The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 17TH, 1925. INCREASING SETTLEMENT.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 January 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 17TH, 1925. INCREASING SETTLEMENT.

’I HKttti is some suggestion of cutting up areas on the toast fur the purpose of increasing settlement. The effort is long overdue, fine can hardly pass through any part of Westland without noting the general neglect o! settled land. Rushes, gorse or blaekberrv are allowed to take general control, which must seriously reduce the fodder return from the land. The genet al explanation is that the areas are too large for the holder# to work economi-

cally. To bring all the land into profit, by clearing up and tillage, would involve the employment of considerable labor, and this liability the .settlers are not- ready to la:c. The consequence is touch of the land on many farms lies tallow, and becomes infested with rushes or noxious weed growth, spoiling the appearance of the farm lauds, and certainly reducing their value. Jf the settlers ol Westland could be induced to farm their land more intensely the result would he not only pleasing to the eye. hut profitable to the pocket of the farmer. There is some suggestion of cutting up an area of I,ooft acres ftt Tvcitcrangi, and enabling the hand to he used more profitably than merely for grazing as at present. Farming

areas are to lie laid off, ensuring six to eight settlers being placed on the land. This is a useful step, and should encourage similar action with regard to other large holdings. Faijnijing is backward in Westland primarily because of the isolation first suffered, which necessitated grazing being the main branch of settlement. Now that there is improved access, farming is developing into other branches, and with the land increasing iri value there is more occasion to make greater use of it. Successful dairying calls for staple supplies of feed all through the year. To supply that to the best advantage, local production from tillage is necessary. Gradually the land is being cleaned up, and more use is being made of the plough, hut the process is very slow because the settlers in most

cases hold fairly large areas, and are slow to improve the land for special fodder production, ft is often said that cropping on the Coast is not profitable because of the uncertainty of the seasons, but there should now Vie a. good general knowledge of the possibilities. and at the right period of the year crops ripen well, and haymaking is possible under very good circumstances. As the growing of crops conics more into vogue, tbe farmed districts will take on a more acceptable appearance. Fields given over to rushes and blackberry do not present a pleasing aspect, and for the value of their holdings alone, settlers should endeavor to clear them up to the best rdvantage. Under cirdinary conditions. grass pastures do well on the Coast and a clean field is evidence at least of the pride the settler takes in his holding. Incidentally lie receives greater value from the stock depastured. while the good appearance of the property adds to the value of the estate. The settlers can afford on all grounds to take greater pride in their holdings and the all round advantage will lie most marked. Successful settlement calls for clean pastures and a pleasing farm aspect.