Place Seen For Cattle

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31107, 9 July 1966, Page 9

Place Seen For Cattle

'THE Amberley branch of x Federated Farmers visited the Pine Grove property farmed by Messrs J. E. and D. S. Gardiner at Broomfield during a field day last week. A well-established property, it has the scope to turn off large drafts of early lambs, calves for the vealer market as well as ran a sizeable stud of Suffolk sheep. Pine Grove comprises 1377 acres, varying from easy medium ground, to thin undulating country through which runs a branch of the Kowhai river. It is a long, narrow block, which includes about 250 acres of native tussock hills.

Fat lambs are the primary business of the farm, which has been run as a company for ten years. The stock consist of 3050 sheep and 140 cattle of various ages. A few years ago, no cattle were run, but Mr J. E. Gardiner, who showed 25 farmers over the property, said he was quite convinced of the place cattle had on such a place. They kept down the roughage, and they also kept down barley grass. When fed ryegrass hay, it was noticeable how ryegrass began to come

into native pasture. The breeding cows on Pine Grove are polled Herefords, and those selected for breeding replacement stock are put to a polled Hereford bull. The remainder are put to an Aberdeen Angus bull. All of the cattle for sale go off the property as fats. In previous years, many of the calves were sent straight into the veal pens, but with a favourable autumn this year, more of the calves have been kept on. The cattle seen at Pine Grove last week were on the higher parts of the property where cultivation is not, or cannot, be carried out They were in fine fettle, especially the heifers, which were put to the bull at 15 months of age, and are due to calve early in the spring. Mr Gardiner said he did not think the early mating had affected them adversely.

Mr Gardiner took the visitors on the first stage of the drive, to an area of native tussock. Five years ago this was surface sown and topdressed with 2cwt of serpentine super. Since then lewt has been applied every second year. The Gardiners favour devel-

oping native country by surface sowing and topdressing rather than ploughing the accessible parts and developing by conventional means. Mr J. E. Gardiner said that where the native country was ploughed and sown down, the stock congregated on it, and ate it right out He much preferred to develop the country while it was in the native, and avoid this. Seventy acres of native on Pine Grove had been ploughed up years ago and it had never been as good as the native country developed by topdressing and surface sowing. Mr Gardiner agreed that the matagouri had increased. Like clover it had thrived on super.

While noting that some of their neighbours use the plough with apparent results, the Gardiners prefer using heavy discs. “There’s not much to plough. With top cultivation we can keep the soil on the top,” Mr J. E. Gardiner said. “My neighbours have been doing a lot with the plough, but I think our results are as good as any, if not better.” More than 2000 lambs, are turned off the property annually, all of which are

shipped to the United Kingdom for sale on the owners’ account They say that over a ten-year period, they have averaged 10s above local schedule prices, but on one occasion they recorded a drop of 6s on schedule rates. The Gardiner Brothers have been running a Corriedale ewe flock, but by using Border Leicester rams hope to increase the proportion of crossbred ewes to about 1200. When put to Suffolk rams these produce an excellent fat lamb. Last year, the first draft totalled 870 lambs, and they averaged out at 37.81 b on the hook. There were no ever-fats hook. There were no overfats. A week previously, 50 lambs had been sent to Addington, where they averaged 80s Id. In common with other areas, this district has had a very favourable winter so far. Ninety acres of winter feed, comprising turnips, giant rape and chou moellier were drilled last summer, but very little has been grazed so far. Mr J. E. Gardiner said he thought there was a great field for giant rape, for it was easy to grow, and did not suffer from bug damage.