WAOTU

Matamata Record, Volume III, Issue 148, 4 September 1919, Page 4

WAOTU

Work at Native School Useful Grass Experiments A very important work for the district is being carried out by Mr. and Mrs. W. Proctor, in the Native School at Waotu. Mr. and Mrs. Proctor have 55 Native and European children under thencontrol, and it is definitely ex- . pected that 12 new pupils will be added shortly. The teachers are held in high esteem by the whole community, who realise that as far as school matters are concerned, they stand in a most satisfactory and unique position. So well is the Native School thought of that a number of children travel as far distant as eight miles to attend, passing other schools on their way. Mr. and Mrs. Proctor have a system of their own of teaching, and have met with gratifying results. For four years their sixth standard pupils have, without exception, obtained proficiency certificates. Some time ago Mr. and Mrs. Proctor initiated the plan of supplying hot cocoa to the children in the mornings on their arrival, and at noon. The beverage ingredients are mixed in bulk. Sugar and cocoa are mixed together in a tin, and boiling water . is added. The cocoa bill for the whole school works out at a cost of Id per child per week, a contribution the children's parents are very willing to pay. The beverage is. a great boon to the youngsters, many of whom, after riding for miles along rough bush tracks, are famished on arrival. The school, though old; is very comfortable, and great open fires burn in each room. A well-dressed, healthy, and intelligent lot of children occupy the forms. The school is under the direct control of the Education Department, and the Department's inspector, Mr. John Porteus, in a recent report on the school, wrote: "The roll number is increasing, many children travelling long distances to attend the school, in preference to schools in their own district. The management of the 6chool is in capable hands, the methods in use are very good, and the results are highly satisfactory. The health and general welfare of the pupils receive special attention from the teachers." Mr. Proctof acts in the capacity of health inspector to the district. and supplies medicines to the Natives and school children when required. .Efforts are being made to form a library in the school, and to date eome 70 books have been collected. The work of the teachers is not confined to the interior of school. Experiments have been carried out by Mr. Proctor with the soil of the district, the well-known pumice of that locality. Mr. Proctor finds that prairie grass grows well at Waotu. He has a quantity of grass standing 2ft 6in high, which is ready for the fourth cutting. The grass makes splendid green -■ feed, and will grow anywhere. Mixed with lucerne hay, it is an unequalled winter food. By selection, Mr. Proctor has obtained a rustproof variety of prairie grass. So satisfied is Mr. Proctor with the result of his efforts, that he has put down 15 acres on his own section. He is also experimenting with a mixture of clover plant and Egyptian clover, and the results so far have been good. Mangels, turnips, and potatoes also do well at Waotu. In one paddock Mr. Proctor obtained 16 tons of potatoes to the acre, and in another he secured 12 tons to the acre. Mr. Proctor is experimenting with 20 different varieties of grass, and is successfully striving to explode the fallacy that pumice land is unproductive. Farmers for miles around have shown themselves interested in Mr. Proctor's work, and arc benefiting thereby. A model dairy farm is to be found within a few hundred yards of the Putaruru Station, along the "Waotu Road, in the 400-acre property owned by Mr. Hugh Campbell, of Havelock North, and managed by Mr. F. Anthony, of Putamru. The farm is situated in hilly country, close to the road. A conspicuous feature of the farm from the distance is the neat appearance of the house and milkingshed. The house is situated on the hill slopes, and is enclosed in a neat fence. On the crest of the , hill, to the right of the house, is the cowshed. One's first impression of the place was the cleanlii ness and neatness which characterised everything. The shed is built to accommodate 12 cows at a time, a six»cow milking plant is installed. The cows are admitted to their stalls from the back, and by . the pulling of a level on the com- ; pletion of the milking, they are given egress to the yard in front ■: of the shed. A concrete floor is laid over the whole area occupied by the buildings. Adjoining the milking-shed is the separator room. An air passage separates the two. Further away still is the " engine-shed, another air space be-, ing allowed to keep the fumes

away from the milk. In the separator room is a drying bench and a heating apparatus for cleauing cans. The area of the three sheds is 77ft by 16ft. About. 110 sacks of concrete, at a cost of about £GG. were used in laying the floor. The situation of the shed, the lay of the floor, and a plentiful supply of good water, are factors which contribute towards the neatness and cleanliness of the place. Adjoining the shed is a holding yard callable of accommodating 50 cattle. For convenience, cleanliness and neatness of arrangements, the appliances provided on the farm for dealing with a dairy herd are as near perfection as could be. The milking-shed is regarded as a model throughout the district, and farmers have travelled long distances to inspect it and take a pattern of it. The manager, Mr. F. Anthony, is justifiably proud of the place, and takes a delight in showing it to visitors. " Cleanliness pays," said Mr Anthony, " for the result of the methods employed are reflected in the butter-fat returns, which compare more than favourably with the returns of other farms in the district." In answer to a question, Mr. Anthony said he believed every farmer in the district of average financial stability could afford to lay concrete floors in their sheds. The secret of cleanliness was. enthusiasm and thoroughness in dairying work.