Te Ngaio.

Manawatu Herald, 2 November 1899, Page 2

Te Ngaio.

The other day we had the pleasure of being shown over Mr A. S. Easton's dairy farm and residence, known as Te Ngaio. This is aitdated about one and a half miles from the Post Office, and is the spot to which, as a counj cillor, Mr Eastern did his best to get ■ the road pat into a better state than it is and with very little success, though the road is undoubtedly a bad one. The farm contains 175 acres and has ' all been reclaimed from bush and 1 swamp, so that it will be understood I the soil is as good as one could wish :to have. Parts laid low, but by a , system of drainage it is as dry as need be. The work done to bring the land to this point can be appreciated when we state there are nine miles of drains to be kept in repair and cleaned out at least once a year. There are about six paddocks, but the chief paddocks are four, which intersect at one point where an artesian well gives water through troughs to all of them. This farm is kept.only for the milking cows, some 60 now being in, and probably there will be 100 being milked as the season advances. The dry cows are kept on the riverside farm, known as " WintersgiH's," which lies low and is subject to floods but is otherwise a good property, and contains about 80 acres. All young stock reared and purchased go to a farm of 150 acres at Birmingham, and the " Woodlands " farm, situated at Carnarvon is wholly used for fattening. Thus Te Ngaio is the centre of the milking business and a very large turn over in milk and pigs is done here. As we have said at present 60 cows are being milked night and morning, which entails a daily trip of about two miles to the creamery with isoolbs of milk. The skim milk is fed to the pigs in the styes and yards. Over night the milk is put into the cans which are placed ! in a trough of running water, supplied by the artesian well which keeps it cool and right for the morning delivery. This shed is adjacent to the milking shed, thus saving the milkers labour in carrying. The milking shed is a long one, having 10 bales, and attached to it are two large yards, the yard on which the shed opens is substantially paved with "bricks set in cement. The yard is therefore as clean as any yard can be, as being laid on a slope the first rain washes it thoroughly. Beyond the further yard are the styes in which are from 30 to 40 pigs fattening. We noticed 10 sows with litters and a large yard in which the slips are fed until big enough to be put up to fatten. Close to the pig pens we saw the gallows adjoining a copper set in brickwork, for the pig killing business, and Mr Easton is about to build a shed over all. The boiler is also used for cooking the pig food. The paddocks are used alternately for the cows, except that portion under crop, and a very fair test of the quality j of the ground can be had by examining 1 the night paddock of 20 acres, in which 60 cows and the two horses for the milk cart are shut every night. We walked all over this and saw plenty of grass. A portion of the land is being planted with mangolds, beans, potatoes and oats. The cows are a nice lot, weeded out by experience, and though but few of the calves are kept, pigs paying better, it is a pity they are not, as the two bnlls are fine young animals, the progeny of some of Mr McLennan's purebred bulls. Mr Easton showed us a fine entire

he has bred, which he calls " Tommy," being the son of " Tommy Dodd " out of a good draught mare of Mr Eastern's. He is just 3yrs old and is a fine specimen of an animal, well worth seeing by anyone who desires to breed. The farm has had an immenso amount ot work done upon it, hard to understand unless one knew what the land originally was like, but it is a. very valuable property and one which is worth visiting as Mr Easton likes to have everything in apple-pie order. Mrs Easton's flower garden should also attract attention as from its position, sheltered from most winds and on rich soil everything grows luxuriantly. The kitchen garden adjoins the flower garden and the growth in the same.