LIFE ON A MODEL STATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 930, 24 September 1910, Page 16

LIFE ON A MODEL STATION.

. VISIT TO MARAEKAKAHO. ■; . • ■ -■ i \ HOW A WILDERNESS WAS CONVERTED. . PIONEERING DIFFICULTIES. HAPPILY : SITUATED FARM'WORKERS:- " '•I ■

: . . ■ "Among the ; station- properties in Hawko's Bay there is none deserving of ampler notice than Maraekakaho. A South, Island.'farmer-asked,"to.name the. • best-conducted estatoin his half of the • j Dominion -would probably not hesitate 'long l before thinking of Longbeach,', Mr. J. C. N. Grigg'sadniirably equipped; farm m. Canterbury.; ■ And Maraekakalio • may be said to hold : yery !.mucli, the same ' place among tho sheep...stations of the -figricultural. properties of the .south.. It. is at least safo .to ,say there is not . 'a moro' up-to-date nor.'better-managed -;.;7 pastoral* estate in- the ,;whole . Dominion' , than-Mr.. R. D; D. .M'Lean's far-famed / : Hawko!s-Bay station:'. : -t ' _ For the benefit of readers unversed ;^VW; - bfifflawke's Bay,' 'its ;;. may bo .explai ned • thai? Maraekakaho lies ; twenty-one miles out- from' Napier. in a .;the'.''picturcsquo and fortile -Taradale, flats. Soon ~ after passing Tara'dale; the. Tutaekuri -. and Xgaruroro l llive'Ksi. which causo so ; ,much. anxiety . to-. -thei-' ioca'l' settlers •' in; ■ ;:;i'fi^tm^:.are;crosscdi'-'and, then, taking . a. wide sweep at Fe'rhhill, the road turns ;. jn . towards tho hills'y?and in ,a: few'miles;' still somo distanco/out on tho flats a, iVwater-race, . the .first !t<f bo cbnstruct«d in," ' the. province, is passed. : was■ made • by Jlr. M'Lean for the purpose of irrigating tho largo area of land ;' under. , crop which one seeg; on the . I ; ■ sido of the road. - Maraekakaho, : it may.': be mentioned,; has • an average of. about %] ;a-'thqusand^acrM i .uirderr'cnltivationr lw '■'<%rape,■ ; horsefeed, .etCiV. and about the ; ■ .. Bamo area is seeded down in grass an-.Mnnally;^-.1.-?:';-;-'"r-''-fi-i • .; v Continuing on ..tewards > the '' hills,, ! ~ chimps of trees with-''buildings nestling among tneni-are, soon' .descried scattered . . along tlio side of the. valley.., One ap-: 'pears; to be., approaching. 'a' good-sized, "village. Presently the-car turns up a \i. side. - Toad,and stops'; before; a gate by ; " the side ! -of 'which-'is -an. electric street : ;.'larcp. The visitor has.now arrived, at ; Maraekakaho - homestead. It has its school-h'oiiso'j itsr;'i'its;.ipublio -reading-rbbni; and'iibrary,';'an ' aecommedation house, a s''x)ro, -its' elcc- ■ • trie power and light;-.'station, and, of : • course,' all the .usual -buildings to • be-': •.. found.on a large shiep'station.' ' Pioneering Difficulties. tAi. -The•) beanniii'gs Maraekakaho date ', jack ;to jthe;pioneerin^4 a ys,-,of. Hawko's - Bay, .when the Hastings'and Taradolo, flats were;for, the.inostTpart .vast rau^o r PTv.impSj impassable alike by man and beijst. . To. reach j'Sapier ij'ronr ! thb ■ staW- '-tien' ,theri ' ! it. iwa's, 1 'necessary to'."'skirt' rotjml the base of tholllavelock hills to" ■ ~ tho sea beach, piid'-'froiii . there , 'io | : cqast,:;;alohg;;t6;town.,The ! > distance bythis .circuitous ;routb ;was';; '? rODI mile's...;* The was•'; ''' :i '^'.'^. :^„?, S™®.^ a T4 e talraH6'.{^obl i . , ;d6wii' ■ by bullock-dray tevClivo; the .time ocou— ■ pied m --transit usually being three daya . or : ? 0 > there to. lighter it out by Vo?. ®P a ts'-. to sailing ;vessels . standing. • offing.,. : 'Jtany; people-labour - under - a , misapprehension as :te : the • original statc of the Hawke's Bay' coun- ■ try.' . They look out ; of; the- tramr-win-v.v'-dows,; and see. clean .and'.'-beautifully--. grassejl shills on every side-'of-•them,' » n<l then hastily _ jump to- .the ;won that those bills were "always dov.-n 111 B rass of sonio sort, : and' .that' the ~;..early. settlers, had merely.tO',di''.ve-"their : 01 nooks in and turn - them out to' graze.'iy From these false premises' 1 many: incor- •. rect ~ deductions , have been made. , .Hawko's Bay, when the pioaeers-cairto, was cpvered in*- its dry and .hilly parts' oy a tangled mass of ti-treS and fern: . and the, portions that were not occupied' .• by tho hills were mostly vast stamps, • Such was, the state, of,'\Maraekakaho -V; ■ the lat-o Sir -Donald •M'Lean : first . took it up "half a' ceritui'y -ago, .' The' .first operation .was to .trim.'off-'tho fern ; : and < ti-tree,. much of this-■ standing -as ;; ; high, as . a; house,- and .then •tc'-sow -the : land in :grass. .;. grass; -seed in those - days was both dear and bad,-and it was . J nouncommon thing ■ for. l it-' to • -fail ■- to gormiriate . over. large areas. Tlien, again,, the vitality of the" ;indigenous' growths was' so:great;aS'-frequently 'to; ; cholro out the grass-'before ;it'.'could : tako a firm hold, of the .soil. ' These' i-; troubles, all meant loss antl-expenditiifq' :■ at .a,time . when money. was' scarco ,and- -. -.obtainable onljj, at ruinoiis:'Urates, ' ten' ■;; per- cent. -reason- -] ■'■; able interest on first-cla'ssVsccurity/.The 1 .. . cost of; draining the swamps 1 -wasfalso'i r, : ; a. big ' item, and : , when; tlie;'water.,; had'• \' beon carried ofF ~'tho settlers' troubles . .were by no means over]".jfor-'on? :the'- ;; beds of the swamps was''usually found" ■ much heavy timber,; the remains of ancient forrsts submerged 'in ; ; sonio ' a manner unknoivn.,' Ploughing: was out ;.. of the question.' until tiffs timber was..removed. . Some idea of what it has cost - to bring, Maraekakaho , up' to ; -its present; state may be "gathered-,from the fact that, during the last. thirty . ;years .alone a sum of £100,000-has been 1 ; spent 'in improvements,, £lnd that quite' ? independently of : working expenses. ru'n»ing .into somo thousands annually. . What Courage and Enterprise Have Produced. •f To-day there are about': twenty .'maracd'coupies, v.-'ith thoir families, living

on; the ; .siatibii,. .and,, even 'during ' the 1 Mnter,-,when everything is/at its slackest; something in, j.the:. nejghboui hood ofseyoiity, .employed.'■.llien, with the":.' spring v-rantl,;.-, the,,'summer, come.. 1 the ; ' . shearersj., harvesters, .e(ciji_and'ith'e.. while" place bristl ?s with' activity; '•I/nst : year 1, the';wagefc : billran iiitb a total 1 01 more •than- £10,000. •Mafaekskaho -.isevidently;'hot • one of ; tMso" Spots' of which: fancy'pictures are : : Eoin'6timeS; painted,' where ; two 'men' and .'a; dog« sit; tile: ..wool grow.' 1 ': A glance, arouiid. the homestead .giyes ;'a!good idea, of , the. ; varied activity .of';the. j place.fipii a. 1 northerly slope '..bfj l - t3ie tirS\tji "-"bo;~fouii'd -;-a\ _mimbrtable "surixiTind--ed . and '.'garde]is...' :i Firßt is- the^libuse occupied^by- tile-manager, Mi'yHenry^Ove.rtonj.iand'adjoining it 'is building, made of 1 limestoito.; obtained. ;pn the; property.' In; .tho office ,is a small telephone .exchange, by;iivhich -any;part of the, station: may ,-be; at once -communicated' with'A'■'little' •distance;- ftii-th'er ! al'diig tlie;' slbpo' is -'the :ij?Bidencj>vdf ••t^;^rejary ! t '9iiyd-acc6n'nt--boy6nd;that v again lives. Mr.r : A; ;M!teanj. : the overseer. 'Last or all is • a'v'new.tihb.iise,' thevparsonage; - hi;t <recently;'\ljuilt-, 'for;. the; Rev. ■ :Mr. .Catherwbp j d,,.thef|^Prcsbytoriftfi; •<., clergyman,/wfe; •parish -.extends '.to-vKei'cru,-•some milcs'-'away. up., the. valley. On ■'.below.Jare: public hall, the schoolhbuse,. and : ' a number of' other 'dwellings., Tlie hall 'serves' as church, library, and ballroom, and "'Sj:large; enough;.to l: accommodate eighty couples.. Tho library is a : well-selected one, containing' a,boijt 3000: volumes, > a" are : T :bf , recent; date;. In the' sch'oolh'ouse;.;Miss;Dugleby', .-Ims 'an average .of thirty ; or forty, chil-. - ! cfi'a'rgd ; "./ Near • by is - a ;.black'smith's;shop/ and'across the road ■are'Mr;;-Nugeny s' iiccbrampdati'oiV house, Btp.ro,' post '.''and telephone; office. Tip the'j-pad can 'be seen the riflo : butts..The station 'is-,a .'great' sporting/centre.; ll'has, .avcrickflt 'eleven,; Passing;: tlie.;'ijiflo ;butjss <•». further,,,stretch : .leads on,.to'"The Cottage, where .Mr. I M'Lean,. lives; ■ v-. . r- :. o Model Conditions. . On .;'.'thft . other ; sido of -the ..manager's . house,' , the working 'centr.e' of :the statipn. '-i.A' ; wide ;-, path :leads iV down,. on an ! , ; easygrade/; to ;■ -the fdaif3 r ,'-?a.n';;;up-t6-da,tp building of concrete;'' 'excellently arranged ; foi\ keeping, tho "milk,- cream, andr'b'iiiter 1 cool' and the' hottest weather. summeri':'a I ,.big. supply of jbuttter. is made and: piit''in,cold 'store' at Hastings to .be drawn on 'again for winter"'consumption on this" station. - Bej'bndj,.: the: 'dairy ; •is;.. the power-house.' ®6'-plant here consists'of '.a suction gas■producer, ■ a : ,44 horse-power <gas engine, 1 ['a' dirept-cbupled'' IS" kilowatt- dynamo,' a j;]SStrolfengine 'of 20'horse-powerused 1 |^V'a room |; , a l ' stbrage .'battery' of-130,, cells'!.'. . From i.this.-is.-supplied power vorking:'.tho'' wopd : sawS, the :sbearing.-'.maohines,-, the wool-presses, the . horse-clipping "maThe wliolo . pt the buildings- and', around' the homestead- are ■lighted-.by .'electricity,.;and .the hall in particular, seems ■ to'..be much more bril--liantly;.lit.-than- most city ,buildings of. .the vliind.wTbo:--men's l ..-'quarters"- were • next'risited; and : after.'insp'eciing them it .. is.'not 'difficult, to .understand how•■Maraekakaho has earned -the -.;'name of ■ doing well- by- its: station hands.-.'Pass-ing/through a large and ; airy-dining--room tho' visitor reaches the ''kitchen

arid bakehouse, and: the extent, of the operations here may be gauged-when, it is mentioned that 120 .large 41b. loaves are turned oirt'.'ovory week. In the same building Ms . tho public readingroom, ■ where, ivei'e to bo. discovered' ciopiesVof .the piwious- day's" Dominion and tile ; local .newspapers, -together with, a wido range of New Zealand,, Australian, and .English illustrated .weekly papers and magazines. A few steps away was' tho'_ men's "whaiv," a good.Siadd one-storied dwelling-house . surrounded by a/verandah. Sleeping accomniodatio'n is-: provided here for .24. singlo meir, ■: the -married couples being quartered:out: in cottages of their, own. A little distance off was a ~silent and "deserted" building, tho .European shearers' '• hut.' -This will bo. lively enough towards 'tlio - end of host ' month when shearing begins, ,but during the rest of .tlio\jiear '.it >tanda. ; ,unoccupied. ...It., is,, divided ,in two. by! a. partition, each, ■lialf: ' containing ■ : accommodation' for twonty.ineh. : :.Mo impkment'sheds are nest reached.and/in.them a large array of . agricultural': machinorj;—reapers and binders, - threshing ,:ma'chiliesj .:'etc.-T.is; housed ivheivnot in, use. -Adjoining is; a .plumber's.,.shdp, : ... the . men's '.bathroom, 'and„...*th.o,. stables;', and. coach-houses. There , are>soP';'"'lidrses on .thestation",' and;.; liorse-breaking- Js a., pretty- 'constant "oqcjlpatioii.; Soirie splendid: lit— He "Welsh ponies 'were to be-'seen .in .th , e...,j\ , ird •• sohio,:'of which should'.easily; fetch. £ICO or' more. ■ ■■■' : : ; Ptoasant Sui'Mutitlinss. . -The Svholo-of;,the: described ,are.'^t6'!be'imagined as scattered over '■a well-turfed . flat with.. a', wido plantation of trees, rising-on' a hillside " bo-, hind, them, and shutting out, tho southerly'winds. On the, flat , itself..clumps 'of shado and shelter" trees diversify too ;outjook. Somo distance away, down towards tile main road, are tlio shear-ing-shed ■ and . night-pen, .which between them, are capable of accommodating some 5000 sheep over-night, for tho shearers .to begin work on,in'the morning; .The wbolshedis; of great .extent, and in excellent condition, though, perhaps,, one of tho first, to have;shearing-mach-ines; erected .in it. " At that, time there were machines for: ; twenty-eight men,' : but ,since a. portion:.-of ,'the run has been disposeel of, eight machines, have been taken down, and tho portion of the shed they occupied is 'now utilised in connectionwith tho dip." All sheep enter it the covered, .and." battened . shed, thus ; preventing the. sheep.. standing •lu

the sun"or taking any dirt into the dip. Ample accommodation for three thousand ordinary crossbred sheep is provided, with the object of shutting -up sheep by night,-which-means • little "waste of time for shearers in.showory weather. Six; hundred sheep por<. hour can , bo efficiently' and ' comfortably ' dipped. The ' sheaTuig ' outfit : consists . of twenty 'Wolseley machines, operated by an electric motor. Across the ; road :are - the main stock : yards. .■ Midway between the ; : shearing-shed - and : the group, of'-buildings- just described- are. three cottages. . Two of these are .used as quarters for : the Maori . shearers,' and . the third is the . swaggers' - hut. Maraelcakaho li'ns . this , year provided free food and accommodation for an average; of /'eight swaggers a night. The men, on arriving at the station, apply 'at the office, rand' are given' a ticket -entitling. them to tho use of thei:whare, ,and. ..to/.so ; many .meals. Sometimes the ; number,, on . the - placo at one time, will go up as high as fourteen or fifteen.' It,is stated that work is tho thing, many of on tho roads; nowadays least desire to meot. There is still another spot to be vjsited before this side of the homestead is "left, and-that is- tho garden and orchard, which together cover an area

of about five acres, and keep three or four; gardeners busily employed. Tho garden is mainly devoted to vegetables and frnit, 1 and a row of orange and lemon trees.in full-bearing and laden with fruit bore ovideneo to tho geniality of the eliuiato. There is another largo garden at Mr.,; M'Lean's residence on the station also, , ' The Stud Farm. : This description; will give the reador, an. idea of. the .main features, of . the. Maraokakaho- homestead. . The stud farm, situated in .another valley,- some distanco away, has yet.to bo described, however. It. is quite another station headquarters in itself. There aro inone group, of buildings, the , stables for tho -.Glydesdide stud, built around a largo courtyard; and close by aro quarters for Sir. Harkness, who has, charge of . the horses, and his assistants. Some distanco off, are' the -maiii bullhouses, with' accommodation -for;- about a, score'.of bulls,, and, here -and there over tlio flat a number of smaller bulland 'cottages aro, spread about. The Shorthorn stud is under the charge of Mr. Donovan. Tho. stud farm was shiftod out to .ite; present site about fifteen years ago.--. ; It--Stands'-in- the midst of what was <?nce a raupo swamp, which" Mr."''M'Le'an"had' drained"ofF at considerable expense,, tho main : drain being no- less than fift-een, 'feet .deep and running right' along tho valley ! ' Maraekakaho stock is so well-known among the-, farmers .of! New' Zealand as to hardly. ne,bd. description." It has, always secured its 'share, of; prizes, at the A.-and, P. shows,'-and it-s : wins aro' -t-o- bo reckoned by hundreds. At tho Chicago World's Pair of 1892. Mr. M'Lean ; wag awarded a medal and di-: ploma of honour for his wool exhibit; "at the Paris Exhibition of 18S9 he secured a gold medal; and at the Anglo-French , Exhibition, Maraekakaho .wool was allotted a diploma of 'honour. Stock bred on the station have also won many prizes in Australia. , ■ Bradford's Appreciation. In liis valuable pastoral paper, the "Y/00l Record," Mr. S. B. Hollings, the dilebrated wool export of Bradford, writes under date February 3,1910:—"The''Hatchet' brand of wool, as it.is kno'wn in this country,', is sometimes termed 'Crook' and 'Bundle,' but both descriptions'are wrong.v That clip is owned by Mr. R. D; D. M'Lean, of; Maraekakaho, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand,

and is always spoken of locally aB 'Lochaber Axe'—in other words, an old Scotch battleaxo. The top pricb realised in. Coleman Street this series was Is. 4id.'for grease fine half-bred. We have .word from that district that.five .of the half-bred Lincoln-merino ewe hoggets recently sold from that country, and of which one obtained the reserve cham--pionsbip arid first, prize'in the class of ■single ewes at the Canterbury !A. and P. Show, yielded .when shorn' 851b. of wool. The principal prize-taker had ,a fleece of 181b., two 171b., and two 16ilb. .■ The staple was from 9in. to lOin. long." " When the late Sir Donald' M'Lean first took up the property he stocked it with merinos, but, --with the other Hawke-s Bay:.settlers, ho soon had to introduce Lincoln-blood to cross with themerinos. 'The.-station .'-was noted from . the. beginning for the quality. of its stock,'and the .different studs were formed many years ago. . Some particulars of the studs at Maraekakaho should be of interest. Clydesdale Stud. .' This stud is bred with the view : of producing the greatest amount of substance and constitution without in any

; wa.y sacrificing the admitted activity and style of the typical Clydesdale horse, with" its. fine, quality, bono, good joints, and.-not too, much - hair to 'act as an encumbrance 1 when ..working in the team': .upon tho land. Tho stallions Used are, r imported,-.and:.;.the hordes shown in,' fclie illustration will bo suffi-,

cierit guarantee that the very best is being dpne. ~lt is usual .to reserve a few of tlio best colts out of selected mares for . stallions, wliicli always - sell, well ■ as two-fear-olds for! Australian markets. A large number of. the three-year-old geldings are required - 'annually to keep tlio teams working upon this •station to a high ' standard, _for these aro so frequently drawn upon for matured horses of the right stamp .'for city' work. The three-year-old fillies are 'put to work;iii tho tfcams for-a year or : so,' then carefully selected to go into the stud. The breeding mares' are not, as a rule, worked much', for the 'ploughing, is' usually upon; hilly country, not. altogether - suitable for brood .mares, carrying valuable foals' to, work upon., • Welsh Pony Stud, , These, well-known ponies are'directly descended from a very early importation made by Colonel Charlton, upon which havo been "used the' celebrated' imported stallion Comet,' now. twenty: years of age, but to all appearance only a four-year-old—his progeny being used with the later imported : stallion -DmaiHe Caesar. These ;ponies .have. chiefly; for station-'-use,'-'for/they:.; are not only' good in'appearance,; but , make | excellent strick.V horses,';sure-footed .as I a' goat, and . will 'practically:,carryz 1 a; I heavy. man almost: 'overany .country; It is custoniary:-:'tb;:reservo'; a- ,fow..: of tho best of;-the.colts each .year for stallions,' which ' are..' afterwards', much appreciated in .Auslrfalia,.';' for ' servico. there. It is - only !in .very"rare casesany . fillies are. /disposed'; of; and any geldings not 'required: for station , uso meot with ready . sale','-for they are not only useful as' above ; mentioned, but make very fine '-'animals; for' light harness, showing both ■ style .ana .pace.; Well-bred blood mares mated with these Welsh pony stallions .produce an 'exceptionally useful horse.' - The Shorthorn Hard. Cattle. play such'-an . important,-part in the breaking-iii . and k&piug,in:-order : 'of the grazinp country of : Hawke's, Bay: that it is .practically ;.v:- necessity,;..to keep a largo .number constantly among the sheep, and. as it takes- little more.to' produco a real good calfvwhich will in time becobio: a valuable -beef- animal than it . does to keep a pooY -thing, so; this herd , was started, with , the viewof doing this.. I ho herd .as :•at prs- - existing is practically:all,purebred, for only imported sires or, sires from imported stock, havo been used for a great number ■ of • years and the chiefaim in the breeding is to produce; an. animal', of • .robust ' constitution with plenty of beef on . the most valuable parts, together with -a , good, haiullma skin,' soft, yet plenty of. substance, and covered with '.a. good thick • coat.,of. the right sort of hair and colour. , A certain number of youna bulls. from selected cows aro kept each year, and as two-year-olds meot with ready sale— and it niigbt be mentioned that all bulls offered for sale as well as all used in the herd bear a "certificate of tuber-

culiii ■ test" ' from • a■■ ; registered; M.TI'.C.V.S. Tlie steers whon they "come from among th© sheep, as'three-,year-olds ■ and' go- into the fattening paddocks are very : different to. anything in. trie 'way of..'store steers'-which can.' be bought: :-"regardless of price" -in tlie open .mar-, ket., , v ; v

Stud Merino. , Through at times' excessive nioistur6 and'tlie warmth, of the',Hawko's-l : Bay climate, " causing foot-rot it is "more.'-'or less. difficult to - maintain a: large stud of this most .valuable breed-of sheep,', consequently only .a "mielous!' is'kppt . for the purpose of. keeping- up a small number of. .purebred ewe's which "■■/.are", used for producing ha'lfbrcd ram lanibs* . with the view ,of securing a ;few yaluablo.' rams, of tliis class,;: Theso sheep, though; never-allowed: upon the better class .of land,-are growing magnificent; .fleedes, 'and: show: without; a doubt/tho purity of their breeding. . Lincoln Stud. .The. Lincoln; generally admitted - ; aa the "king" among sheep aid yet ':'so. unpopular in' some districts,i is ' nevertheless, the : best source by which . a beautiful lustrous, weighty wool can he maintained upon a good; property, and tells, its own tale .when clipping .time' comes 1 round, and to secure this article so much sought 'after by the. buyer, it is with this end in view .the' Lincoln flock is kept. for. producing the. 'very best of '.rams use .upon,'tho: station.; The 'flock 'is: bred from tJw -purest.strains of inipdrted blood and .shows. great.robustness, - with plenty .of good :'. bone, ' well . set-up- - shoulders,!- and. lieavjv'lustrous','.fleeces, of:, real, typical' Lincoln,; wool/. ■! Af,ter, a carofiil selection: of . the .shearling'-rams; lid's 'been 'riiado" ,for station. use,- : the 'balance; ! is ,:-xisuiilly placed upon 'thei'market, or. .disposed; of: privately. v-;-'- ..; English Leicester Stud. • As.;,the'; 1 frozen, ineat. industry. ; became> pf.'/siich /jmpo.rtnce j'toj. the colony, an early .slieep, ; to ;use : .>up6n-the: strong; Lincoln, or - Roiiiiiey ..ewe ..became id-':■ .necessity, -and; the./.English;; Leicester; seems-tt> meot tho purpose.well,.'for-the

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| result of such a cross means' an excellent wether lamb /with a good skin for. the factory, as well as producing; young owes-with a nice,-bright;lustrous wool and constitutionj most suitable for putting back to the pure Lin-, coin . ram. ...... The stud. flock was; started witli selected ewes .from some of the most. prominent colonial breeders, and .the rams used have beeheitlier imported | or, selected from the.'very : best ■ colonial; strains/. As with the Lincolns, the maiil, object is to'.'breed, sufficient' rams.; for; station use,; and disposing of; any' bak aiice*. ■ This '.flock show 1 ; wonderful backc, with well , set 'on heads, showing great • quality, and a genuine Leicester fleece. Much satisfaction has been. achieved in the > breeding .'of these sheep by getting l away' from . theV short- goose-rumped'.'ani-, mal ..to onewith,-,the fine; straight; back' and. \long , hindquarier, > ' which'.. means, more weight and a much better general appearance. '. 7.;; ':' -z X ; A Su-nnnry. : [ ■ The stud stock on. tie station' at present includes■' ■ ■'-. ;;' : Seventy stud. Clydesdale brood; maresj ■ with.;female.'progeny';up'to . three- years; of. age, and imported sires. Forty Welsh pony brood -.mares,...with'" female : progeny up 1 to three years ;of age,;ana imported sire's. .- -■' ■ •; '' Fivo hundred and twenty purebred Shbrthohi r breedihg cows,; with - .female iprogeny up to two years of age, and imported sires. I*.' * ■. ; ! Six hundred \ andV sixty stud Lincoln bleeding ewes, and'' last - season's' ;^o|eny.; : '. y; , " Five hundred stud English Leicester breeding •' ewes,'' and ' last season's vriEishty-fiye' ! stud 'Merino breeding ewes' ."■[The sires used with abovo owes are either imported or from. imported sires. : 'i..There : are^'iwenty-five-married -people lining upon .the- stations (which ineaua twei'.ty-Jive '■■' houses) ■: and with ; the permanent! men'employed, .brings .the total population up to 144.-'• .' . • -Vv' v 'rv.; • The average number of meals supplied to swaggers..is over 2000 per annum; was ;a ,gb(^:.deal;.above., this- av-nrage; but .this season bids, fair - I'to: bring ; about, the .usual number..'

llc-ssrs. Davis \ and : 80yd,., of .the County.. Garage; Hastings; .whose adver-. tisement ai>pears in. this issue, aro stated to 'have the largest business; of. their kind in Hawke's Bay. The firm took over the old-established business 'of Jones and ; Son/ and devote -the w'hole.'.of their'time to automobiles and; .their..;.accessories. The. garago, .which ; is ;: ; about ;'eiglity: : 'feet! by. forty .'feet' in exi«nti\.'is.. iittcd with tho latest ..machinery jfor^repairs.: j- At :.;the''.present tiine :cars : ,oni: order,aud theso..-should in Hastings' i.abo.ut"the.''-&idof >' ■:^qfflmbel , ;/;'Tiiqluded'.; "to thfe' hst.'VwiU);be'-tli^vfampus:"Crossley' which'';is\ now, douig' remark-' able liill-climbingV''trials in. .tain. V IVKssrsy Davisl and's-.'!Boyd : tho J sole Hawke's. 1 Bajj:'agenoieS; for \tho; following-. oars':--prossley;. .Napier, Jgyll,' D.S.A;vo':;EeiiMlt : , "and;Darracq; aud- all 'these.may tbesup-, -pliiad j at ship-; ping 'and landing- charges.