OUR STAPLE INDUSTRIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 316, 1 June 1911, Page 3

OUR STAPLE INDUSTRIES.

1 RURAL NEW ZEALAND UNDER | REVIEW. (By B, jj EAMES). No. 32. [All Eights Reserved.] SUNNY MARLBOROUGH. THE FERTILE WAIRAU PLAIN. It was mentioned in last week's article that the Wairau Plain was the largest block of agricultural land in the whole of the Marlborough land district. Incidentally, it may be said that acre for acre it is also far and away the moat fertile. If one takes a map of the province and draws a line westerly along tk» Wairau river to a point a little past Renwick (which is some eight or nine miles from.Blenheim), and then brings the line with a sharp southerly sweep back to Cook Strait, there will be delineated the plain with which we are now dealing. AH the valley of the Wairau river, which runs away to the west into Nelson district, is not considered—for the plain itself is rather suddenly shut off by a barrier of hills fit only for sheep. Perhaps the best way to emphasise the fertility of the Wairau Plain will be to say that this comparatively tiny section of the district supports some 14,000 people, which is more than hail the population of the whole of the Marlborough land district! In area the plain embraces some 05,000 acres, and if anyone wants to see agriculture enjoying a mellow prosperity this block of land affords a striking example. There is nothing .strenuous, and nothing at all ahead of the times in farming methods. "Sound, but slow,'" was one rather bored description. These sound-but-slow places, however, are usually the thrones of rural competencies—competencies, in the case of Blenheim', .surrendered from rich deep mould ever ready to respond fruitfully to a seed scratched in. •Some very amazing instance? of fertility were brought under the writer's notice. In view of all the circumstances, ltowevei, it may be safest; to give the official average yields. As to wheat, no particular claim to excellence is made, but the average is put down at 30 bushels to the acre. Potatoes are dug, 10 tons per acre. Then there are beans and peas and onions and general market gardening. Wairau Plain is modest, except when it talks of its barley and its peas. Then it speaKS m Ca'-ltals. "We grow," the plains' people will say with quiet assurance, "absolutely the best 'barley and the best peas in the world!" Tt is still ft tonic to hcur people talk like that. It, I* invigorating to listen to Taranaki's possessive claim of the most prolific contiguous stretch of butter-fat country in the universe; to Sandon's delight in the best cocksfoot and the brightest dogstail seed grown; to Hastings' proof of the easy superiority of their canning peaches; and to Auckcertainty that it has the best of everything. But the Wairau DOES grow • most excellent barky and most excellent peas. The average yield (official) of the former is 35 bushels, and of the latter 30 bushels to the acre. The finest >f this good land closely surrounds the '.own of Blenheim itself, and is in the neighborhood of flrove Town, .Spring Creek and Tuanmrina, For the best agricultural land—used for wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, peas, etc—from £4O to £SO an acre must be given. In smaller suctions, 10-aere lots, used principally for beans, onions, etc., and market gardening. up to £BO an acre has been paid for bare land. '

LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. ' Tlie necessities of travel make one hug the east eoast very closely in working southwards from Blenheim. So that of the inland area, virtually all sheep country, nothing in particular can be said. It may lie remarked, however, that in the Marlborough land district there are no considerable areas—as compared with other districts —yet to be .settled. The Crown lands available run into some 300,000 acres,' but of that area 140,000 acres are officially described as "barren aiul worthless, being chiellv summits of high, ragged country. The balance of the available area lies in the Pelorus, Rai and Wakamarina valleys, and in the .Sounds." All this land, in the opinion of the authorities, "will doubtless be readily taken up when thrown open for settlement," < K A LEASEHOLD AREA. "'"- 1

Shortly after leaving the Wairau Plain, settlement is lest sight of until the valley of tlife Awatere is reached, and the hilly country through which the road goes is dedicated to sheep. The Awatere is one of the four considerable rivers in Marlborough-rtth'e Wairau, the Awatere, the Clarence and the Conway—which water important valleys. The cropping area of the Awatere extends some seven miles up the valley and away south, embracing Mdoin and through Starborough to Elaxbonrne, there are big blocks splen-

"<lly suited for barley growing. This **,'•„ " the yield was about 30 bushels io ?***' ■ and the best brought 4s 9d per the Starborough and Flaxboume bushel. s x'iated with the l.i.p. si 3are names This leasehold totem of lam! IfliiiffN from the Awanre practically''. Iras tere to the tire rtfff Ami . nmPn t» shown that the -»spcan attach just as ,«erio7fslj' to the bold as to the freehold. The iiew.tcnitlitS there are paving very" high premiums fof possession, the estimated goodwill of pile 200-acre holding being no less than •€2250. At Flaxbournc it.se'lf the tendency seems to be to relapse from cropping to sheep-grazing. Upon leaving the leasehold area there is little of special agricultural interest, until ona reacTrfs TTIE KATKOURA "PLATN. This is the second agricultural centre of the province. It lies between the Ko'whai and the llapuka. rivers, consists of some 13,0110 acres, and is all occupied in small and moderate-sized farms. Last summer. when Southland was vexed with water famine, Kaikonra was easily the greenest spot in the South Island, and. indeed, in the whole of New Zealand. Most of the flat is reclaimed bind, and,, being watered" from the cold adjoining mountain-tops it gets a late spring, but in seasons like the one just passed it enjoys lusli grass in the late summer. Recently the Kaikoura cheese factory found itself unable to cope with the milk supply, and it became necessary to establish another factory at llapuka, about seven miles away. In dairying there is a constant increase, but some of the flat land is still accommodating from six to eight, sheep to the acre. One disadvantage of Kaikoura land is that the grass will not ''hold" for many years without deterioration, and it is necessary periodically to turn the land over and re-sow it. In the dry month of "March last it was the district delightful, and the paddocks were beautifully carpeted with fresh green grass. Some of ibis land is now commanding £f!o an acre, and that was the price put upon a 100-acre farm, not very highly improved on the surface. which the writer saw. Other not unusual prices are £35, £4O and £45 per acre. The Kaikoura is a grand little plain, and, in dry seasons particularly, it is the most verdant territory in Sunny Marlborough.