Agricultural Development of Pumice Lands

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5317, 1 February 1947, Page 7

Agricultural Development of Pumice Lands

M.

DUNBAR

M.

PAIGNTON.)

THE BROADLANDS AND STRATHMORE EXPERIMENT /

(By

and

As far as can be ascertained, the first European to settle in the Broadlands and Strathmore area was Major St. George. When Mr. E. Earle Vaile arrived the remains of Major St. George's modest dwelling could still be seen on the banks of the Waikato. It would appear that he had no title and was simply squatting there with the consent of the Maoris. He wa$ killed in the Te Kooti wars at a place called Porero, near Tokaanu, and his flock dispersed. Messrs. Brown, of Tauranga, then put the sheep on the country, also -without title, but were not successful, the country being unsuitable for the support of sheep in the winter without preparatory improvement.

Then carae Messrs. Ross and Rankin, who bought 500 acres freehold, now part of Reporoa soldier settlement and also 8400 acres some three miles away on the Kaingaroa Plains. They erected a small house and made some improvements on fche 500 acres. Contriving fco arrange a very considerahle finance, they spent a happy year on their land and then left for parts unknown. Later, Mr. H. R. Butcher — the first permanent white settler in the area— bought the 500 acres at 50s an acre. A surveyor named Fisher acquired the 500-acre bloek- from Te Waru in the very early days. Mr. Butcher then purchased 48,000 acres — the most of which is now included in the Reporoa soldier settlement — and proceeded with improvements on a considerable scale. At the time of Mr. Butcher's purchase there was no road to Rotorua and no access whatever except by trespassing over Maori land. These Maoris at one time became troublesome, but finally were hrought to 1 reason. j Mr. Butcher named his purchase j "Strathmore" and placed it in I charge of Mr. Robert Turpin, fol- 1 lowed by his second son, Mr. William. G. Butcher. Another son, Mr. Charles E. Butcher, occupied and farmed a part of the estate.

The Messrs. Butcher established a homestead; they had erected bridges, made roads, put up fences, and by draining and clearing the swamps produced a considerable quantity of rough feed upon which they depastured about 2000 sheep, 300 cattle and a great number of horses. They had established a wonderful orchard, producing crops of the finest flavouredi fruits. Mr. Vaile's Success. The only settler prior to Mr. E. Earle Vaile's arrival in the distriet was the Mr. Robert Turpin already mentioned. He had" developed a carrying business between Rotorua and Taupo and bought 250 acres at Orangi-Kereru, about half-way between. The country which Mr. Vaile bought was nnimproved aiid possessed no settlement. It will not be denied that Mr. Vaile was the first to methodically develop a large holding of country, constituting a fair sample of the millions of acres lying waste in the heart of the North Island. Mr. Vaile's 53,t)00 acres were vast j enough to carry terror to the heart of the stoutest, as can be gathered from his own v/ords: "Like he who first braved the waves, 1 felt the need of oalt and triple brass around my breast." The whole of this huge area was in its primeval state — just as God -ha*! left it. Folk who have not experienced it can have no idea of the difficulties and drawbacks inherent in the desert. The loneliness is terrible. The absolute lack of human help within reach fearful. And yet the presenee of it may give one a shock. The land was cut off from any road access by no less an obstacle than the Waikato River, but this difficulty was in part overcome by the purchase of a right of way across a corner of Mr. Butchers' land. Having now acquired access the way was open for improvements.

In the Beginning. Mr. Vaile at once started constructing bridges, laying off roads, erecting buildings, setting out a plan of subdivision and putting up fences. "In the matter of shelter," he said, "a very humble house will suffice at the beginning. In the matter of clothes, one need not throw them away as soon as they have become comfortable. As regards food, one kills one's own mutton, catches ones' own fish, shoots one's own rabbits and duck9' and grows all one's vegetables in the backyard. As regards knowledge, in the backblocks it is eminently true that there is no knowledge which is not useful. j Everything that comes one's way has j to be tackled and all difficulties faced i and overcome without help of any | land."

In the end, Mr. Vaile had; erected 55 1 miles of fencing, mostly of eight wires, dug 12} miles of drains, formed 10} miles of roadsj besides odd bits of road and lengthy tracks every where; erected six large, three small and two fort-bridges; broken up 2000 acres of virgin land, ploughed at least twice; and some few paddocks were re-laid as many as five times; and erected substantial buildings, nearly all of heart totara. These buildings included a house of eight rooms, bathroom and porch, washhouse with fixed tubs and copper boiler; sfcore; caprenter's shop, blacksmith's shop, garage; benzine shed, smithy, stable, implement shed, ma-

nure, seed and chaff shed; the best woolshed in .New Zealand; yards for drafting 2000 sheep at a time; dip with yards to handle 2000 sheep, cattle yards to handle 150 cattle, with drafting race delivering bail; two worlcmen's cottages; and at the dairy farm a house of six rooms and; another of three rooms; millcing shed with appurtenances; 10 pigsties; chaff shed; sunlk three wells; planted 180,000 trees; formed a garden and ornamental gardens. Prizewinning Stock. 8'hortly after Mr. Vaile's arrival on Broadlands he startled the agricultural world by talcing the leading prizes at the leading shows with exhibits grown on the "worthless" pumice. iN'one of these exhibits had any special treatment; all were pulled out of the ordinary crops. Most crops were fed with 2cwt manure to the acre — some had 3cwt — usually 2/3 super and 1/3 blood and bone. 1 Other notable achievements have been Broadland's wool, topping the Auckland sale in March, 11915, and again very neaidy reaching top price in February, 1924, with wool at 23jRi a 1b. In 1920, a fat cow from Broadlands topped the Westfield market at £17 7s 6d, and again in 1925 another Broadlands cow topped the market at £11 12s 6d out of an entry of 551 head.

1 In giving evidence bef-ore a Parlia- ! mentary committee the late Mr. W. C. Kensington, LS.C., said he was "perfeictly astonished at - the size of swedes grown on Mr. Vaile's property." The Governor-General used almost identical words in opening the show at which they were exihibited. It can safely be claimed that eno'ugh has now been related to show that pumice land can hold its end up ! against all comers. Experimental Work. In taking up new and absolutely untried land a great deal of experi- ' mental work has necessarily to be done to discover what grasses and other pasture plants and what crops will grow and produce a profit; in what way the land is best broken in; kinds and quantities of manures, what breeds of stock suit the country best; the best method of suppressing rabbits, weeds and other pests. Ploughing is necessary to bring the land into good pasture. Surface sowing will give a bite to run stock but is no use for dairying. Many things were tried at Strathmore. Turnips were always necessary and always proved a sucecss. The best sorts proved to be, on moist and heavy land, swedes — Crimson King; on medium soil Aberdeen — Green Top; on light soil soft turnips — Purple TopMammoth. One trial of mangolds were a great success but the labour was too great as compared with swedes. Sugar beet proved a moderate success but again swedes were rnore profitable. Carx-ots gave good crops. Wlieat a fair crop but no market. Oats proved quite successful — Duns did well but Sparrow Bills yielded mueh more heavily and proved most suitable to the conditions. On the better and well worked soil the best English grasses and clov-er (especially Timothy and cow grass and white clover) yielded truly wonderful results. The crops were so heavy as to ,be difficult to cut. Ryeeorn sown with autumn grass proved very valuable as a winter feed. Rabbits were a terrible obstacle to the establishment of surface grass; they ate off all seed-heads and grazed so elose as to lcill out multitudes of plants.

i Prominent in Puhlic Affairs. | | Mr. Vaile also took a large part in i public affairs. His first effort was to get livestock saies established in the i Rotorua distriet. Many unsuccessful attempts had been made; but he managed to interest the New Zealand j Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., in | the project. Meetings were held at j various places and in the end regular 1 stock saies were started at Ngongo- : taha — a tremendous advantage to the j whole distriet. Then there was the J formation of an Agricultural and PasI toral Association for -Rotorua and the ' starting of local winter shows. These ! shows have never looked back and ! have always been a credit to the distriet. (To be continqed.)