Recovery Of Molesworth Country Continues

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30983, 12 February 1966, Page 8

Recovery Of Molesworth Country Continues

There is a green tinge today on many of the steep slopes that go to make up Molesworth, the Lands and Survey Department’s big 458,000-acre station in the hinterland of Canterbury’, Marlborough and Nelson. It is a measure of the success of the efforts of the department to restore the cover on these hillsides, which were bared to the shingle when it assumed control of this country.

From a distance it is sometimes difficult to pick up the new growth, but in the right light the evidence of the expanding cover can be seen at altitudes up to more than 5000 ft. to which aerial oversowing has been carriedPart of this country reverted to control of the Crown in 1938 and 11 years later the

State took over St Helens and a farm of 425 acres at Hanmer. This 700-square-mile expanse of country ranging from 1800 ft to almost 7000 ft

stretches from the Hossack boundary in the south to the

Muller station and the head of the Waihopai and the Leatham river in the north. Oversowing of this country from the air with cocksfoot and clover at about 101 b to the acre has been a salient feature in the recovery of the denuded slopes on the station.

It takes time for the effects of oversowing to show up but eventually—in 10 years or more—excellent pasture and cover is established on what was once barren country.

Oversowing began on MolesI worth in the early 1950’s and about 40,000 acres have been done. The programme now provides for the treatment of 4000 to 5000-acres a year. Some 260,0001 b of grass seed has been spread on the country at a cost of about £41,754 and it is calculated that the application charge would amount to about

2s 6d an acre over-all. There is clover everywhere these days—quite a lot of it Montgomery red—but apart from this and cocksfoot, which Mr Chisholm regards very highly on this country—he says it is hardy, will stand up to grazing and is early—there is also tussock regeneration and the reappearance of native species like blue grass.

Most of the country treated has been winter country and the station manager since. 1942, Mr M. M. (Bill) Chisholm, recently honoured by the Queen for his sterling work in guiding the recovery of Molesworth, says that the rate of oversowing and regeneration of winter country has a very marked bearing on what stock the country can carry today and will carry in the future.

Molesworth. readers will recall, is an all-cattle property and as at June last year was carrying 7824 head (compared with 886 in 1941) and included in this number were 2868 cows. 792 two-year-old heifers, 978 younger heifers and 3060 steers and 157 bulls. The bulls are Hereford and Aberdeen Angus and the female stock, apart from 500 each of Aberdeen Angus and Hereford, are halfbreds and crossbreds. But for low calvings in recent years caused by vibriosis, j a venereal disease in female ( stock, now the subject! of a programme of inocula-i tion, Mr Chisholm says that I

the 9000-mark would already have been reached. At present. he says, the country is capable of carrying 16,000 head. While cow numbers may not be increased much beyond the present level at about 3000 head, which, he says, is about as many as there is cow country to carry comfortably, it is expected that with improved calvings in the next few years the 10.000 mark will be reached and eventually numbers may go even higher. The 9000-mark may be exceeded in little more than a year from now. While oversowing will go on and there may be another 20.000 acres to treat in this way. Mr Chisholm said this week, perhaps even more important than oversowing in the near future would be the campaign against noxious weeds, and in particular briar, for they were being denied the use of a lot of the country they had oversown because it was also at the level where the briar grew. Mr Chisholm takes a very serious view of the noxious weeds problem and believes that weed control may

cost the country as much as rabbit control ever did. In addition to briar there is also a mounting broom problem on Molesworth and also ragwort. Mr Chisholm thinks that ! rather than spreading, brain ■ plants are now growing to I maturity—when the rabbits 1 were swarming over the i country they dad not have ! the opportunity to do this. This plant seemed to thrive | under conditions of low rainj fall from about 1500 ft to a ilittle over 3000 ft in Canteribury, Marlborough and ■ Otago, he said. On Molesworth there were areas of i briar so thick that it was not

possible to penetrate it, but I the briar had been there for; a long time. He recalled how in 1906,1' Mr W. Acton-Adams, the 1i then owner of Molesworth, 1i had expressed pleasure at the i

■ kill of briar achieved with [arsenic and soda, but a year I later Mr Acton-Adams had (commented that he could not (see how the Lands Department could make them clear the weed when a neighbouring property had so much of it. But Mr Chisholm said he would be prepared to say (that he feared broom and I ragwort even more than | briar. While broom was i ! easy to kill it was ■ | very persistent and also ex-! tended its area of occupation; I very rapidly and on Moles-; I worth was spreading down j

(the waterways. Ragwort was just starting ; to come in on the roads that (were being built through the I station and on earth-moving j machinery. I The department is now

spending about £5OOO a year lon weeds, but Mr Chisholm said it was really only prob[ing at the problem as yet. I It is still spending some j £12,000 to £15.000 a year on the rabbit —50 per cent of I this is subsidised in the i same way as a rabbit board’s ! operations. An aerial poisoning programme is being carried out ion half of the property each (year, and white they did not have the last rabbit yet, numbers were down to a reasonable level and few are now seen by the visitor to the station.

But while much still re- ;| mains to be done on Molesworth in restoring the cover lon denuded country and bringing under control noxious weeds and further exi panding the cattle operation, the station is no liability on [the taxpayer. ■ While the station does not I pay tax, every penny of profit earned goes into the Consolidated Fund and to date profits earned off the place total £106,047. The station cannot call on these accumuI lated profits and for about nine months of the year it < must borrow from the land [ settlement account and pay interest on this money to enable it to carry on until the main income comes in from cattle. In the year to the end of June last year Molesworth sold cattle to a value of £56,615. Gross profit was £17,683 and after paying interest charges there was a net profit of £11.349 to add to profits already accumulated of £94,698. From 10 head in 1941 Molesworth cattle sales have gone up to more than 2000 in each of two years and 1805 head last year. Cattle sales over the years have been worth about £720.000 Mr Chishlom said this week that sales of cattle this year would not be as high as in the past .on account of the effects of vibriosis in the herd, but a build-up in herd numbers would be taking place. It was expected, however, that the usual 1000 steers would be drafted out for sale in Addington next month. This year, he said, because of the inoculation programme against I vibriosis, the normal routine

for handling the sale cattle had been upset and these would be drafted early next month. There had had to be’ an additional muster this season and there would also be a muster for audit purposes. Well in excess of 2000 calves are expected to be marked this autumn.

Today the Government valuation of Molesworth stands at more than £400.000, When the properties that make up the station were taken over their value was put at about £27,000.