of this land for turnips entails a great deal of work and organisation.

Swedes, Turnips, and Chou Moellier

Breaking up of the oldest lea paddocks intended for the swedes, turnips, and chou moellier crops is begun early in autumn to permit full advantage being taken of winter frosts. Cultivation of this lea ploughing is undertaken as soon as it is possible to get on to the land, and sowing takes place in November, using 4-row ridgers. As soon as the various crops are getting to the 4-leaf stage scuffling begins and scufflers are kept going, as fat-hen and spurrey are troublesome weeds in the turnip and swede crops at Glenaray. In any paddock where it is necessary to grow two turnip crops in succession the preparatory cultivation for the second crop depends a great deal on the conditions at the time; there is no set rule. If, for example, the turnips are finished early, the land may be ploughed and grubbed and worked; if the breaks are late, the paddock may be thoroughly disced ana grubbed instead of being ploughed. Another factor to be taken into consideration is the probability and likely severity of club root in the particular paddock or paddocks; in some instances paddocks have been ploughed and worked and

the second crop ridged in within a week with quite successful results. If possible, turnip land is given an application of up to 1 ton of carbonate of lime before the crop is sown, but here again much depends on the existing conditions, such as weather, transport, and timely arrival of lime, and, of course, the previous treatment of the paddock. Club root: Club root is troublesome in root crops, but it is impossible to sow the whole of the 400 acres of turnips on land ploughed out of lea; consequently about half this acreage is put in on land which has had turnips the previous season. Though a great deal of thought has been given to combating club root and many different methods of cultivation have been tried, and though experiments with anti-club root fertilisers have been undertaken and liberal applications of lime have been made annually, club root is still a very serious problem. Feeding off: From weaning in April which they are in the first week which is usually in the first week in June, hoggets graze the grass paddocks and from the first week in June until the grass begins to make some growth, which is usually in October, they are grazed on the turnips and given adequate supplies of hay. The wethers are not put on feed until some time later, depending upon the growth of autumn ffraqq growtn or autumn grass. Pastures The arable land on this run is of extreme importance, as not only does it have to provide 400 acres of turnips and similar crops for grazing off in winter, but reliance is placed on the sown-grass lands for supplying sufficient hay to give a reasonably balanced diet during this period of the year, when 28 to 30 degrees of frost is not uncommon and pasture growth stops. Approximately 200 acres are sown down each year, the seeds mixture used being: 151 b. of perennial rye-

grass, 51b. of Italian ryegrass (or, more recently, 101 b. of perennial and 101 b of short-rotation ryegrass), 41b. of cocksfoot, 41b. of timothy, 31b. of white clover, 31b. of Montgomery red clover, and Jib. of crested dogstail. The mixture may be altered according to the situation of the paddock; more timothy and less cocksfoot and perhaps no dogstail would be sown on the very high fertility flats, and other adjustments also made for some of the terrace land. Pasture mixtures are sown broadcast, usually without a nurse crop, except perhaps if the pasture is being sown in the particular paddock where the oats are being grown For many years pastures were sown in November or December, but recently 1* has been found more convenient, as far as organisation of work is concerned, to sow them in October and results are equally as good as with the later sowing. Pasture Management , T ° hard-and-fast rule is adhered to ln liming before sowing, but if it is V 1 sowing,but if it is found practicable, the land is dressed with both lime and phosphate (superphosphate, reverted superphosphate, °£, perhaps, basic slag) before the grass seed is broadcast. Topdressing h lime or superphosphate carrwd °ut either in early spring or autumn as the organisation of other work permits normally about 400 acres a year are treated During and since the war it has not been possible to adhere to this programme, and though as much topdressing as possible has been undertaken during the period of shortages, some paddocks, for example, may miss being limed owing to unforeseen circumstances and will then probably receive an application of J to 1 ton the following year. Much depends on the condition and age of the paddock. Young grass paddocks are brought into the grazing programme as soon as practicable; there is always stock available, and in the first week in November the paddocks

MANAGEMENT OF CATTLE

intended for haying are closed. Usually paddocks are down for about 8 years, but this is not always possible or desirable and the age of the paddocks varies considerably according to circumstances. Some have been down for 15 to 18 years, but these paddocks are exceptional. Hay and Oats With the introduction of winter feeding of roots it was realised that hay was a necessity, and consequently as much hay is saved from the grass paddocks as possible; approximately 15,000 bales of hay are fed out during the winter. About 20 acres of oats are put in each year for horse feed, as despite the fact that practically all the cultivation work is done by tractors, a large number of horses is maintained on the run. In the days before mechanisation, when five 6-horse teams were kept fully occupied and a further team on contract was required to do cultivation, about 80 acres of oats were sown each season. Cattle The running of cattle has always been a feature of Glenaray, and in the earlier days, about the time of the gold diggings in Otago and Southland, the run is reported to have been used extensively for fattening cattle, which are said to have done extremely well and brought high prices. At present there are about 400 breeding cows, 14 bulls, 250 yearlings, and 300 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old bullocks and 14 dairy cows (for supplying milk and butter for the staff) on the property. .. Every year approximately 100 bullocks and 100 speyed cows are sent away fat. The breeding cows are all brought in off the run in October, at which time yearlings are weaned and aged cows or unlikely looking younger animals are drafted off for speying later. The bulls go out with the cows in December, and in February all the cattle are brought in and drafted; the calves are marked and the cows and calves then go out to the run, the bulls remaining in the paddocks. It is at this time that the females which were drafted off in October for disposal are speyed. By doing this a high standard of cattle is maintained and the speyed cows fatten quickly after the operation.

Breeding

Originally, all Hereford cattle were run on Glenaray, but for a number of years the type has been an Aberdeen Angus-Hereford cross. The change was made because hornless beef cattle are becoming increasingly popular (with a well-bred black poll sire the progeny are mostly hornless) and the crossbred beast fattens easily and produces good-quality beef. A further very desirable feature is that these cattle are equally as agile as the Hereford and are therefore quite suitable for this type of country. To maintain a correct balance in the crossbreeding, either black poll or polled Her efords are used as required’. No bulls are bred at Glenaray, as it is found much more satisfactory to buy them in from local breeders. Horses Despite the advance of mechanisation in other branches of farming, the horse is still indispensable on sheep runs, and at Glenaray between 30 and 40 hacks and about 10 packhorses are required. To keep up these numbers there are 14 brood mares. A draught stallion is used on light mares for the musterers’ hacks and packhorses and heavy mares are put to a light stallion for shepherds’ hacks. A horse breaker is employed twice a year for breaking

in the 3- and 4-year-olds, but they are all handled as yearlings. In addition to the horses mentioned there are 2 or 3 draught horses and a spring carter, which is kept for the numerous incidental jobs about the run. Burning Whether burning of tussock is advisable is probably the most debated question in the management of tussock country. At Glenaray the matter has been given very serious thought, and the policy has been to do some burning every year, but any burning which has been undertaken is very strictly controlled. Only the very roughest blocks are burnt, and it is so arranged that the block or blocks being burnt are surrounded by areas burnt the previous season, or steps are taken to see that fires cannot spread. Burning is done in early September; later than this there is risk of losses in stock; for example, ewes may be lambing and could be caught in the burn if burning was carried out in October. The best burns in tussock are obtained when there is just sufficient wind to carry the fire, but a windy day is most satisfactory in dealing with tussock with an ingress of manuka. Burnt blocks carry a much heavier stocking than was carried on the same blocks before the burn, as usually the blocks that are burnt are so rough that the carrying capacity is extremely low in the unburnt condition. Pests Two of the most troublesome pests in this country are rabbits and deer. For the control of rabbits poisoning is undertaken whenever possible, according to the placement of the sheep, both strychnine and phosphorised pollard having been used; in addition trapping is undertaken by a full-time rabbiter. The ' country is badly infested with deer, and during autumn and winter they are very’ troublesome and do. extensive damage to the turnip and swede, crops. During winter organised, parties of permanent employees go out on deer-shooting expeditions and endeavour to protect to some extent the

turnip and swede blocks; but despite all efforts to control them, deer are a serious problem. Maintenance On a property of this size general maintenance is a very expensive item and covers a multitude of jobs. For example, every few years all the buildings, houses, sheds, stores, cookhouse, and quarters are repainted and the general upkeep of these buildings is carefully maintained. Material for maintenance of fences is an item of some magnitude, added to which s the upkeep of the many drafting and holding yards in various parts of the run. The extensive agricultural programme carried out each year is made possible only by the maintenance of an allembracing complement of tractors, ploughs, grubbers, discs, ridgers, broadcaster, tine harrows, drill, topdresser (500 tons of lime are applied every year); there is also a comprehensive set of implements for haymaking, including an automatic haybaler, 2 hay tedders, and hay elevator. There is also a binder and chaff cutter and 2 trucks and trailers for general carting. There is a smithy on the property to maintain all this equipment and cope with running repairs. Largescale ordering of material used in working the run has to be done; for example, 30 gallons of branding fluid are used every year and 50 drums of dip are required for making 37,500 gallons of wash used every year for. dipping. The dip is a swim type 72ft. long. Peat Another important item is supplies of firing. It is necessary to bring firewood in periodically for the houses, cookhouse, and Blusterers’ huts. To gather firing for the last-named special trips have to be made at intervals during the year to haul firewood from the bush to 12 huts, but 2 others are near fairly extensive peat bogs, and peat is used for firing, Glenaray being one of the few places in New Zealand where this is done. The peat is usually cut and placed in ricks after shearing has been completed, and

when the peat is dry, generally during March, it is loaded on to pack-horses or carted on light sledges to the huts and stacked. Fencing Fencing is of particular importance on a sheep run, and it is essential that any fencing between summer and winter country be in the best order. Two fencers are kept in steady work at Glenaray and one light tractor is used by them for transporting the material required. The extent of the fencing is probably best appreciated by the fact that the fenceline on part of the western boundary between Glenaray and Nokomai is 25 miles long. All fence posts used are of red beech, which is growing in the bush on the property; much of this is, however, well back, the handier trees having been used. The timber is under the control of the New Zealand Forest Service and supplies are obtained from this source upon approval. Diary The following diary entries indicate the more important jobs which have to be undertaken in working this tussock run. October: The last of the supplementary feed is being cleaned up and the sheep are being drafted to their grazing blocks and paddocks. Cultivation of land for next season’s turnips is proceeding. Lambing commences first week in the month. Cows mustered off the run for the weaning of the yearlings. All paddock sheep (approximately 10,000) crutched during first week. Grain sowing and sowing out. Repairs to marking yards if required. November: Marking muster commences first week in month. Commence ridging of swedes. Shearing commences on 20th. Mustering. Maintenance of high-country fences.

December: Continuation of shearing and mustering. Continuation of agricultural work; sowing out. Scuffling of turnips commences at end of month. Maintenance of high-country fences. January: Shearing of ewes; wigging lambs. All sheep go out to high country. Scuffling turnips continues. Haymaking commences. Peat cutting. February: Haymaking continues. Cattle muster. Marking calves. Oats cut. March: General maintenance, carting firewood, stacking peat, stacking oats. April: Fall muster commences. Crutching, dipping, drenching. Annual draft of ewes and wethers. May: Drenching of hoggets. Rams go out. All cattle to be mustered on to winter country. June: All hoggets to go on to winter feed. Ploughing of lea. Rams taken out about 10th. July and August: Winter feeding of turnips and hay continues. In addition to the hoggets and wethers, all the bulls, some bullocks and speyed cows together with pack-horses, foals, and the dairy cows all have to be fed and given attention. If the snow is receding in the high country the first of the wethers may be put out at the end of August. September: Burning, poisoning; more wethers to the high country. Supplementary feeding continues as necessary. From the diary, which is by no means detailed, and the diversity of activities which have been dealt with it will be apparent that the working of this extensive run requires careful planning and organising to ensure that production is maintained and to carry on the general policy, which combines arable farming with run-country management; in combining these two types of farming, Glenaray is probably unique. There are also other rather exceptional features; for instance, included in the 112,000 acres are approximately 40,000 acres of standing bush, of which 12,000 acres are State forest; on the tussock runs in the drier districts bush is seldom encountered. The breed of sheep on Glenaray is Romney type rather than Merino or Corriedale; this Romney type has proved most satisfactory for the country and the climate and conforms to three very important requirements. It is an active sheep, it produces a fairly fine wool but nevertheless a good weight of fleece, and it is attractive to the down-country farmer when no longer suitable for the run. Acknowledgments The co-operation given by Mr. H. W. Pinckej in supplying data and by Mr. J. Reynolds, Ardwiek Street, Gore, in supplying information about the earlier breeding policy on the run is acknowledged.