THE PUTARURU PRESS. Office ----- Main Street Phone 28 – – – P.O. Box 44 (Lewis, Portas and Dallimore’s Buildings.) THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1926. PUMICE SOIL.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 118, 28 January 1926, Page 4

THE PUTARURU PRESS. Office ----- Main Street Phone 28 - - - P.O. Box 44 (Lewis, Portas and Dallimore’s Buildings.) THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1926. PUMICE SOIL.

IN view of the report that the Prime Minister is framing a scheme for settling emigrants and others on portions of the vast areas of pumice soil, it is interesting to note recent facts and figures in connection with settlers already established on this class of country, and the inspiring conclusion to be drawn therefrom.

Taking the Tokoroa settlement as an illustration, it is well to recall in the first place, that the bulk of farmers in this area have only been on their holdings for the past six or seven years, and that most of the land taken up there was virgin pumice country, once officially classed as of no account. The Tokoroa soil in its virgin state was exactly similar to that which the Hon. J. G. Coates now proposes to settle by means of afforestation and small holdings, under the Imperial Settlement scheme.

It is idle to deny or even minimise the fact that pumice soil has its peculiarities, but that these peculiarities are anything like the bogeys that some unthinking people have created is very far from the truth. On the other hand it is well to acknowledge that certain methods of farming pumice soil have to be understood if success is to be attained, and to point out that means adopted successfully in other districts may prove disastrous if tried on the Putaruru-Taupo plains. Similarly climatic conditions must be taken into account, even perhaps more so than many successful farmers in the area are doing to-day, for the cold winds which blow early and late in the season make close and abundant shelter an absolute necessity to profitable farming. Here, however, nature herself provides the means for the remedy, for no class of country in New' Zealand grows healthier trees quicker and with less trouble than pumice lands. Glancing at results already attained, we find in the matter of country rates levied and paid that settlers on this at one time much-despised country are in a class by themselves so far as Matamata county is concerned. As most people in New Zealand know, the farm lands of Okoroire, Te Poi, and Matamata have been boomed far and wide, and are ranked as firstclass, yet not one of these centres can compare with Tokoroa for the amount cf rates collected by the governingbody. The percentage of rates paid for these ridings are as follows: Tokoroa 70, Okoroire 54, Te Poi 47 and 'Matamata 45. indeed, of the eight 1 ct'her ridings in the county all would claim to have better soil than Tolio-

:a, yet the difference between the west riding (Maungatautari) in the

latter of rates paid, and Tokoroa, is o less than 38 per cent in Tokoroa’s ivour. However one looks at this

feature it sneaks volumes for the stability and business capacity of Tokoroa settlers.

In regard to the quality of produce manufactured, again Tokoroa stands out, and the splendid food value of pumice pastures, and the flavours produced therefrom, are strikingly evidenced in the fact that the local cheese factory leads the Auckland province in the shield competition for quality of cheese exported for this season. That the present year has seen an increase in this factory’s production, amounting to one-third of last season’s output, is also worthy ot note, and this fact, together with those already noted, complete a chain cf sufficiently strong- evidence to show that the settlement of the pumice plains is not a hazardous experiment to be lightly scoffed at, but is a practical scheme to be boldly undertaken, and which, if supervised by men acquainted with the characteristics of the soil, will prove a boon to New Zealand and materially help to lessen the burdens of the Mother Country, by transferring- some of her surplus population from the struggle of a bare existence, to prospects which hold forth every inducement for a successful life for the worker who is willing to be adaptable and learn.