Definition of the Area: South Canterbury is a well-defined region comprising the counties of Geraldine, Levels, Mackenzie and Waimate. It is bounded in the north by the Rangitata River, Forest Creek, and part of the Two Thumb Range, on the west by the crest of the Southern Alps, in the South by the Waitaki River, and on the east by the sea. Of the total area of 3$ million acres, 2,820,OOO acres or 86 per cent of the total area is occupied for farming. Of this occupied area 2,010,OOO acres are unimproved land, 651,000 acres are in sown grass, and 125,000 acres in crops, cereals, green feed, and root crops. In 1949-50 the occupied area carried 1,92?,000 sheep and 56,000 cattle, of which 6,100 were dairy cows in milk
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(958 KB)There is no need to stress the economic importance of blind-seed disease of ryegrass. Its severity in districts such as Southland has resulted in such areas in a serious decline in ryegrass seed production, but even the so-called “safe” seed-producing localities such as Hawke’s Bay may in certain seasons have many lowgerminating seed crops.
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(253 KB)A paper on the subject of grass-grub and subterranean caterpillar control was read at the -1950 Grassland Conference at Invercargill; the work has been continued and the Ashburton Station has issued a pamphlet giving more definite recommendations than in the previous paper. The present paper is confined to control ,of grass-grubs, but the same treatment will automatically kill porina (subterranean caterpillar or Oxycanus). Though control recommendations are included and will be published in this paper, it is intended to confine remarks to factors that can prevent good control by DDT and BHC.
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(84 KB)I would like first to give a brief outline of my farming operations. The area of my farm is 703 acres of slightly undulating clay downs situated at Hilton, 5 miles west of Geraldine. There is about 6in. of soil over a fairly stiff subsoil of clay and ironstone and the soil is deficient in both lime and phosphates. This country reverts quickly to browntop and sweet vernal when it is not farmed to capacity. The rainfall averages 30 to 35ins per annum. The ploughable area of the farm is 650 acres, and like a good deal of similar country it has grown too much crop in the past.
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(26 KB)Since 1945 I have farmed the property of 868 acres known as “Braeside” in the Waihaorunga district 21 miles inland from Waimate. This property was farmed for the previous 25 years by Mr Sidney Hurst, who was largely responsible for its development and is still interested in it. When I discuss farming policy in connection with this property I can truthfully use the pronoun we, as most decisions are arrived at after a good deal of discussion.
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(47 KB)Just as I am convinced that only by the full development of the downlands under a system of mixed arable farming can South Canterbury achieve the fullest production, so I am convinced that arable farming can only be built around good pasture. The world today is covered with examples of the failure to recognise this latter fact. Under conditions of suitable climate, contour, and soil, grass and crop with the grazing animal are complementary ; if any one should dominate, it is freely admitted that it should be grass. On the other hand, the fact that through the downlands climatic conditions the fullest production under an extensive grassland system cannot be achieved must also be recognised. These climatic conditions make the truly permanent high-producing pasture an impossibility. It has been found on the South Canterbury downs that the maximum effective life of a pasture under good maintenance and management is 8 years. If left longer than that, it rapidly deteriorates in carrying capacity. The basis of downs farming must therefore be, as far as we know at present, that no pasture on the downs should be, over the age of 8 -years. Under present conditions, of course, this presents to the established farmer, provided he. holds sufficient land, less difficulty without crop than it does with crop. Nevertheless, all-grass farming under the downs climatic conditions does not give maximum pr+ duction, because built-up fertility through grass and animal cannot be used.
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(71 KB)Over the 6 years 1946 to 1951 an average annual area of 9330 acres has been harvested for cocksfoot seed in New Zealand, mainly in Ashburton and Southland Counties. The average yield of dressed seed over these 6 harvests has been 1701bs. per acre. The average annual total yield was a little ,over 14 million pounds of seed
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(125 KB)The farming of foothill country is carried out over the entire length of the South Island. The area consists of those lower hills and undulating clay downs most of which are ploughable. It is situated between the plains ~)r lowlands of the eastern coastline- and the high,’ steep, unploughable tussock, scrub, and mountainous country which extends westward to the Main Divide. It is commonly known as the browntop belt on account of this dominant species, which forms the main soil. coverage; The area of the browntop belt in Canterbury alone comprises some 3 million acres.
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(87 KB)This property, which is farmed by my brother and myself, is on the Claremont silt loam soil type at an altitude. of’ 450ft. and our rainfall averages 34 to 36in. annudly.8 The area of the farm is 1423,acres, all of which is ploughable, with the exception of steep back faces and gullies, with 716 acres one side and 707 acres’ the other side of the road which bisects the property. The history of the farming of this property as a single unit dates from 1945, as before that we ran the place in conjunction with 250 acres of heavy land at Studholme.
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(30 KB)Some 650 members attended the field day on the property of Mr F. R. Clarke, Levels, and were welcomed by the president of the association.
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(73 KB)In this paper there will be no attempt to give answers to immediate field problems. ,Rather it is hoped to indicate the lines of approach which are being used in studying the physiology of growth of our pasture species
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(93 KB)Remarks are confined in this paper mainly to the technical aspect of pasture establishment with special reference to recent developments.
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(45 KB)In.1930 Bortels published a paper entitled “Molybdenum as a Catalyst in the Biological Fixation of Nitrogen.” Using Azotobacter chroococcurn, a freeliving nitrogen-fixing bacterium, he showed that if grown in a nitrogen-free nutrient solution, its growth was stimulated by the addition of a very small amount of sodium molybdate. In another paper in 1933 he reported loo-fold increase in the fixation of nitrogen by this and other species of bacteria when supplied with molybdenum. Portels was thus the first to establish the biological importance of molybdenum.
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(106 KB)Molybdenum is a silvery-white metal falling in the same group as chromium and tungsten. Molybdenite, the only ore of commercial importance, is world-wide in distribution, but the chief sources are from Colorado and New Mexico, U.S.A., and Chile. A very small amount was mined at Mt. Radiant, Xaramea, about 1917. In 1941 world production was 17,000 tons a year, of which 15,000 tons came from U.S.A. Present annual production approaches 20,000’ tons. The main consumption is in heat-resistant steel alloys, such as are used in high-speed cutting tools, rifle barrels, and so on. Molybdenum is used for the filament supports in electric light bulbs on account of its high melting point (2550 degrees C.). The metal is in short supply at present and rationed.
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(456 KB)After discussion with Dr E. B. Davies of the Soil Research Station about 2 years ago, the decision was made to lay down a mowing trial on secondclass undulating clay land at Invermay Agricultural Research Station, which is situated at North Taieri on the westerly side of the hills behind Dunedin. This soil has been shown to require heavy applications of lime and phosphate, but even then does not hold grass well under normal stock management. The disappearance of the better grasses is a consequence of the failure of clovers to thrive
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(48 KB)We have had some excellent papers on the development of poorly farmed rolling downlands and clay foothill farmlands. It has been indicated that if the pattern of knowledge already known were applied to farming in these areas, great strides could be made.
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(78 KB)Most of the observations and research work carried out to date on the high country of New Zealand have been concerned with the maintenance of the existing pasture cover or of regeneration in depleted areas. This line of work is obviously a most important one, but it should go hand in hand with a study of the animals grazing those pastures. This paper is concerned with an attempt to bridge the gap between the plant and the animal, by chemical analysis of the pasture to determine its value to the grazing sheep.
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(53 KB)This paper describes particular aspects of a comprehensive series of trials being carried out at Grasslands Division and designed to extend the work reported by Sears at the Grasslands Conference in 1950. (1.) It is concerned almost exclusively with seeding rates of short-rotation ryegrass in relation to subsequent productive performance, with only brief reference to the characteristics and performance of perennial ryegrass. But before presenting detailed results it is necessary to define the farmers’ requirements from an establishing pasture, i.e., those characteristics expected of a pasture during its first 6 months of growth.
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(339 KB)A century ago the tussock grasslands covkred over 50 per cent. of the South Island. Today over 30 per cent of this island is referred to as tussock grasslands. On the hills, downs, and plains, land where the plough could go, the natural grasslands have been changed into areas growing crops and introduced pastures. Beyond the reach of the plough in the mountainous region where, the soils are poor and the climate severe the tussock grassltinds continue the struggle to perpetuate-their kind: As part of the great grassland formation which. has been estimated to cover about l/5 of the land surface of the globe, the tussock grasslands form a tiny but quite unique seg-, ment. On the mountain ranges eastwards of the Main Divide of the Southern Alps there has developed a type of grassland with several characteristics peculiar unto itself.
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(204 KB)This paper presents the story of the development of a farm in a foothills district, a district that achieved notoriety because of the number of abandoned farms in the middle and late thirties and the general low standard of productivity of the area. It is hoped also to show how applied farm management is the key to increased production.
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(142 KB)In a paper read before the Royal Statistical Society in 1934 (1) appears the following quotation of ‘an eminent Professor of Agriculture of an earlier date “Damn ;h;luplicate plot; give me one plot and I know where This certamly showed a realisation of the variability of plant ‘material, but was also a confession of inability to overcome it and obtain .valid experimental results. The present paper attempts to show to -what extent the statistician has been able to provide adequate answers to the difficulties of dealing with the variable material in pasture trials. Much of what is presented here -applies to other branches of science, and many of the principles involved are adapted from quite different branches.
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(116 KB)Efficient seed storage is an essential part of a-good farm&& economy. In grassland farming it-is obviously desirable that the seeds. relied on for the establishment of new pastures should not deteriorate in ,the time between harvesting and sowing. Though a high standard of care is’ generally exercised in the main seed stores, serious deterioration sometimes occurs, especially with seeds received in bad condition from the grower. More frequent instances of rapid deterioration are found in retailers’ stores and during shipment. These losses are undoubtedly avoidable.
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(68 KB)This paper deals with investigations in the Waimakariri River Basin. It is an area of moderate rainfall between 35 and 50in. Soils there are low in lime and phosphate and rabbits are practically non-existent.
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(196 KB)The real problem before this and similar conferences is to emphasise to the farmers of New Zealand the urgency of increasing production and to bring inspiration to the farmer by advice, demonstration, and assistance.
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