EASY-SETTLEMENT IN AUCKLAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1671, 24 September 1887, Page 3

EASY- SETTLEMENT IN AUCKLAND.

(Exchange.) It is frequently c matter of surprise to people living m the southern and more inhospitable portionß-of the colony how settlers m the Auckland provinoe dare to venture on to a bush home with little or no capita). The question of settlement upon the land, as viewed from their standpoint, presents quite another aspeot to that when viewed ftom an Auobland point of view, remarks the Mall of the 13th iDBt. In the Sonth, unless the seeds are put m m the proper seed time, them can be no orop expected that year. Here, however, h >w different are the conditions of settlement. In the gen al clim&te of the bud ny >orth the forces of nature m the vegetable kingdoms are never at rest. Successive plantings and reaping of crops of potatoes may go on here all the year round. The other week, at the camellia end winter f 1 uit show, held m this city, were exhibited several plates of potatoes from a crop planted by Mr Gallagher, at Avondale, m April last, and were dug a matured crop m July. On A ugust 4 we were shown two samples of potatoes, grown In the Hokiar-ga distriot, m one of the village settlements, Motukaraka ; one of the samples of potatoes was the common Hobart variety, and the other waa one of the flukes. Both were wtllgrown, and quite ripe. The crop, of which the samples we wt»re shown form a part, were planted about the middle of March, and the crop was dug on the 27th July.' The potatoes were grown by Mrs Finnegan, Motukaraka, Bokianga, and the two instances named show how soon settlers m the genial North may be ia a position to provide a supply of food for tbelr families and domestic animals. We were also shown a sample of oranges grown m the Hokianga diatrict by Mr J. Maxwell from trees only three years planted. Though the culture of this class of fruit here was long disputed by the enemie3 of progiess, and they bow find that the 'Impossible to grew them,' argument is now no longer a successful one to employ.