A Visit to Beaconsfield.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 112, 6 November 1894, Page 2

A Visit to Beaconsfield.

Grey dawn bad just appealed on Sunday morning when I heard a rap at my window, and a well-known voice summoning me to awake and prepare for a long ride to hear the anniversary services in the Cosmopolitan Church at the above plaoc. It was a lovely morning, but the sky a trifle cloudy. It is useless to describe places en route as they are well-known to your readers. An hour's gentle ride brought us to the late Mr Perry's place, which, by the way, I intend to fully describe later on. My friend had some business to do there, so I pushed on through Buchanan's run, of some 2,000 acres. I saw some good stamps of the Lincoln sheep on this place, also good specimens of the pure Romuey, a number had two lambs at foot. No dead sheep were to be seen, a pretty good proof of the place not being over stocked. On this property are some Hereford cattle. They look fairly well, some appeared as if they would resent the appearance of a stranger. We pmerqec} on to the Beaconsfield road and then had to come back to make our way on to the Waituua road, where the Church is situated. We arrived there in nice time, about seven minutes before the sorvico began, and to oiu' astonishment found there wore to be no anniversary services, simply the ordinary service. The building is small indeed, aud the design bad — even for a country place of worship. Its size is about 28ft by 22ft, with the ceiling very low, and no ventilators in the roof. What it is like when crowded, as I believe it often is, in tho summer evenings I leave you to imagine. With an attendance of fifty-five I felt quite oppressed. It is a plain structure, with no pretentious to design, built with upright timber and battens betweeu. I was niuch struck with tho number of young men attending nioruiug servico. It speaks well for them. After the service our party of three was scattered. Mr John Gordon hpspitably entertaining myself. His property 'l shall now describe. The Waituna country is a goodly heritage. A large number of people iv this colony havo never hoard of this land yet between this place and Marton a nice country has been opened up this 18 years, and some of tho original settlers arc on it to this day. Mr Gordon's proporty consists of one hundred and ninety two acres, and, as he expresses it, " You can drive a dray over any part of it," showing how level it is. The halfbred Romuoy aud Lincoln finds most favor with the owner, but he believes in some oattlo at the same time. When Mr Gordon wont on to tho place some nine years ago it was heavily timbered with rimu principally, rata, and other well-known timbers. After bis " burns " ho sowed timothy, cocksfoot, and rye grasses. The paddocks, which are subdivided, show a good deal of clover which has been self-sown. The factory, though only four miles away, has not disturbed t£e even tenor of Mr Gordon's life, though I triodhard to persuade him to send his milk there. The land carries four sheep to the acre. With poor grass, aud hay fed, his cows iv winter averaged Blbs of butter weekly. This speaks volumes for the land. Mr Gprdon is, a Cumberland man, pomjpg to Now Zealaud when a child.