PAKIHI LANDS

Hokitika Guardian, 24 November 1932, Page 7

PAKIHI LANDS

CAWTHRON COMMITTEE’S VISIT,

DIFFICULTIES IN TREATMENT

NELSON, November 22. The Pakihi land' at Westport were visited last w r eek by a committee of the Cawthron Institute Trust Board and a report on the visit has been prepared. The committee visited Sergeant’s Hill, where more than 100 experimental plots have been arranged bn the strip of land between the railway and the' nain highway. In its natural state the West'.vrt pakihi will grow neither, phormium, tall fern, gorse, broom, sweetbriar, blackberry, dandelion, or ragwort, though it is coveted \yith. a sisting largely of moss, dwarf umbrella, fern, sedge and rush, m&nuka growing only on the drier situations. The pary was first taken by Professor Easterfield to the flax experiments, where a very uniform set of about 1000 seedlings of known pedigree and remarkably pniform growth have been planted under twelve different sets of conditions. It was pointed out that the New Zealand fla-x had made but little growth in two years on the untreated plots -and that rulphate of potash with sulphate of ammonia had given no improvement. The plots which had received both pliosphatic and nitrogenous manures had, how ever, given! as good growth at had been secured in the game time on the 400 U garuen soil at tlie Cawtliron An stitute grounds in Nelson. Other experiments showed that in the absence of pliosphatic fertiliser the breakingup of the pan underlying the pakihi land, by means of explosives, did not assist flax growth. Another striking exeriment showed that the refuse from the flax stripper could be usee a® a very effective flax manure —a fact which should be of great value if flax culture is ever taken up on a commercial scale on the pakihi lands. From the flax land the committee was taken over the pasture plots These are of a singularly comprehensive nature and were planned by Mr T. Rigg, chief agriculturist at the Cawthron Institute, the actual field work being carried cut by Mr Charles Lemon, of Sergeant’s Hill, w) 0 is also c .retaker of the experimental area.

It was pointed out that the difficulties in treating the pakihi include: (1) The very large quantity of buried timber which makes the cost of ploughing prohibitive; (2) the sodden nature of the soil in wet weather; (3 the infertility due to the chemical composition of the soil. In the past these difficulties have been considered insignificant in comparison with the trouble caused by the existence of an impervious cemented pan at' a depth of 9 to 3fi inches below* the surface. Tt was demonstrated, however, that neithei draining nor pan breaking are remedial measures, but that' w..th the judicious use of lime and superphosphates the texture of the soil changes, the water runs away, and great fertility is brought about. The difficult of the Imricd timber is got over by ignoring it and refusing to plough. Just as good results have’ been obtained by burning the natural growth, harrowing lightly, adding ground limestone and superphosphate, and sowing the .seed, ns in the cases where the move orthodox procedure used on ordinary agricultural land' has been followed, viz., ploughing, fallowing, discing, etc. Even where lime, superphosphate and seed have been applied direct without interfering with the natural growth, surprisingly good pasture has been effected, the growth stamping out the natural vegetation, which thrives only on a poor soil unsuitod for healthy pastures.