FROM HELENSVILLE TO WAIRO. [FROM THE " NEW ZEALAND LARMER."

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 219, 10 September 1887, Page 2

FROM HELENS VILLE TO WAIRO. [FROM THE " NEW ZEALAND LARMER."

Tine following interesting desciiption of some of theNoit.h Islniui i.uni-> may be inieiesting tooui veadeis :-- UELV.'S^XILI.K. The thirty-eight miles of country between Auckland and Helena illc, however pleabing to the arti&t, pio^ent little that is attractive to the agricultural pilgiim. Rolling ridges of scnib-coACied clny run back from the Waitemata and its tributaiies to the bush-clad tanges of the Waitakerei, and the soil has been as much, it no*- moie, turned up by the gum-digger as by t.ho ■farmer's plough. Aftoi a >\ lnle, w hen (he gum is extracted and cultivation us attuned to bo hopeless on the sterile soil, the land is "tunudup" in another sense by both gumdiguer and f.umer. Neaiing llelensville, matter'- look moie leaguing, and from Waimauku to the ivaipai.i Kner, e\idenco is not wanting that with a system of cultivation adapted to the em umbtance^, farming would be moie of a mu'co-> than it is at piesent. The town of llelent-ville — the city that is to be - it not achaneing by leaps and bounds, is making steady headway. The line hence i.o Auckland, deiidcd at its inception a« ti.i\ei.-ing a lmYme^ to end in a mndhole, has turned out to be the mo^t lucrative line in the colony, and from its noi them tei minus steameis anive and depait daily foi the Wano.i, the Otajnatea, and the Oiuawhaio, caniei.s of the gathered commerce of the Kaipaia. The good folk of HilenMiile \\n\o every confidence in the futiue ot thc^ place, and this confidence becomes ris^v.i.uKe "when (Ik\\ only ask the possible land buyer £05 an acre for land adjoininsi, the townshi]), and £12 and over for paitially lcclaimcd tcaitory across the liver. Alwajs tlc-iiing the ■welfare ot others, we wish that they ma\ get it. Amongst the local faimei.s ami pjardeneis, the lecent di ought gave caiiMJ for dismay, and a\ ith the evception of potatoes, \egetables onl} a dimly-iemem-beied tiadition. With such an aiid season vegetables could not gi o\\ . would not giow , refused to be induced to grow, and John Chinaman with his watcipot t was about to invade the di^tiict to quell the mutinous spirit of cabbage and kail. By all accounts the Celestial^ ha\e had to pay asinait pi ice for their leasehold.

ALLUVI VL ] LVTs. But for the alluvial flats alon^- the v. iiuljngeouibe ot the Kaipaia Ri\er t ho land near Helensville m ould not in\ ite the cultivator. Much Mill be done with the mar&hy levels o\er the iher at JJabylon. and the mud banks and inangio\e "ilats. those not veiy Hghtly deposits of allu\ hm>, have been drawn upon unsuccessfully ii 1 -^ manure where atii) and poor land lias bordered the stream. On the comfoi table i homestead inhabited by if} 1 JJ f yiK>s McLeod, there were several instances of Mhat had been done in the way of reducing the- fkix swamp mid the ti-tiee flat to cultivable order, Moiethan one clas, of e\peiience had to be called into play, foi th* ( v^nlncri. "?!?. T?.rl"ty founu Wuliin a limited aiea called for di\ei-ity of treatment. Some jxjitions of the flat lay at a highei le\ei than otheis ; thef<e had a suiface .-oil, inclined to be daik a-s if humus, fieely working and w ith a stiflei , > ello^ subsoil, this last inellottincj ujion e\posmc. The | lower levels, abounding in tla\, had been j nnderdraincd at intcnals of a chain with j ti-treo bru^h diain^ ; the burnt and lotting Hax tu^ouk-> awaited the haiiow to t^ar them to fragment a and level them dow n j pre\iousto cultivation. To yrub the tu^ socks up ami burn them in heap-: was, thought inad\ i>ablo because wasteful; the wealth of vegetable fibre in them, A\hen quite decayed, would ai\e ,i lich mould ; all thi. c wealth would be 10-t by burning 1 , and the lcsidual ashes would be a poor set-off against such lo—>. Bioupht wellundei the plough and properly diaincd, iiav swamp land na^ not much to fear fiom compaii-on with any other desciiption of soil. Wheie ft running iiie had been thioujdi the ti-tiee £crub, standing heie some twehe feet high, and the second giowth had attaineel a height of four feel or thcieabouts, Mi MeLeod had recour-e to a no\el method of clearing, recalling that used for dealing with the malice sciu.l? land in Victoria, Ctua South Australia. A heavy roller, a crosscut length of a kauri log, was fitted up with a pole and frame that admitted of its being jrirawn from the side like a reaping machine. The* roller was taken lound a space of ground as i» a- wheatfield, working to a -C§lltV9j upiooting 4 aiK^ bieaking down the old dead stuff, bruising, bearing down and flattening the new growth. Th e hrc being run anew over the ground, they6Ung ti-tree and the old were both burnt up, leaving , little besides abhes, a few r torn up stumplets 1 and short end? that offered, slitrl^ •; ef>^t'ince to the plough, Ci r^ ietun - potatoes, -°"^ grass had been obtained from tliQ ground thus treated, and the local market prices compared favourably, for selleis, with those of Auckland. Bac> of the flats, towards the I ■western coastal range, the land is of a poor character, being mostly a stiff clay. Near the summit of the range, the land is said to improve as to fertility and free working. The lighter character is doubtless due to An admixture of the blown sand from the Rangitira beach, which has topped the range in many places, and is marching down the inner slope with the stealthy, unretiring advance of a .Swiss moraine. By the time these better uplands have become good, well-established farms, they will be overwhelmed by the sand-diift. [Unless sheltering belts of suitable trees be planted. — Ei>.]

KAUKAPAKAPA. Leaving Helensville for the settlements to the north by the west coast road that runs along the eastern border of the Kiapara inland sea, the valley of the KauIcapakapa comes into view on the right. The road well formed, bridged and graded, runs up the valley and the railway is to follow suit in a few months. Kaukapakapa has long been noted for the kauri turned out from its many bushes, and much remains to come down yet. Toward the head of the tide water the land improved, and the little village with its well-kept gardens and com! or table homes has a prosperous and eye-pleasing appearance that renders it prominent. Much must be done and time elapse before the bare fern and ti-tree hills back from the river can be lit for much else than sheep and cattle runs, but the lower slopes and the river flats have won more attention, and as a specimen of what such land is capable of, we may mention what has been done on the farm of Mr Drenmn, whom we found iurnigup a kindly nsoli to some &ix inches' depth. Upon .siir.ila* soil, not the best upon the holding, Ml- Drennan had planted potatoes for which bonedu&t had been applied to the extent of ten cwt. per acre, which we consider too much. The crop turned out seven tons to the acre and sold 41. per ton at the local market, by no aneana a bad return, and on the year following, without manuring further, a grand

crop of maize, grown for grain and sixteen feet high, was gathered in Sorghum (sugar corn) docs very well here, and dairy cuttle do exceedingly well on it ; this plant, however, is a grots feeder and takes a deal out of the ground. Better land was found on the cabbage tree and light kalnkatea swamp land near the river. The coining railway will drain this land, and if ii .should pro\e to bo drained too much for very dry seasons, irrigation would be easy. Skid roads aul wooden tramways led' back fiom the tidewater to the various kauri bushes. One of the skid roads had a steep incline on it, up which several yoke of bullock*— -we arc afraid to nay how many j —had to pull the ponderous logs with the help of a length ot hawher and a moveable pulley. With a fixed pulley higher up, the bullocks could have woikcd much befie). pull ng downhill and Ihi owing their weight upon "the bows. The extia pulley would not \\i\\c cost much. Bexond Kaukapukapa, the road crosses a steep lidge and deep gully, innning llnough poor country, thinly settled, till the Makaiau is readied, wheie *ome good land bouleis the cioek. The waters oi the Kai para are frequently \isible to the let t,^ and the mountainous, hea\y bush region of Uppei W.iiweia and Mahurangi bounds the \ision to the ea.stwaid. AstheAiapaleiia Ki\u- is approached, the countiy .spreads out into bioad, moor-like expanses, with occasional l.aipo swamps that make capital f:tnns when drained. Close by the ii\er i- the Lugo and foitunately placed i.iiin ot JSI i Cai diner, amounting to o\ei thiee thou -and aero.-. Most of this it. good, rher-tlnt land, originally coxeicd with light or ih;\ed bu-h, ti-tiee ot twenty feet iiiuh piedominatiiur upon a good depth of fairly let Mle &oil. Here may be '-eon the not too common tight ot a stumpier paddock, smooth and e-ven of sward, enclosed by a elosely-tinnmed hawthorn hcdgi, and with shade tiecs dotted about. Thcie weictwo si/j'lile orchaids, one of matin e age and liberal of fiuit, the other a young, succession oichaid. A poition ot the older ou-haid was laid out as a nuroeiy ioi 1 aiding joung stock to replace old and mfeiior" tiVe.s, ami the lai ge kitchen gaiden was well attended to and piohiic. On the othei side of the i oad, w Inch nuis tin ough Mr (Jardinet's lann, is a large ing, in which stands the laige gal\,uim'(l iion factory that has replaced the toimei and smaller wooden erection, lately burned down. A small creek blanching oil from the Aiapaicira inn.s up to the iaetoiy, and .-ei\es as a dock ior Mr (.'ai diner's cutter. The factoiy, de-\ot-ed to the canning and piesei\ing ot meal and fniit, has been furnished with more extended appliance'-. The good people of the Wanoa, customeis oi Mr (hu diner, took a fancy to compressed coined beef iv the well-knowu wedgc-sliapcd tiiib. Mi (Jar diner docs not argue the point ; lie sends to America for the necer-saiy iTiaohineiy for piecing and packing, and can supply hit> customer with the .uticle put nj» u~> ilify desire. Tlie site oi the iaim wa.s t l 'tf niot 'desirable met with noith of Melensxille, there being Lugo sticlchcoi land i eat. 1 v for the ])lough and Avoith the bi eakiiif up. w '»ih hi- gtcat exient of good and le\el land, wait* earmgc, tuul his own enterpiise, it w^H ff<* Mid if MtMiurdmcr (locs not succeed.

HOTtO. Nmthwaul, Uk *™«tnr fo of the sawe ehaiaeter as that iK?«b^ tlHOueh befoie ieaehin r Mr Cnidiv, *«" »* "f ° f mile of the Hoteo, uhen the taiaida bu-h about the ba.se of Mount Auckland is i cached ; also the end of the i oad. beyond tin- point., owing to native obstructi\ cness, thciy U only a rou~h !>U*u tiw.-k, IJv1 J v . I f^ i idei mv.4 frequently dismount Ic.~t i.c 'i.**? Tl the fn f o of Absalom, This track strike-, the Kctco near its mouth, at the nati\e settlement of Poitahi, and crones- mud flats and swampy ground to a good blidge spanning tlio main channel of the liver. Though helped out v>ith fascined causeways over the minor channel-, the load is in bad oider, and A\hen spring Udc< and high floods come togethei, would be diiiieult by day and dangerous by ni«cht. The \ alley of the ffoteo has a fair margin of g-ood land on either .side near the i her, uith plenty of cattle mn on the open land at the back, while towaids the head of the 1 i\ er there is a goodly supply of as iine kauri as can be found in the North. Less has been done here m the way of settlement than the dii-tiiet deserve?. Descending' the lidge that di\ide^ the Ifoteo fiom the Ta\ihoaj moie open land- and that of inferior <lu.ilifcy-is eiiC6unteied. Tlio Tnnhoa ia i tidal at the budgO) and limestone cropis out at a little stream hard by. A new road ha 5 ? been opened to YVarkwoith fi om Tauhoa Post Ofiiee ; it is almost a beeline, has no grade steeper than one in se\cnteen, the summit level is low, and the total distance is but thirteen miles. The road has been engineered by the settlers themselves. The old road, laid out by piofespional surveyors, is twenty-two miles long ; take to the top of the ranges, and is very flud rugged. Tlio rule s^ms to have been, with uifi surveyors of old time that when a piecipice was come to the road was to be taken straight up it. X rom Pauhoa to Port Albert on the Oruawharo the roau has received much attention. As a mark of a, higher civilisation, finsrer-poatß, )Yitll lewbly ntvint<?d inscriptions, u^6 met with, and the foniebteads have a comfort-able and wellj being appearance, On the whole, the lar.d is but of moderate quality. Here a.p p , there good patches are to be fouTui, but, to counterbalance these, much poor land abounds.

FORT ALBKRT. Port Albert, the senior settlement of the Nonconformists, will this year celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary — its silver wedding —in the- Jubilee year of the Sovereign after whose Consort it was named. As it falls out, they can also celebrate the driest season that has been known for a quarter of I a century. In order to provide a place proper for such celebrations, a commodious public hall has just been finished, vice the late public hall, voted too small for the requirements of the district. This, with the private erection going on, does not look like depression, though no one confesses to making a fortune. Like the Frenchman in the Reign of Terror, people think it if? something to live through such hard times las the present. The stoppage of the Topuni sawmill and the drought together have induced some of the settlers to take up the gum-spear when they take up the spade, and make a raid upon the gumfieldß in much the same mood as the Tweeddale borderers when naught but the spurs was .served up for dinner. The settlers, however, are farmer.% by choice and gHmdiggers only by necessity or upon occasion, and, with better seasons, the vagabondage of gumdigging would be thrown aside. The Oruavvharo farmers deserve- better fortune than they have met with. None of the -ibtenbion and the favour bestowed upon special settlers now fell to their lot when they first came to New Zealand, but rather the opposite, and no better class of emigrants ever came to the colony. To whatever extent, however, depression exists in commercial circles, it seems quite absent socially. People enjoy themselves here without hotels ; every one rides and every one dances. Nothing is more common than

for young people to gallop off of an evening ten, fifteen, twenty miles to a dance. A concert ia announced, to be followed by a dance ; a Road Board meeting, followed by a dunce, a Band of Hope meeting, onco more a dance to follow, so that it is quito within the bounds of probability that we shall next hoar of a prayer meeting to be followed by a dance ! With regard to liding, it is no longer considered respectable to walk, and a boy will sooner run two miles round a paddock after a hotse to ride, before ho will walk the one mile between home and the store. It is a point of honour to ride ; he would lose caste if he walked. The pastuic at and about Port Albert, like that at most places, was burnt up,.and looked less cheerful than the primitive titreo. Potatoes had not done well ; the orehauls had done best, and some excellent fruit wci observable at Mr Lou<jbottom's. Fences and roads were A\ell maintained, some good limestone macadam being laid down on the Waikworth-Port Albert trunk load. The days ot pikaning are long past, and the dray has driven out the pack horse, but the catamaran remain--. This hermaplnodite ailair, the leading half a sled the hinder pait a trolly, has ad\antage& that .still keep it in favour w ith the set tier. The load is mainly thrown upon the two blockmheels at the lear, the lemaiudcr being borne by the sled-runneis in front. No weight is put upon the neclo of the oxen or hoiset>, and the upward .strain of the traces in diaught lightens the pu^suie on the runnei s,^ ab does the baokw.ud leaning of the load goinir up-hill. In de-vonts, a (bay would bun upon the team, and iiuohesome degiee of bucking, wheieas, in the eatamai.in, the forwaul tilt or the load and the slackening of the traces put an mei eased pie--me on the runneis, w hieli act in .some ton a-5a -5 a biake.

Mil WYATTS i.YKM. Ju-t o\ei the border line of Albeitland, in the Xoith Hoteo disliiet, is the farm of Mi W\att, upon which success in fanning ha-. l.un obtained under ciieunihtanccs ceitainly i.ot fa\omablc, by a union of industry and agricultural skill. Tlil holding lies on a slope i mining hark to the v. ooded langes found along the llotoo Valle\. The giound, most of which wan at Ih.-t roveied with ti-tiee scrub, was of moderate to poor quality, NtilFin texture, .uid \ i(h pknl.y of fall h>r drainage. A tongue of the hewy bush e:mcs, a little valley in the middle of the iatm, and an excellent, unfailing stieam ib^ucb from it. Jn this shekel ed \ alley, near the point of bush land, now cleaied, is the homestead. This hu.sh land, grubbed up and under the plough, is pieity I level ; with repaid to its feihlity, Mr Wyatt declares there is none better. Below the house, along the course of the stream is a stu'teh of good level laud, enclosed wirhaclo'-e and healthy hawthorn hedge, ami on cither .side thcgiound lisps in .slopes dexcted to sheep posture, fenced in with ! substantial wire fence. Notwithstanding the the gra^s was holding on pretty well, especially when one cotuuleis what the land originally was, and the chief inteieFt for the New Zealand farmer lies in the treatment which Mr Wyatt has adopted tobiingthe pi cent state of thing.s abour>. The soil, chiefly composed of a still", wet clay, was haid to woik, and sour at the outset! Tiie sand that makes the loams fiiable was ab«cn(, nor was its place taken by any laigeamounfc of vegetable mould. In the tir-t place the land was ploughed and (hained to sweeten and dry it. Much of the upturned clay was burnt and strewn abroad, thus assisting' to sweeten the land, and bupplying a substituto for tho rt»>cnt silt. jSIr Wjatfs oxpeiience, as an old C'l° uc; csterbhiie fa> mer ; of }>aiing and burning w'OUnl come \"\ uoe. '^C mixing of the "burnt ballast gaxea wanner ciuvacter to the soil, ren(leiing it more penetiable by the sun and tiir, moic ti actable to the ;\n fJ more permeable for moisture. r i hils iieedom of eultivatien wa.« obtained, and both by increased evaporation and drainage, our) )lu* age of water got rid of. Twenty acies per \ear al,a 1 , eie r-hii.s tteatcd. Only hetc and tlieie in the pooi est s-pots was any boned u&t applied, and when the land was laid down in gras^, and sheep placed on it, w hei c any place threatened to become bare the flocks, were folded there for a time that their manure might bung it round. The level land near the stieam, between the house and tho road, is wicd for cultivation, and the sheep are regularly hurdled over it after ploughing cO maintain its fertility, The Italians have a piQceib, " Sheep are the best dung-cart,"' and by folding, Mr Wyatt secures both the liquid and the solid manure, an even distribution of the saniCj while the trampling serves to break down the clods and to exterminate insects. Like many farmer*, Mr Wyatt ha** an aversion for purchased and artificial fertilizers, and consideiing the price of labour, tho cost of transportation, and low prices, he prefers raising beef, mutton, and wool to growing crop I.1 '. The sheep, we should say ia conclusion, weie gentle, in good condition, arid fife prizewinners at local exhibitions.

3UR LINNKL'S FARM. The shortest way with Q{xie^ And ; o^eis via filing from >orfc Albert to Kaiwaka 18 to cro»* the Oruawharo to the native skle^ an a keep to the ivack along the ndg;e mviding that river from the OtatTmtea. By this road we proceeded to Mr Lionel's farm where one of Dunwoodie's Faugh-a-Ballagh scrub-c«Uers had been at work. Afc the time of our visit the machine was idle, but Mr Linnel kindly showed the machine and detailed his experience of its working. Much of the land was covered with ti-tcee averaging fifteen feet high, and he had first bought a side-cutter as the machine most fit for dealing with such growth. We were takeia over the land cleared by the machine and were certainly surprised at the work done by it. The implement consists of a pair of carrying wheels, dray size, and furnished with grips to prevent slipping. The wheels arc keyed upon a shaft that, by means of mitre gear, drives a vertical shaft carrying at its lower extremity a horizontal, knifeboaring disc, that revolves at a short distance above the ground. The knives arc made in segments bolted on to the rim of the disc, and the edge of each segment is like a " lightning hayknife ;"' hence, when all the knives are on the disc, the latter resembles a circular saw with very large and strong teeth. A three-foot cut is taken, and three good horses, or, in extreme cases, four were required to operate the machine. Stumps of tv/o and a-half to three inches through were not infrequent ; the lai'gest 6tump we saw was of oval shape, five inches one way by three the other. This had been cut right through and the tree itself sent whirling away without any jar to the machine. Where the rushes were thick they at times clogged the machine, but the hindrance was not material. Working half a day with three horses an acre and a-half of such growth as described was cleared, as much' as a man could fell in a week with the slasher. The stumps were lefc with a squa) c end so that stock running on such a clearing would stand less chance of being staked. In cutting the shorter scrub and the second growth upon his land, Mr Linnel has a back-cutter that takes a cut of four feet four inches, and clears a larger acreage with the same horse powe*\ The saving j effected by the use of such a machine will recommend it to settlers and bush-contrac-

tors, and we can now better realise what the effect of the scythe-armed chariots of the ancient Britons must have been upon the shins and ankles of the Roman legionaries.

LIMESTONE SAND. We crossed the Otamatea near the ostrich farm, three miles above Batley. The birds were being fed upon cub raupo, and were beginning 1 to lay. A guinea each was asked for the egg". (Epicures desiring a novelty in omelettes, please take notice.) Between the Otamatea and the Pahi, on the Col beck property, tho land is w hat is know n as limestone land, a substratum of that mineral being piesent. Patches of heavy bush are found amongst the ti-tree light bush that is the principal growth, in which considerable dealing 1 has been made. The dry weather, assisted by the eiickets, had gieatly injured the pasture, and in many cases fresh seeding would have to be icforted to. The ground was cracked open, gaping with the diought; the cteeks \wre dried up in sc.eral instances ; of one settlor it was said that he had loft a bundled '-heep through want of feed and water, All o\er the limestone lands the drought had been keenly felt, and in this respect sr.ch lauds compaicd badly with the hea\y )ni.-,h. Otherwise the light bush is moie easily cleared, the undulations of the surface aie gentle and favour cultivation, and the soil Ls generally considered good, if not exedlcnt. In many ca^es the soil is d.nL, piobably from an admixture of humus. In winter, when soaked with rain, it is hoavy, soapy, and absorbent, while in summer weather it is apt to bake to Lai J ness. Caught between the-e extremes, mining and early summei, it w oiks well enough. To improve it-> condition, as well asioiemovc the reproach levelled fiom ht^ny bush di^tiicts that lime-tone land* soun inn out, the use of caustic lime should beicsoited to. With ]>lenty ot limestone at hand, and of ti-trce foi fuel, the settler may ca-ily piocuie this for himself. A helpful man will soon mn up a rough and ready kiln ot sod.--, and a- clean lime for building i-> not his object, the mixing of wood allies with the lime is no dctiimont, but rather, from the potash in them, ot decided mamuial benefit. The incut humus in the soil Mould be rendered soluble plant, food by the action of the lime upon it, and the land would become more open and yield hea\ icr crop^. On the clay subsoil lime has a sweetening action, and this should lie : boi ne in mind when a piopoitkm of the stif'er subsoil i- brought up for mixtuie with the daik suiface soil. The clay will make the sin face soil more letuitiv) of moisture inmidsummei, and so less h.iblo to ciack oj>en and bake hard. Turned up thinly and b\' degrees incorporated, with '< all .sourness remo\ed by the lime, the clay will improve the limestone farm, iupccuilly for the growth of cereals. When* th<' second growth is not too high, it could be ploughedunder a? gveen manure, likea clo\ or ley, and in thi» case, too, lime would ha \e a btneticial action, hastening the decomposition of the vegetation turned in. Something in this diioction ought to be doiu-, foi to see dealing ■< going back under tin* usui ping dominion or the tia-tree, as seen heie, is lamentable.

TAVAROA. We were ferried over the Pahi at t\\o township, thanks? to the good offices ot a young settler— theie is. no regular feny-.-md proceeded to Papaioa foithwith, distant live miles, or one mile less than herctofoi", by the opfMiiny of a new route. .At Paparon, f*^ 1 " tho Jilfc^tflUQ on fIPF j(>fn iioy, we saw green hillsides. '\ 4li W^.» firgrass *' is provei!)ial, but the paddock- aw* had passed by hitheito were of the colour 0 f hay. Tfer-^ on the heavy bush land, the gVASs bold and kept its hue; theie wa> plenty of feed in the pastures and of water in the brook?. Paparoa is a genuine heavy bu&h settlement, on the southern veigeol that great extent of foiest that sti etcher northward to Whangarei and farther and westward to the Wahoa. On the lii^t map of the disbi ict the laud -was deftdibed a* undulating. It does undulate, and piett\ seAeiely. Chaos and Creation must have had a haul li^ht of it just here, and the ground is torn up considerably in consequence. A Waii on man's description of the Mongonui valley would apply to the most rugged paiNoi Paparoa : " The countiy stands on end, and thebush grow? out of the sides." Thobroken nature of the country precludes much culthntion ; grass and fiuit culture Oner most to the settler. The o uii Is of first-cln^ quality » being a 'liable loam, neither dense nor sandy, and thi owing up plenty feed from a thick sole of turf, in many cases over twenty years, old. Most of the pasture is surface sown. The bulk of the old settlers are gathered together near the end of boat navigation, where the tidewater terminates and the bush land begins. Some progress has been pi\»de ■within the last yea.y, A third store has been Added to the two already existing, all three dcihg a butcher trade; theie id an Episcopalian church, likewise a Wesleyan chapel, and a capital school. Judging by result, good manners, must be included in ' tnC curriculum, for the travr'; ier Jg g reete( i f art i n Wales, V»rcn ft t( good morning," and not with the bovino stave too often met with. Roadmaking would appear to bo almost a mania at Paparoa, for, in addition to the I much-needed cornice detour immediately to ; the west of the post-office bridge, the new road to Pahi township, involving the erection of a long bridge over tidal water, the excavation of a deep cutting, and the buildrn£ of a long fascined embankment over a mud fiat, has been made at a cost of over I £500 within the last twelvemonth. Higher ' up the river, at the homestead settlement, there is a constant influx of new comers, and, owing to their presence and custom, Saturday is an informal market day in what is becoming the village ]wirt of the settlement. Want of communication with Auckland, and divers unlucky shipwrecks, did much to cripple the early settlers, but the good soil, hard work, and some luck in adjacent markets, ensured the prosperity of the place. The Matakohe gumiields first put Paparoa on its legs by providing a market for produce, and when these were played out, the Wairoa sawmills rilled their place and made another mart for the sale of fat beef and mutton for which Paparoa is noted. Farms are not offered for sale here, and large areas have been felled, burnt off, and put) under grass, without the logging that at one time was customary after the running fire. The Wairoa trade is not quite so good as it once was, for settlers complain that it takes two or three beasts to fetch the price that one did, and attention is being turned more to the growth of wool. Cultivation, even for their own use, has gone back among the settler?) who plead guilty when charged with laziness in this respect. Cattle and sheep, wool and hides, fruit and grass seed are the principal things grown, partly because they are less difficult of transport, and parfclv because they require less labour. No one seems badly off, the houses ai'e large, well-painted outside and well furnished within, books and musical instruments included, and if the testimony of the neighbouring settlement is to be trusted, the Papuroans have the happy knack of turning the penny the right way. The valley in which the settlement lies is called the Verdant Valley ; the epithet by i no means applies to the inhabitants.

TIIK WAIKOA IX THE FUTURE. From Paparoa to Matakohe is an easy five miles. The lust named settlement is standing still, and the poor land is blamed with this non-progress. Better land is found in tho northern portion of the Matakohe block, whence, also, kauri is being got out. From Matakoho to Toka Toka is almost, twenty -one miles, through a good deal of bairen country, improving 1 as tho Wairoa is approached, and picturesque withal. 'Hie Wairoa, the " Long Water," is the third largest in New Zealand and the busiest, flowing into the Kaipaia Harbour. Toka Toka, tho first .steamboat landing and the oldest township on the river, has been passed in the race by the up-river township of To Kopuru, Aratapu, and 1 )ai g*u ille, seats of the timber trade. There is abundance of kauri still on both sides of the liver, and more up the Kaihu Valley, ard a\ hilo theio i& a demand for timber and kaun to cut, the Wairoa, will not suffer, but the t line must come when the bu-hes will be exh uisted ; inoi eased settlement/ will l>ni)<> moie Hocks and hcid«, and the gicat swamp-, of the Lower Wairoa will produce their lla v, New Zealand or other. Then the oiieular saw \\ ill be turned into a spinning macbinr, and the bieakiny-down siiu' become a power-loom, ■while linen and w oollen fact oiie»/\\ ill take the j)lace of the once famous s,u\ m]l].-> of tho Wairoa.