WAITAKARURU LAND.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4373, 3 February 1922, Page 4

WAITAKARURU LAND.

EARLY SETTLEMENT RECALLED.

About 12 years ago Waitakaruru was the scene of; some of the first ( drainage operations on the Hauraki Plains, and there it was where the antiquated devices o.f drain cutting were attempted. There, also 1 , men were seen working at times waistdeep in water. The land was in those first’days a veritable quagmire. A 1 remarkable transformation has taken place in those few short years, much of the land now being very closely settled and containing, many a pros,-, perous farm on the richest of lands. Settlement commenced at Waitakaruru about 11 years ago, when the first lands were taken over by the ballot system. The land first taken up was that along the Waitakarufur Pipiroa road. The second ballot was in 1914, and was for 10-acre blocks adjacent to - the Waitakaruru settlement and farms ranging from 34 acres toTO6 acres along the Waitaka-ruru-Maukorp canal road. The third ballot, in 1915, released secti.ons far-, ing the Mahuta Ro,ad, alongj.tjie foothills, and the Mangatarata Settlement.’ In July, 1920, the fourth ballot gave possession ’to soldier settlers of sections on either side of Waitakaruru-/ Maukoro canal, whiich is greatly bener flting by the present dredging operations. •

With the settling of the lands began the struggle to make them productive, the draining operations by the Lands Drainage Department being the great factor in deciding the development cf the district’s resources. Th® land .was so soft at the outset that the Priestman dredge at present at work in the Waitakaruru-Maukoro canal was forced to go out to feea. The. land “pinched in” so much while consolidating that there remained in-, sufficient -roopi in the canal for the dredge to work.' The land, on an average has sunk about three feet, while in some places it has subsided as much as six feet.

Though there is a fair amount of peat country in the Waitakarpru arsa, it is not all so, some portions contain.ing no peat at all, but in spite o|f‘ ail that has been said against the productivity of the peat country, there is ample' evidence to believe that when consolidated this class of land will be hard to better. The subsoil is mostly of marine deposit, which in itself becomes highly productive. No manure of any ‘ description has ever been known to accompany any, crops which have been put in on the flats. All the country requires is lime to sweeten it, to which treatment it responds readily. A crop of ninety’-day maize was' planted by Mr C. W. Harris on November 9 on virgin soil. The ground. was ploughed and disced in. Not even lime was used with the seed. Three weeks later a crop of Hickory King maize was planted by the same process in an adjoining paddock. Both crops are now easily 6ft high, and some of it nearly 7ft. Both crops are for green feed. ' These fine crops are only a portion of *he great transformation which has taken place, for where there was once flax and rushes there now exist delightful little homesteads—a vast difference from the box-like shanties of the early settlers. Young orchards are now springing up and neatly-kepc dairy farms are quite a feature of the district.