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1954
12 March 1954
Improved Pastures on Rylstone Farm Pay Big Dividends
When Mr. H J. Murphy, of "Mirrabooka," Rylstone, was handed the Standard Portland Cement Co.'s trophy for the best three commercial fat lambs at the recent Rylstone Show he remarked, "That's what improved pasture will do for you,"
In addition to the trophy, for his fat lambs, Mr. Murphy won first prize in the farm produce section of the show with his baled lucerne hay.
Mr. Murphy came to Rylstone from the Goulburn district some five years ago, and when he took over his present property it was in a practically unimproved state, and had no homestead on it.
Today, 800 of his 1,200 acres are sown down to improved pasture and the property carries two sheep to the acre in addition to up to 50 head of cattle and some horses.
Mr. Murphy uses a mixture of phalaris, subterranean clover and Wimmera rye sown on land that has first been sweetened with lime, then treated with superphosphates and molybdenum.
In consultation with the local agronomist, Mr. F. Filan, the property has all been soil analysed and the renovation programme has more than proved its worth in correcting erosion, providing rich pastures and doubling carrying capacity.
River Flats
This highly improved property, which has a four-mile frontage to the Cudgegong River, grows lucerne for winter feed and storage on its 50 acres of rich river flats. Lucerne is irrigated from the river during dry periods. In recent months, since the district grasshopper infestation was overcome and seven inches of rain fell in January, lucerne has been cut and baled every four weeks.
Potatoes First
With his two older sons, Bruce and Don, to share farm, Mr. Murphy brings land for lucerne growing into good condition with a preliminary crop of potatoes.
A new area, which has been prepared for lucerne by this means, will be sown to oats this winter. It will have a further green crop ploughed in and the lucerne sown next autumn.
Using a roto-baler, Mr. Murphy now has 150 tons of stored lucerne in his well-built barn, and expects to double the quantity. Supplementary feeding of lambing ewes is carried out in winter months.
Gully Erosion Cured
When first he acquired "Mirrabooka," there were signs of severe gully erosion on portions of the land, but, by contouring and sowing down eroded portions with phalaris and sub. clover, this has entirely disappeared.
Mr. Murphy uses Dorset Horn and Border Leicester ranis on crossbred ewes for fat lambs, which are marketed in fat condition from sucker stage to six months.
With 18 subdivisions to work round, a paddock chart has been drawn up for rotational grazing, and is strictly adhered to. Each paddock receives not more than two weeks' grazing and not less than three weeks' rest.
A mob of 800 ewes seen by "The Land" last week grazing in a paddock, still carrying a heavy sward of pasture, had been on it for eight weeks, with a three week spell in between the two grazing periods. It was still in excellent heart, and so were the ewes.
Preventive Drenching
A drenching plan, which is preventive rather than corrective, is carried out on an average of five times a year. Mr. Murphy considers that the three-week resting of paddocks insures against reinfestation.
With three sons (one still at school) and a daughter whom her father rates as good as any one man on the property, Mr. Murphy is never short of help when help is needed. The whole farm reflects good team-work and excellent farming practice.
A beautiful four-bedroom homestead of concrete brick construction reflects the prosperity of this well-run farm1
.