Andrew Howard - Richmond Park

Kangaroo Island Development

A typical example of what individual land-holders are doing on Kangaroo Island to bring undeveloped land into production and further improve the land which they have already developed, is Richmond Park, the property of Mr. Andrew L. Howard, of Penneshaw. 

At present he has 608 acres down to improved pastures, while he has not long finished clearing a further 600 acres which will receive similar treatment.

Not a young man — Mr. Howard has spent the whole of his life in the Penneshaw district — he was one of the first men to introduce subterranean clover to Kangaroo Island and his property is recognised as one of the show places. He says that the more he sees of the island's possibilities, the more he is convinced that, with anything like full development, it could be made one of the most productive areas in the State. 

'We had a tough go in the early days,' he says, 'even for many years after super came into use. It was not the initial clearing that worried us, although it was tough enough when scrub rolling had to be done with bullock team and the heavier timber cut with an axe. Our greatest trouble was keeping the land clear of rubbish and shoots that continued to come up for years afterwards. The implements of those days, and the means of hauling them, were not suitable for clearing large areas by tillage alone, whereas to clear by burning one had to stock very lightly or not at all. 

'Until we realised the value of top-dressing pastures and introducing other fodder plants, such as clovers and rye grasses, it was not possible to carry more than one sheep to the acre. Under the present conditions, we can carry two and three sheep on new land after four or five years, with plenty of scope for further improvement. 

'The heavier pastures and heavier stocking practically solved the aftergrowth problem.' Mr. Howard said that his was mostly ironstone country and sheep seemed to thrive. Much improvement had been made by adding copper to the soil and also by giving it direct to the sheep. Some landholders were also adding cobalt, though he personally had not found it necessary. 

Big Difference From Copper 

'The copper has definitely made a big difference to our wool,' he said. 'My top price this season was 78d., with 56d. right through.' At Richmond Park, Mr. Howard is running 2,000 Merino and crossbred sheep, not only for wool but also for fat lamb raising. He also has 30 head of cows, and crops 150 acres of peas, barley and oats. He has been growing peas for years and found them a very profitable crop. This season he had 38 acres which returned him £26 an acre. 

'The main thing is pasture development,' he said. 'Mine is Mount Barker clover, perennial and Wimmera rye, and some phalaris. I believe that the value of my property, as a result of pasture improvement, has risen 100 p.c. I started on it 20 years ago. Then I was carrying only a third of the stock I have now and the possibilities are by no means fully exploited.' 

Mr. Howard went on to say that he realised a lot of responsibility for the island's progress lay with the landholders themselves. Anyone holding more land that he could hope to develop within a reasonable time should let others in and concentrate on a smaller area. A major difficulty was the means of getting scrub rolling done and it would seem that a good powerful plant, working all the year round on the various holdings, would be a great asset.