Early Race-Making.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume X, Issue 2307, 16 February 1891, Page 2

Early Race-Making.

[BY OUll OWN HHPOKTER.] . While taking a keen interest m the question of irrigation as one affecting the interests of Ashburton agriculturists and pa&turaliKts, I take an equally keen interest m the little matter* historical of the county. , Mr Wm. L. Allan, of Acton, m his letter m these columns of February 3, made some reference to Ihe irrigation experiments at W esterfield nAd at Alford Station. With all due respect to the late Mr Charles Reed—whose flowing Water races did much to induce member*, of f lie County Council, who favored another scheme, to adopt the open race system — it is only fair that the facts of the case m regard to Mr Foster Nixon's experiments should be put on record. So that I should get the true statement of affairs I interviewed Mr C. E. Fooks, the Borough Engineer, on the subject, and. this is what, he told me : — 1"In 1867," said Mr Fooks, "I was engaged laying out water,, races for sheep washing, and m other professional work, for Mr Foster Nixon, then manager of the Alford aad Clunt Hills Stations. I was requested by'him to ascertain if a run of water could be taken into some very dry stony . paddocks- from a small creek that runs near the homestead—not the river as Mr Allan says. Finding that it could be done, a race of about a mile or a mile and a quarter m length was cufc.» On its completion, some experiments m the way of irrigation were made on a paddock m which the stones were m larger proportion than the soil. The principal lesson that we learned was that Aye had not a sufficient quantity of water at command ; and the greater part of what we had was*, conducted into some better grassed paddocks nearer the woolshed and homestead. , These experiments, if they can be called such, were only carried ■ out while I was y »t Alford or ift the , neighborhood I—perhapsl —perhaps a month or six | weeks. A few months afterwards, to the best of my recollection, the cveek, or the • race, was silted up by a freshet m the river, and only a dribble of water could be sent on to the paddocks. lam speaking from memory, and cannot be exact as to dates, but I am pretty certain as to facts. Mr Heed, of Westerfield, saw this water race on several oscasions, and hal also seen some work I had laid out for him at Longbeach for Mr Grigg. ,'He consulted me m 1868 as to the practicability of watering his run from certain creeks m the riverbed of the south branch of the Ashburton. ,The Westerfield run was then subdivided into six or eight paddocks, fronpi most of which the sheep had to be taken for periodical visits' to the water — I either to the Ashburton riverbed or to the Hinds. In the latter there was occasionally no water, so that the problem I was asked to solve was, into how many of the paddocks the water could be brought. ! The race I was able, to,-lay .out was i about I nine or ten miles m length, extending from the Ashburton river terrace to the , Hinds, and would have given the stock m all the paddocks on the run, but one, access to water. ■ ; "At the date m which I am speaking, 18G8, and for some years afterwards, there was an utter scepticism as to the possibility of carrying water m ordinary channels on the purface of the Canterbury plains, hot only m the mind of the general public, but; engineer.? and others who ought to have known better held the same opinion. Bearing this m mind, it must not be wonderod at' that Mr Reed hesitated for twelve months to carry out, che work ; but m 1869 he made a contract for about five or six miles of the race, and 1 m a month or two the water reached' the centre of the, Westerfield run.. Being, allowed to spread over the ground, or find ■its way down the natural depressions it made a very respectable Attempt at forming a swamp, with rushed arid other semiaquatic plants m the middle of the sfcoriy plain. Some time, afterwards, Mr i ßeed engaged.me to inprease: the supply by tapping some other creeks, and it was: when they had been done that he took ( . the water into the orchard and other paddocks hoar the homestead for irrigation. With this work I had nothing to do." . .'-'■ From the above it will be seen that the race making experiments took their rise with Mr Foster Nixon, and that Mr Reed happily took a lesson from what he suw at Alford—a lesson that has been valuable to the whole county.