THE MAORI MESSENGER Aukland,April. 10, 1851.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 4, Issue 60, 10 April 1851, Page 2

THE MAORI MESSENGER Aukland,April. 10, 1851.

Ever since the first publication of the " Maori Messenger," it has been one of the most anxious endeavours of its Editor to inculcate the vast riches derivable from pasture lands, and to strive to incite the native land holders to burn and clear away their fern and brush covered "rounds; to remove the scoria, to construct substantial fences, to enclose ami subdivide their posessions in to compnet and convenient paddocks, and to bestow a portion of the labour which now appears! to he almost exclusively occupied in growing wheat, potatoes, and pigs, in the equally beneficial, and probably far more remunerative employment of dairy and sheep farming. There is no country in the world which can surpass New Zealand in the extraordinary luxuriance of its artificial pastures. Soil and climate are admirably adapted for rendering its meadow lauds, in the truest acceptation of the term, — lands flowing with milk and honey. JJoth the eye and the heart delightedly roam the pasture closes which clothe the liei.ls around Auckland with an emerald carpet. Nothing in Austiolia can bear an instant's comparison with those delicious clover beds; and even the finest meadows of Van Dienien's Land, which hate been irrigated at tin enormous outlay, and whose water courses are maintained at an heavy annual charge,—even these, whether for weight of produce, or quality of pasture, aie far inferior to the meadows of ISpsoni and the Tauiaki, uhere the comparatively inexpensive process r.f clearing oft' the fern and the scoria, of rt'oughing, sowing, and fencing the lields, are the principal outlay incut red. A consideration of the native statistics of t!;e Nelson district, published in thw

Nelson newspaper of the Ist of February, utilities us, at the present opportune season ol' the \ciir, to le-mge upon our unlive ren-'ers the immense lienelits I<> he derived by reclaiming their waste lands, mitl by eonvirling tin in to pastoral p\rposes, and to the feeding of cattle and sheep. Alert ns the native race has shown it-elf in adopting the moiey ■ nuking habits of their l£uropcau friends, it is rather singular th.it the rearing and tending of sheep uppers to have hitherto found no favour in their eyes. Tim native population of Die Nelson district is estimated at 715) males and 530 females. Their crops consist of about 800 acres of win-tit. f)0 aires of oats, 4(!0 acres of pnintoes. 200 acres of maize, and 150 acres of other crops ; hut of what desdesciiplii'ii is not stated- supposing them ever, to he all of {.-rn&s, the quantity is very trilling compared with the other culture, Of ow-oif, ti,o Nelson natives possess (5000 pigs, .'SOO gont», io i,r.,—.-i cattle, 10 horses, and no sheep. Supposing, as we do, that the sto<'k of the Nelson natives is soinetliint! similar in proportion to that of the natives of New Zea'and in genetal, wo cannot but deeply regret the indilfeience paid to grass lands and the feeding of sheep. We would fain enforce the great and manifold arfvniittwes to he derived by depasturing sheep, and the ready and rapid yearly return that they mako to the iloek master. let us suppose a mini, or tribe, possessed of suliieient pasture to feed n thousand ewes : —at thepiopelseasoii of the \ ear he would receive, in a country like this where no wi'd dojrs or vermin <xist, at leu«t 80 per cent, or .°('o lam js, and from sheep and lambs he won d shear about <HK)O lbs. weight of wool, which at one shilling a pound would yield him JL'ZW) lor his first year's wool ; and, as it is to ho supposed more land would he annually laid down in grass, his Hocks would not only year alter year increase in numbers, but his wool would pr liigiuus'.y tiu .uu'iit in value, whilst, "he would be enabled, in addition to all thi<, to s'.-11, at a handsome protit, a quantity of Cut sheep for the Auckland uiiirki-;. Nor won d the sources of wca'ih, opened up by "the breeding of sheep an I the growing of woo', rest heri--, becauset»e instant it became know that New Zv.wlanl was a great wool growing country, her harbours would he crowded with large ships lo carry that wool to Kurope ; and as much lime wou'd necessarily be occupied in loading those shi| s, and as thoir on-ws would require provisions not only during their stay :i. harbour but during the four months voyage to iingland, a great demand wou'd be created for flour, pigs, potatoes, onions, carrots, I poultry, butler, and every other description of food.

These mo Hinders of importance which our native renders would do well to consider seriously and without loss of time. A system of sheep farming crce commcucxl by them Ihey will find the money to homage so much greater and so much more easy to be obtained that they will n-.it fail to wonder they should have neglected its pursuit so longKvcn in the cultivation of their lands for wheat, maize, potatoes, and other crops sheep will prove their kindest assistants, be, wise sheep not on'y fatten upon the land they feed over, hut I hey likewise enrich ii greatly by their manure; —so much so that a remarkable dilfereneo will lie observable in the weight and plumpness of grain which may bo grown upon grass lands that havo been thus fed < IV. We might say much more on this very important subject, but shall for the present confine ourselves to but a few natural retnaiks—which are, to lcqucst such of our native readers as have visited Sydney or Hobart Town to j ask themselves whut made thoie towns so: fine and so ilouiidling? Should they be | pu/.z ed for a reply, let us make one for; them, and assure them that it \uu been ! by the immense sums of money derived • from the wool, the skin, and the carcase! of the sheep. It is wool that fills their j harbours with ships. It is wool that fills j their shops with goods. It is wool that; enah'es them to outstrip New Zca and. | Hut, let ns add, thai by wool the Maori pockets may mso he tiiied with cash ; and by wool New Zealand may overtake and outrun even Australia in t'C race of industrious prosperity.