TERRACED HILLS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 17, 17 October 1944, Page 3

TERRACED HILLS

one "was relieved."

LESSON FROM ITALY

"NOT AN ACRE WASTED"

A New Zealand soldier in Italv " •> writing to relatives on the East Coast, gives some interesting observations on the manner in which soil erosion has been countered on the hilly lands of northern Iltaly.

The writer is Corporal P. Bremncr of the New Zealand Divisional Cav,alry who iir.st di.scusses the Italian climate as compared with New Zealand's. He states that press writers have had a lot to say about the scv > ere winter conditions encountered by the, troops' in Italy.

"Personally I think the winter here was very little colder than lota oi." places in New Zealand, and certainly not as cold as Waiouru " Corporal Breinner comments.

"Certainly the mud amis a nuisance, hindering but jtt wasn't so bad for us in the Divisional Cavalry. We nearly always managed to get a vueatett house to live in or else made our

canvas shelters comfortable with plenty of straw and good drainage. Of course when one is out in a slit

•9 trench holding a scction. of the lino it is not .so 'good; bul that sort job never lasted very long beforp

Hundreds of Terraces

Touching on his surroundings at the time of writing he mentioned that May day wps as hot aa any January day in New Zealand, and they expected to lind it hotter towards the end of the Italian summer. "[ am writing out under ft oak tree whose new leaves have just broken out 5 and on the side ol a hill looking across a narrow valley/' the writer continues. "At home this sort of country would probably be in rat-tail or and part of a big run-olf in the Out here there is not a square yard wasted and 1 believe that off this area of' about. 100U acres* nearly people get their living.

"Up the centre of the valley there are liekls of wheat } patches of oats, barley and broad beans ? and also lots of small orchards and vineyards. In most cases the vines are trained up the trunks of young straight willows or fruit trees j and then along eros.s-wirc.s< about 7ft. above the ground. In this Avay ? they Leave the' ground clear for ploughing by bullock or mule teams t and get about two crops oft betore the grapes require much attention.

"On the, steep walls of the where at home in New Zealand there probably -would be slips and waslv outs, these people have made, bun' dreds oi' supporting the banks with stones, and these little terraces also grow their small contributions of "wheat, grapes, beans or vegetables for the people.'s susten' ance. Where, the slope is altogether too steep or rocky, they plant, birches or thorns, which they cut every lew vears and burn into charcoal. I think an Italian peasant would be •altogether lost on a New Zealand farm, but he. would be an ideal gardener." "A Very Pretty Sight" The letter closes on a social note. "Now the people are strolling back up the road which leads through the valley, on; their way home from church. They go about all the week in all sorts of old things, the men bewhiskered and" the children often dirty-faced." But 011 the Sunday, they can all find something special to wear, though the Germans took most of their good things. "The men arc all clean-shaven today and the children all have nice fresh clean I'aCes,, rosy Avith the effects. of soap, water and elbowgrease'. It is a very pretty sight to "see them strolling along in twos and threes, all types, all ages, and all gossiping contentedly. It reminds me of the old days when we used to go to church in the two-hor.se waggon.''