MOUTOA PHORMIUM DEVELOPMENT AREA

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 86, Issue 6, 15 June 1953, Page 498

MOUTOA PHORMIUM DEVELOPMENT AREA

The system adopted by the Department of Agriculture in the establishment of new phormium plantations on the Moutoa phormium development area, between Shannon and Foxton, is to clear the heavy growth from the undeveloped land, grass down with Italian ryegrass and white clover, graze hard with wethers for 2 years, and then plant. By this method weeds which would smother the developing plants, chiefly tall fescue, are checked and the cover on the land on which phormium is planted becomes dominantly white clover. As the new stands are establishing the clover sward is grazed with sheep, but numbers are never raised to a level where there would be a risk of the stock chewing the phormium. Upper left Specially designed fork equipment fitted to the A frame of a heavy tracklaying tractor and used for clearing heavy growth. Upper right Part of an area being cleared. The trees and scrub are windrowed and burnt when dry. Middle left— Ploughing with a giant swamp plough which turns a furrow of 2ft. 6in. to 2ft. 9in. wide and 12in. to 14in. deep. Middle right— Rolling down the huge furrows with a heavy roller made from traction engine wheels. This rolling is the first operation after ploughing and before working down. Lower left Planting phormium on the grassed land. Lower right— Harvesting phormium. The crop shown here would yield 35 to 40 tons of green leaf per acre. s