STOCK AND PASTURE MANAGEMENT FOR IMPROVED PRODUCTION ON A SHEEP AND CATTLE FARM

The area I am going to speak to you about is exactly the same 12,991 acres as that referred to in my paper to the 1951 Grassland Conference at New Plymouth. This area, with the exception of one papa farm, consists of land which was taken over in bush from the Crown about 1906. After bushfelling, burning, and grassing, the area had reverted so badly that by the 1920s the farms were abandoned to the mortgagees, who in the main were stock and station agents or companies. They in turn endeavoured to farm these areas, but without success, and finally I bought them in 1928 and 1942 for less than &4 per acre. I may say that the companies lost heavily and for many years these areas were, and still are, "blacklisted" in regard to raising of finance. Access to them up to 1920 was by clay roads and bridle tracks. There were no schools and there was little incentive for anyone to stay on the land.