THE HARVEST IN THE GREY VALLEY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1102, 8 February 1872, Page 2

THE HARVEST IN THE GREY VALLEY.

[ ; ;[f^oM OUR OWN" dOi^E&POSrDENT^j^ February 6. - The gathering in of the harvest will be generally commenced throughout the Grey Valley^by "the latter par rof 'this'weelf; or sooner should; the/vfeather, = which is at present brbkeii, take lip again. A little work has been already done, principally in cutting' dbwri TEnglish hay arid'yarly 1 winter- oats.- Some of the •farmers are icoinplaining that hands .are not forthcoming in sufficient numbers, arid that expribitant wages are demanded, but this ban be accounted for. by the, generally prosperous condition of the Gold Fields. Last iaufcumn the large t rush to Half-Ounce was at its height, arid, as is' usual at every large rush, there were numbers of men seeking employmerit. '■■''■ The "diggings could not absorb all the surplus lahor, and the farmers reaped the benefit/ This year there is veiy little' spare labor on the Gold Fields in the Grey District, as nearly every one is employed either in claims actually paying or : in progressive claims with good prospects. In the early part of the season^ from the: continued rains, it was feared the crops would be far, behind: hand, and as it is the potato crop has suffered seriously, but the fine dry weather since Cbilstmas has done a deal towards bringing up the leeway. The .crops are more mixed this season than heretofore, but the greatest bulk is composed, as usual, of oats. The oat crop is quite up to the average, except those farms which '< have been croppecl year after year with the same description of grain. On this 'kind of land the yield is light, and such a result must be expected if the proper system, of rotation and rest of the land, ; which isconsidered necessary for the recuperation of partially-exhausted soil in ; other countries, be disregarded. This 'season's oat crop will be the fifth taken off some of the farmsj and as the land was never of that first-class description which willbear cropping at will, it is no wonderit is giving out. Indeed, the neglect ,of proper attention to rotatiou is telling on the best land in the district, •and the evil effects 1 of this negligence' will <;be more apparent in another year or two. The land under potatoes is not so exten,sive, taking the increased quantity of inewly cleared land under crop into consideration, as iti was: last 1 year, and the jcrbp is not nearly so good. _.',' The rains, jand exceptionally heavy frosts in thje ; ? early part of the summer, had a good' deal to do with keeping backthe development ;of the tubers, but there are other causes. The Grey Valley Agricultural Association ;made a praiseworthy effort to disoover, by means of chemical analysis of the soil, the cause of a peculiar blight -which made its appearance among the potatoes grown on Totara Flat in 1868, and which ha 3 been spreading arid increasing ever since. Un-i ; fortunately the expectations of the Asso; ciation in being- able to devise a remedy against the visitation are not likely to be immediately realised. . The gentleman to whom the sample of the soil was. sent, Professor Smith, of the University of Sydney, New South Wales, does not hold out any hope from that quarter, because iv his communication to the Society, ;he warns the members that chemical analysis never threw any light on t|e origiq. or cause of the 1 potato disease in -the old country, and that it may be insufficient drainage .ox. other physical causes which generated it in the Grey Valley." The official returns, when the census was taken last.year in theagricultural district bounded by the Ahaura and Grey Rivera, and by saline drawn from, the AlexanderRiver, to say nothing of Mosquito Creek!, at Napoleon, gave, the acreage under potatoes at a trifle under 90 acres, and the estimated .yield at 600 tons, or a little ijndpr sgve.R tons, to the acre on an ayer r age. These returns did not include cultivation under two acres in' extent. This season the acreage tinder this kind of crop is much increased) but the yield Tvtfi' hardly come up.ipjast: year's average. There is great difficulty in forming a correct estimate of the probable yield of this crop, because the actual condition.of it, or the progress it is making, is not so clearly visible to- the eye as in the case 1 of cereals^ and^ eveij man rates his crop differently. For instance— a farmeron" Totara Flat last season gave his estimato of the expected yield on his farm at* 14 tons tothe acre, while the owner of the adjom'"-ng land was content .'with d.mpdest five tons in tl'e same "space. The pqtato, crop does not appear to find favor with bur farmers, or to receive that attention to .which its jraportanci entitles it, Ihconsequenoe of the great demand fdrhorsefeed for : the last few years, the bat crop has been the mainstay of the agriculturist ; but .this . .great demand and consequent high prices cannot be ex-' pected- to continue. ".Ow"-ig to the' bad state of the tracks, arid the absence of anything l'ke dray roads, pack-horses have up to this been used for' transport; purposes ; but as there is a probability^ that main dray roads wiUghoitly be made, and greater facilities for Qarrying goods m quantity wr' 1 ! be available, iiumbers Of the packers' hoi'ses, heretofore employed, . will be dispensed with, and the consumption of chaff and other feed will propbrtionaiely decrease. It w #1 l then be found that the potato will be as profitable ?to raise ns.any other description of produce; and for that matter, the fact that it is so now has, been rather unpleasantly forced : on the understandngs of one of our largest cultivators, tte had a fine crop of potatoes la3t year, and , did not think, a great deal; of .it'; m fact j, he scarcely thought it woith while seeking a market. for it. He fed, his cattle on potatoes all winter, an*d in this manner" ff got rid " of about ; 4o tons. :Ab mt six w;eeks ago he heard that the-reefer3 at- Murray Creek',\ in obedience to national instincts, were partial to the f ( appple of the earthi''' arid' gathering together the remains of his stock pf potatoes, of which the cows had the refvisol, he packed tKfem" b^ef 'to. Reefton,and sold tlieni ; at |^3.s'per ton. The 40 tons he. was congratulating himself on "getting rid of," would now fetch over 3JK.:p. : , :';: : :, ; :-;::;: : , "..:•: 7". '-, I The bat ' crop^ within ' the^ boundaries before-mentioned occupied, last year, 425 pcres, with ; an. estimated .yield; of 740 tons of hay, or. about If tons to the acre, which may be taken as a fair average. Although this crop is late this season, it, looks ; very .well, . and the- ;we.ather ? jciptly has b.e,pn. favorable to |i : Still* at is npt apparently; likely "to exjceed the average of last season, but |the area under cultivation is n^uch larger. -There was not a single s ton of the hay crop ;of 1869 left by February last year, while the quantity of hay now remaining on hand from the last crop may 1 be reckoned

at about one hundred and fifty tons. It is here that the farmers especially feel the 'effects of -ibad government. While this product- is' going to decay in the Grey Valley, horse feed commands fabulous prices on the Inangahua gold fields, only one day's journey away, but for want of a roadwhioh should have^been made years' ago that market is shut out from .our : growers. The quantity of land in pasture is also increasing yearly, and the farmers ?are paying more-attention to the'onltivii* fyion of English and other.; foreign grasses. !That this species of agriculture is profitable has been Bhown at Mr James iCochrane's farm at Qumher, near Camp■town, where from a patch of five acres sown with rye arid other grasses, a yield iof 1? tons of good sound marketable hay 'was obtained, and this came in long before :even early winter sowa* oats began, ? ,<o 'ripen. About the Twelve-mile; the farmr iof Messrs Heslop, Curtis, Mollbyv Camp-' bell, and Bidgopdare looking well, which is also the;, oase' with those of Messrs^ ;Kelly and Mullins, Darcy and Pothan, at jthe jutiction of the No > Town roacL, "]' : A,t. 'Cumberfarm, near Camptown, and. at, the cultivations of Messrs' T. H. ; ' Sullivan, . George Muir, H. Mitchel, and! Coridy Bros, at the same place, the ooart r crop and fields of English, hay are in splendid condition. At the foot of Nelson Creek,? Mrt Edward.: Elward has. one, of . the finest potato cr^pa in the Grey Valley. -The; crops of Messrs J. James, John Ross, and across the Grey at the Black Ball creek, those of Mr William Kmsella are in good ; order, especially the potatoes. The bats on the farm of Messrs Drennan Bros. ! , r under TV/ .Terrace, Tipper Nelson ;Creek, 'although .limited in extent, are entitled to' rank first in. quality, in this part of the district, and the cultivations of Messrs John Stephens, M. CJaughessy, ■: John Hay ward, and John Austin, in the neighborhood of Hatter's Terrace, as ;well as those of Tobin Brothers, Robert Potts, at the Potts Feriy, and of Thomas Jones, at Milkmaid's Flat," are ' all in good order, and ready for harvesting. About the Old Ahaura Messrs :D{f . M'Kenna, Craig Brothers, and David ;Jellie, late William Hughes, have fine crops of oats, potatoes, mangolds; carrota, and English hay >: ; and across the river at the foot of Moonlight Creek, - ■Messrs. White and Garth, AikinandrMa^AJ gill/ and James.Davy, have each been fortunate with their husbandly. Mr James , M. 'Naught, near the New Ahaura, has iwhat may be called a model gazing farm, and he milks a/large .dajry of cows. The potatoes on Mr P. MTneiaay's farm, near the . Ahaura, can scarcely be surpassed) > but special bare and attention are paid to this crop by the owner. On Pyke'sPlains and at ;Riverbank, Messrs*. George Carter and John Reid -have large clearings and good crops ; and at the entrance to Totara Flat, Messrs H. J". Hughes, Michael ■ Er3kine, and Doolenarid Deare have really fiie and abundant looking potato and grain crops. The laud is exceptionally good about here, but being low-lying it was troublesome at first. The practice of agriculture, as a regular calling, may be said to 'commence here. In^ tbe lower parts of the. Valley farming is generally carried on :n corinection with other businesses, but the majority of ; the' residents of the Totara and Ikamatua follqw'.t solejy for a living. The crops on the farms of. Messrs R. Alcorn, MfKinlay Brothers, Antonio Lardi, arid W. Thufogood are in good condition, and are now ready to be v gathered, while those of .Messrs John Devery, John Doolen, and Michael Savage, are in the s'anje forward state: Messrs David Donald; William Methven, and R. M'Neill, have very extensive cultivations, ;M. ; Donald alone i having oyep ninety acres . of splendid oats, besides a considerable quantity, of potato and mother crops, ; :;-lf. M'Neill wag. the first to cqmn^ence harvesting on the Flat, as he began to cut dowu early oats shortly after the New Year. Messrs Kennedy and Co, adjoining M'NeiU'fljhaveia fine crop of potatoes, and past the Little Grey Junction, George Bannon and James M»lnroe havp good crops; "but . rather -late. At Ito Ikamatua, Messrs James O'Malley, J. F. Johristohei Austin O'MaUey,' and John Reidhave bednveiy successful, "and the Mawhera Iti farm, Messrs Ferguson 1 and M'Hardy's crops have prospered wonderfully. At Waipuna, on the Brown Grey; Mr Sr MT Mackley Has" shared -ln : ■the general good:luck. i: .Qn Mulvey's Flat the cultivation of Messrs P. Mulvey, Garvin and- Craig, James Matthews, andj Charles Clarson, althQUglj nqt qf grel^s. extent, promise to well repay ' llj£ 'mc|ne|: and labor, laid out on them. ' L In the. Grey Valley between the Arnold . and Ahaura Reivers there are ; 32. settles "4 inents, comprising a total area of 340 acretj ) of cleared and cultivated land. v . Of . these : ( 130 are under oats, 110 under potatoes,' ' 90 under grass, and the balance sown with = miscellaneous crops, chiefly, mangolds and carrots, ' Abbye the New A^aiura, Ithereu. are 27 scttleraenta, conta ; ning 1273iacres^ of which -927 are tinder oats; 180 are under potatoes, 150 under £?ass, and the remainder planted with mixed crops. Thik giyes a gross total ; of 1613 aqre§ iindep'" cultivation in. the Valley. The bat' iirop bcciipies 1057 acres, there are 290 acres under potatoes, and 240 under } imported.! grasses, arid the remaining 26 acres under mixed crops. ; The ; oat crop, atari; average of two rtonsito the acrej will give a gross yield of 2114 tons, which, at LlO per ton, amountstoL2l,l4p.' The above* is.riot too high ah/ average, ■considering l tiie large quantity , of new lanaV broketiup , this year. The gross yield of potatoes' 'at; fi ve tons to the acre would be |4fiQ % n^i ' which, at Ll2 .per , ton, amounts l^-, L 17,400. The' present market price is TM' 103 per ton H the Grey . Valley, and L 34 per ton on the Inangahuji. V There are, altogether, 240 acres of pasture land, and 26 acres of miscellaneous crop. It would be difficult to value the latter, because it is generally sold retail at good' •prices. The above returns do not include areas of ground under pultivationMess thaj^ two' acres in extent, neither do ' the quantity of land held.; '. Janet occupied , under freehold but not clewed or broken : up. They wiH,4 therefore, .not give ,the (J quantity of land actually in operation^ which is. very large. ; The figures have been carefully compiled, and they are as reliable, as. anything short of. an authoritative official inquiry can be* ••? : ■; ! j Oats and potatoef being^sTaplef" pn which our ' ' farbriers • v, there is but little attention paid to the cultivation of any other description hil produce.' , Stockrßising has jre.t be-*---fcome as ittiiiortant or profitable' 'as il %i\ be a few years hence, w^en the population is greater and the cost of production -will be less, owing to the increased area pf available suitable pasturage which is bnly;now being laid down.' 'While the present

demand for chaff continues, oats in the grain will not become an article of export. There were 442 acres of oats sown for grain only on Totara Flat last year, and the estimated yield wri 3616 bushels, or a little over 38 bushels to the acre, an estimate, there is reason to believe, far above the actual yield. Even if it were not, the price of chaff, Lll per ton on an average the year round, makes it more profitable to tin a the whole crop into that article. The climate does not seem to favor the growth of wheat. Mr| David Donald sowed five acres last season, and the crop was so unsatisfactory that be has not tried again. Barley has only been tried as an experiment. Messrs Drennan Brothers, at Nelson Creek, sowed some under favorable circumstances, but the result was not encouraging. The spread of noxious weeds, especially the sorrel, is cansing some anxiety at Totara, and a remedy is much sought for. Laying down the nfecttd paddocks with grass is said to destroy the parasite in time, but a recent correspondent of the Australasian says that sunburning is the only effectual means of exterminating the nuisance. The money already invested in agricultural machinery is considerable, but it is mostly laid out (besides the ordinary out-door implements) in machines for cutting and preparing chaff. There is one reaping machine, the property of Mr David Donald, and Mr K. M'Neill ia about importing another. The farmers aie nearly all in possession of commodious and well-built barns,and open air stacking, with its numerous objections, will not be resoi ted io bo frequently in the future. Large and handsome dwelling housca, surrounded in many instances by neat gardens, are re-placing the old "wattle and daub" structures, which, well as they answered the purpose for which they were erected, were becoming very unsightly. The prospects of the agriculturists in the Grey Valley were never brighter in the best days of our gold fields. A permanent and almost illimitable market fdr the'r produce in likely to be opened on the Inangahua. There is at last a probability now of roads being made bo that they can reach that market and the seaboard with the products of their industry, and they have immediate cause for gratification, for while the farmers in nearly every other part of the Colony have been almost rained by the drought, they have enjoyed the most favorable weather for their operations and for their crops. And especially they have reason to be thankful for the almost certain prospect they now have of the blessed consunr nation of a bounteous harvest.