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Wellington Land District. Makaranui (1,500 Acres). (Control: Superintendent of Land-development, Te Kuiti.) This block is situated at Raetihi and was purchased from the Bank of New Zealand. It was originally in forest, which had been milled. The clearing of the stumps has been undertaken by the Public Works Department and has been a work of considerable magnitude, 109 men being employed. Two houses have been erected, 700 acres has been cleared, 124 acres cultivated, and 300 acres sown in grass, 221 chains of new fencing has been erected and 584 chains of old fence repaired, while 1,054 chains of drains have been cut. Work on this block has been proceeding for about a year and is approximately 30 per cent, completed. Stock carried : Sheep, 3,501 ; dairy cattle, 2 ; run cattle, 110 ; horses, 4. Raetihi Block (1,410 Acres). (Control: Superintendent of Land-development, Te Kuiti.) This area was originally bush clad and milled. It consists of approximately 150 acres of steep country, and the balance is one-third each of low hills, easy slopes, and flats. The latter have been drained by an extensive drainage system. This work, also a very considerable amount of stumping and clearing, was carried out by the Public Works Department. Work has been proceeding for three years and a large number of men has been employed. The improvements consist of three cottages erected and one repaired, two sets of sheep-yards and one dip and one set of cattle-yards constructed, and the wool-shed repaired ; 2,526 chains of new fencing has been erected and 200 chains repaired, 530 chains of drains have been dug, 1,169 acres have been cleared, 248 acres cultivated (of this, 160 acres have been sown in new grass), while 100 acres of the old pasture have been reconditioned and 130 acres of bush felled and grassed. The work on the block is about 70 per cent, completed. Stock carried: Sheep, 4,203 ; run cattle, 332 ; dairy cattle, 1 ; horses, 9. Number of men employed : Twenty-one. Ohakune (1,076 Acres). (Control: Superintendent of Land-development, Te Kuiti.) This was originally bush-clad land which had been milled. The grass which was sown had deteriorated. The Public Works Department, employing a large number of men, has stumped and cleared approximately 870 acres, and this is being ploughed, cropped, and grassed. Work was commenced approximately three years ago, and to date one house and 440 chains of new fencing have been erected and 280 chains of old fences repaired, and 30 chains of drains dug ; 318 acres has been cultivated and 193 acres of new grass sown. This section has been used as a stock reservoir, and large swede-crops have been grown. Sheep are sent to winter at Ohakune and are then drawn for the northern sections in the spring as required. Some hundreds of bags of chaff have also been produced for the horses belonging to the Department. A new set of sheep yards and dip and cattle-yards have been constructed. The work is about 40 per cent, completed. Stock carried : Sheep, 1,743 ; run cattle, 143 ; dairy cattle, 4 ; horses, 2. Up to five thousand wethers were wintered on this block in 1937.
Blocks in Course of Development in the Wellington Land District.
Hawke's Bay Land District. Ahuriri Lagoon Development (7,753 Acres J. Development operations have increased steadily over the whole area during the last year, which was most marked by the abnormally wet autumn and dry summer. In the April floods the whole of the northern portion and most of the southern area was flooded almost to the old high-tide level, this being due to the Esk River overflowing and the flood-waters breaking the contour banks, which were not completed. Fortunately all the stock was moved before the flood-level became dangerous and the losses were negligible. Other than the loss of some 150 acres of winter feed and the reducing of the stock-carrying capacity little harm was done, but on the other hand the flooding was of enormous value in reducing salt content and depositing good alluvial silt over a large area. ■ The permanent-pasture areas have improved with the growth of clovers, and the bare salt patches have diminished and are now covered with Puccinellia stricta, a secondary grass of some grazing-value. The temporary pastures have given excellent grazing, but owing to rise of salt, with resulting bare patches, an area of approximately 50 acres has had to be resown. A further area of 80 acres has been sown in temporary pasture and approximately 30 acres in permanent pasture, 150 acres has been sown in barley for winter feed. All the grass areas have been top-dressed with superphosphate.
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Number Stock carried. Sales. Block. Area. °*em- n Dairy Run Wool. Cattle. Sheep. ployed. Sheep. Cattle. Cattle. Horses - p 0Unc i Si Value. Number. Value. Number.) Value. Acres £ £ £ Makaranui .. 1,500 .109 3,501 2 110 4 16,527 480 144 917 316 259 Ohakune .. 1,076 18 1,743 4 143 2 6,091 145 35 262 3,500 4,200 Raetihi .. 1,410 21 4,203 1 332 9 20,936 689 148 444 1,692 2,081 Totals .. 3,986 148 9,447 7 585 15 43,554 1,314 327 1,623 5,508 6,540
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