CANTERBURY FARMING
R. P. Connell
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IN Canterbury there are just over
8 000,000 acres of occupied land, the
major part of which consists of:-
I. A grazing region of approximately
4,480,OOO acres of tussock and other
native grasses.
II. An arable region of approximately
2,720,OOO aeres, of which nowadays
600,000 to 700,000 acres annually are ln
arable crops and the remainder in
pastures which are ploughed up at
n-regular intervals and used temporarily
for the raising of annual crops.
From the above data it follows that the area of sown pastures annually is
just a little over 2,000,OOO acres.
Development of a Small North Canterbury
Sheep Run
M. S. Foreman
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THIRTY years ago “Vulcan Downs”
was a typical North Canterbury
grazing run, well managed
judged by the standards of that time,
but in no way different from. many
other similar properties. Today “Vulcan
Downs” is still a North Canterbury
grazing run, but it is far from typical.
It now enjoys a reputation of prosperity
and its enviable record has
been achieved solely through the
unremitting efforts of its owner, Mr.
Eric Gardiner. The story of some
grazing runs is often a depressing one,
a story of steady retrogression and
ever-diminishing returns. What the
ultimate fate of much of this country
will be who can tell? Years of overstocking
and injudicious management
have left a mark which can never be
erased, and the possibility that valuable
country will be abandoned -to
scrub and second growth is a very real
one. In the light of this dismal
prospect the account of the development
of “Vulcan Downs” holds an
even greater appeal.
Developments in Grassland Farming
E. Bruce Levy
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NEW ZEALAND is wonderfully
endowed with its mesophytic and
temperate climate to produce food
(mainly flesh and fats) and clothing
(wool) as primary staple articles for
export.
Mixed Arable Farm on which Seed Production is Prominent
G. J. Slater
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The demand for an ample supply of pasture seeds has always existed in areas where arable farming is practised
and the demand for good seed has
increased with the knowledge of the
influence of strain and its effect on the
production and life of pastures.
PASTURES IN CANTERBURY
C. C. Leitch
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DURING the past 9 years the use that
pastures can be in , the farming
rotation has been realised by the farmers
of Canterbury, and they now have
much greater appreciation of
the tisefulness of pastures in the
farming programme; further, they
have consolidated their ideas on pastures
and there is not that hesitancy
today that was apparent earlier. Farmers
have become pasture-conscious just
as they have become lime conscious,
and a greater proportion of them are
demanding better seeds with the knowledge
that without their use good
permanent pastures are not possible
Restoring Canterbury Soil Fertility Through Pastures
E. G. Smith
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THROUGHOUT Canterbury there is
an abundance of farms, which, as
a result of a protracted programme of
cropping without due attention to a
suitable rotation; have gradually become
depleted of much of their original
soil fertility. Under a continued
system of incorrect management this
depletion has inevitably reached the
stage at which further cropping has
become uneconomic, owing to reduced
yields. When this regrettable stage
has been reached something has had
to be done-some alteration in the
management has had to be made in an
endeavour to rebuild the fertility of
the soil.
SOILS IN CANTERBURY
C. S. Harris
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IT will not be possible in this Paper
to deal with more than the most
extensive soils of the Canterbury.
plains; a few of the numerous other
types will be mentioned in Passing.
The Elimination of Ryegrass Blind-seed Disease
I. D. Blair
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The co-ordinated ryegrass blind-seed disease research programme is
concerned at present with three main
features