DISTRICT NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9413, 6 April 1909, Page 7

DISTRICT NOTES.

By Our Travelling Representative. Those who'are tired of the con--tlnual whirl and gaiety of town ate and wish to reside in some remote regioU far from the madding crowd, I would advise to live a life of solitude on a section soraewnere * in the.centre of the Pohonm-Atane ' Block. No one has any idea what this broken country ib like until'they . -visit the land and are in the mids. of mountains 'peaks tapering up to the clouds, rows of razor back ridges precipitous cliffs and deep gorges -at the bottom of which ice cold waters, rush through whirling rapids ' and over foaming cataracts on their downward , course to lower levels. The country is most picturesque but those who work and live within this, to the stranger, marvellous network of bills, have no time to gaze and admire the magnificent scenery amongst which they daily labour. A few years ago this biockof boso country comprising 25,000 acres, was surveyed and opened for selection by the Government, and youag men with determination and thoughts of the future left civilisation and took up sections twenty to thirty odd miles from the railway on the O.R.P. and L.I.P. systems, and atfer experiencing many hard ship they eventually., succeeded in falling/ burning and sowing with good grass seed, and to-day the settler will tell von that it is among the best sheep growing country in the Island, carrying to 3 sheep to, the acre through the Winter months. Grass seems to thrive on the clay soil with papa formation, and there is an abundance of feed all over the country. Thousands of store sheep come off the Ponunni block each year, the majority being bought by Mr T. Duncan, who ■fattens them ■on his Obairi estate, where over, fifty thousand sheep were shorn last season. The buyer for the Meat Export 00. also selects a large number of fats these hills. A few cattle are kept in the settlement the farmers saying that ' they are useful for breaking down the! rough growth on the farm, bat they are not so remunerative ss sheep at present. The sheep favoured in these districts are the Romney and Romney-Lincoln cross. The Romney being a hardy healthy animal is preferred, while the Lincoln gives weight to the wool. Only , those who have seen baokblock unmetalled roads in the winter have any idea of the hardships experienced by those who undertake the work |of making "a farm in the wilderness. A properly formed road is the first thing that is required by the settler and one 12ft wide has been out round the Pohunui Otano Block with the exception of about three miles alongjjthe Turakina Yalley, where the old eft. track still exists. M«tal is a thing unknown in these parts so the settlers when the roads are passable cart and store provisions ®for the winter months, for in the wet season vehicles would disappear on these treacherous tracks. On the Mangaraahoe road burnt papa is being used as a substitute for ordinary road metal. SettleTs think that the wheel traffic will soon'' cut through this material, but if it proves to be saJfsfaotory it should make the district independent of metal for papa is there in unlimited quantities. At present men are employed on this road burning, they having elected a papa lace on the road side near Koeke. Split logs are laid lengthwise in alternate layers' with the papa forming a sort ct kiln with about six layers of rock. A strong fire is kindled which is kept alight ten to twelve days. The burnt papa when crashed give the road a good appearance, and if it proves durable and not too expensive will be invaluable as a road forming material in the backblocks. There are fifty-five settlers on the Pohonui Block and a large percentage consist of young men, who in ■ the last few years have married and taken their wives to share and brighten the pioneer’s home and i help to lay the foundations of those important industries which contribute so largely to the prosperity of this country.