The Drain Plough in the Wairarapa.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4776, 18 July 1894, Page 2

The Drain Plough in the Wairarapa.

Simessful Work on the \ Taratahi. ( * i Onlj a fen jeais ago it was found ' impiacticablo(onaccouiito£thedinin- j ngccesfc) to cultivate some of thebeet aguuil tuutl lands in tins colon), but bytheintioductionofauseful,ifi>omcwhat clumsy looking implement, know n as the dmm plough, the clifhculty has been bo satisfactory ovei- 1 conic that vast tracts of swampy soil in the agilcultuidl districts of South- ' land non pioduco giam ciops uueq nailed m Hie Soiithoin Hcmispheie, besides the fll mei can grass the land j and grow wmtei foddei foi his stock to feed on whew formerly ho would not dare to turn a hoof into, in tho i .winter mouths, But it is not only in ! Southland where tracts of this class i of land are to be met with; indeed, a largo portion' of some of the best plouglroblo laud in' the Wairarapa was in a somewhat similar condition ] and although every care was in many cases taken to'putif; into good grass ! a few years afterwards, tho quality 1 ] of its gimingcapabilities hadgreatly ! diminished, and.the,ground .was found to bft too wet to work iii Hie • hi winter, and to plough it in tho i summer time was ; out of the question', ) The drain'plough was'introduced i some three or four years ago, but'for i somo'reason' the' result did not sat- 5 - ' isfy tho gentlemen who mado the first .trials .••libra'.■ : -'Ultimately.'the ; plough was % trie'd ;: " on : ' ; some heavy, ; i wet •4and,'.;;on. the. farm' of ''''Messrs' Perry"' Bros.,' Taratahi, who found that something more than ordinary' treatment must be given alargo, tract of their country before Successful grazing'' could be carried on, more especially as their flock of Liricolris do not appreciate wet pasture. , Tho; land operated on the first season was only of small extent, biit the "result was 'so pleasing that since then a large area has been drained, and the Messrs Perry Bros, look on their plough as a splendid investment. ;•". ■'. '' -• . Qn Monday last a'representative of this journal, accompanied by Mr 1 Wallace, manager of tlie Masterlon Blacksmith and Wheelwright Company, visited tho farm and were ; shown over a largo paddock by Mr I J. Perry, where'the (tain plough ' was at work. On entering the pad--1 dock a lot of surface water:was noticed lying along the line of the top fence, evidently coming from an ' adjoining section, where they had ' uot.yet used the .plough. This water \ will have to bo provided against by continuing an open drain up to and : along the fence, that will ultimately serve to take away tho water from ; the adjoining paddock;. Mr Perry t pointed out that the waternow lyingi there gave a. very, general idea of , the', former, state 'pf.'V gi'eatpr portion of the whole. paddock ; iii which the plough was then workI ing,'but which was found to be at the time in splendid order fdrcultit ration, and little—if any—evidence : ) of water around it, They wore shown 1 over tho whole of the work, which 1 was just completed, as'well as that portion of tho paddock where tho { first drains hud been miido two years 1 ago. It has. not yet. been demonI strated how long the drains made by I this system will remain open and ,' operative, but certainly there ( seems every reason to believe \ that in the present case they are ~ likely to keep open for many years .; to come, as water could, bo. seen t trickling out of every channel. \ The visitors were next shown that it is L . not requisite that an open or boxs drain should be cut to carry off the water for the many feeding channels j that may'be required according to 1 the class of country having to: bo £ drained,;.ln, the present case the • (Irains are cut, on an average, about 1 four yards apart, and while some are ruii into open channels a large, por- * tion'are run across a track or leader, ~ cut by the. plough itself, thojnt'ers'ecd tioiis of whicharedugbuijiandproo tected by a small piece of timber, and n unless in land that has. aii excep r li tionally wet bottom, the small chau--0 nel made by the.plough-.will carry ' away the drainage from a considers able area." .'Again the plough may be worked across already opened j ditches, or, after the channels'have , been worked over, a portion of* land (with say, a leading gully ornatural , water-way) the, out-fall drain may ; be cut. This latter operation was ; being carried on in a very wet portion of the paddock at the time of i the visit on Monday,' and a splendid ! idea of the resultsi of tho work was [ obtained. As soon as tho ditch was , opeiied opposite whero the plough i had crossed, tho water from the i .small drains rushed out in ' full ' yolunio, and it .could be seen that the , ground for a considerable distance ■ round, was. being rapidly turned i from a swamp into pood dry land, ; fit for cultivation .as: soon as the out-fall drain had been boxed and lilledhi... ... ;l .

1 Coming to tho plough itself at work, it is surprising to see tho simplicity both of ■ tho implement nnd tho niannoriu which it is handled. Although designated " a plough " it does not resemble the article so wellknown by that name. The.frame is made like ono half of a girder, the head resting on a sledge on which it is drawn, The coulter is made of half-inch steel plate,' and measures about3oxl2,\vitliastcelshoostrongly fixed to tho foot, tho latter having an iron plug attaphod, somo three inches in diameter, and it is this plug being drawn through the ground that forms the channel or drain,

i Tho plough seen at work at Messrs Pony Bras'.was drawn by. ten homes and was put into or taken out of the ground at will, and on the surface the' only trace" of tho; operation was that made by tho coulter, which after afew daysis scarcely visible. The drains wero being cut about eighteen inches under the surface, and tho estimated cost is from! one penny to twopence per chain. That the work on the Tnratahi, will pay for itself in one or at most two seasons Mr Perry is perfectly assured, besides which the ground will be kept dry for years to come, . Mr Perry is justly proud of the work now being done, and will be only too pleased to show tho results obtained to any farmer who,?e laiid requires, similar work to make it fully productive, < .After being most, hospitably en'tertained at the homestead,'Mr..Wallace;'and our' representative left, 'having spent a pleasant and profitable afternoon,

• Thoro (are already other farmer? in the district who have cither obtained or orderpddrainploughs after seeing tho work done 'by thatfielpnging to t|ie Messrs Perry Bros., and Mr Wallace.states that before, anothoi' season he liojjes to. see iheiii largely used throughout tho Waiwrapa,';...,:'._ .' . •.."■■■'■• .f-