REMINISCENT.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 8

REMINISCENT.

; 6ETTLERS; ;OF; THE' ; ; E.AELYiDAYS. ';'.-•■lnVbonversation , with; I'}, aVWaverley .yious 'Kadisbid.'or /-'--'exi changed^/arid others had.gone;to.- their: long iiqme; :' .are, very .few; ot-us' old: settlers left- in tho'district now.;, iou ■'.can '.'count'. ( them'. .'on; one. hand.-v ..Tliere ;Vis 'l myself , 'and; ;iWiiliam \Vilson, ! .-Peter : '. Mlhisiie, VOwei ■'Bta'we'sy .T. it'o,)i*ej J ._ Dickie,;and Sandy ;H6ivie.. r ;The;''festvare comparatively. newcomere.: : rl reckon -they; are ;all,neVvr' chumsi;.till they h'avb.ibeeiiyhero.-thirty yeniai'''-, ,i; :; '■■■'A--~-:'\ [::: . : '':^ : - '■-:-: ■ '■: : . : :':' '■: '. v;;.;\V.liat. lively';times".they'.bad'in. those, 'early days '. during 'the. Aiabri .war.' Tlioy . hardly .'ever : 'indted ; away % without', their: 'guns.; All'over tho district ; are : still;to beeni Seen -■ thei--remains"; of the,'.- ngntiiig' pas situated : .ui.'commanding' .positions ,wlucH..plairi]y, .'showii'..th'aV tlie v;Maoris was;a' soluier'fDprn.-::There are "several 'of;tliese;paß.:iiear;Waitota'ra; : and iiai' Iwi. ..'ln factj'all along'tho.West' Coast ;there.arc'.' many; of 'theso old Maori for-. ;V^.;- : . ; ;- :; :\; : ' ;;;,- ■:'■'■ '''■

■ 5"Woll, v and.,;what- sort of a. country was it.Av]ien'-ybu';.tirst;ca,m'ei"tb thb>dis- ■ tract?" I asked"■niy;friehd.' : ;..'-;.':V- : y . ■'■.■■ He, said, ■■ ' ' You > ; would - hardly, believe it possiblo that, what .you seo'to-day all along;the',cdast,;'and:"especially 'about '.Wayerley,; is. not ■ another country . en-' tiroly. ■■■ Where";theso"--'-'splendid. : -,. grass lands and cultivated paddocks aro were wheril came-mostly tail fern.' In .riding. through it you could 'hardly • see anything. Onone part'of the land I took: up : the',fern was so .tall that there . were ■ regular tunnels through /.which we" rode—fern right above our heads. Then bohirid the.fern lands came a'helt mostly of whitey wood bush. In tho' gullies was'bush of all sorts. ; We did not havo much trouble in keeping.the. fern down—a good burn, and then cattle on '.when-the young shoots appeared,seemed to lißiall that waii.nGodea;'' ['■/■

; ;';;ltVis-very pleasant to spend an hbur ,with;-tho old settlers- in any.;district, ,and of tliem'all.:l don't know : of.oho whose conversation is 1 ; more, interesting .than.Mr. ;13ovan,: sen., .of Mahakau. His, reininiscenebs ' certainly ought, to Do."in:;book form: ■. -;-':

: Not; far from Wavcrley '■- racecourse is another'.weO-known stock . breeder, a lady.this' time, Miss Watt, -. lvlici breeds Lincoliis . and Shqrtlioriis/,;'. As/1 went up to .the house, r noticed some ensilage' bad been laid out in .the paddock. Miss Watt .told-me;that every animal on the place was very fond uf it, and 'she is quito surprised that more 'farmers do not make it, as her experience: is that there-is'.nothing morn easy to save, and it does noVinatter.''whether it. is wet or dry, unlike haymaking, for which' ouo must, have.hot suhhy weather..