TIMARU TO RANGITATA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 223, 13 January 1880, Page 2

TIMAR U TO RANGITATA.

THE OJBAiil GORGE STATION.

A careful survey of this station -an* l homestead convinced u-'- that w ;con’d not do justice to its enterprising owner by mixing it up will) others; we, therefor-*, deci h-d to devote a special iiriicle to this snbj ct, tin ting our iva- eis wdl-forgive ns lor t iking up S" t* nch space, as we deem it ad viable to des-ribe this bnveh of New Zealand indns.ry, viz., sheepf rming. 1- order that peop-e ignorant of station bf<* may learn omewhat mom of t>ie heavy expendi'nre that is going o.i in many such in New Zealand, we goe a few partcnlars Toe Orar> Gorge S ation Homestead 'ies about ten mi es north of tin Four Pc..ks Station, and at the foot of the same range of mountains. The run original y comprised 90,000 acr*-s, and was first leased from the Crown b.v its present owner, Mr. C. G. Tripp. Mr C. G. Tripp arrived in this colony in January, 1855, bunging with h in ac..pstai of €2,500, wi h which he commenced sh ep-farming. Ordinary sheep could nob not be bong it in those days tinder 3)s apiece, often much more. Mr Tripp went back to Hh'glaed in 1862, having while there-s< Id his int re-t in the Orari Gorge

Simian f. r £32,000. Returning to New Z-nhi <1 in 1364. h-* bought l» ck die stition, givii.g £1,500 on ids previous bargain. From then until now this gent tev ~ . ... n .q ( man hna resided at the than I jorge Stntp)n> so _ t j f rom the .homestead being s itu ; .te<l near the onttet of the Orari River, the source of which is at the back, among t&e rugged mou»tin|A'

With a !iHvv hur’en upon his shod d* r*, si.- d i< rough and rugg .d connt'y to deal with, aa.we'l as a tune of nnprec’dentod liepr ssi -n facing him on the very threshold of the outran', e to Ids new life, lie hud an arduous uudertak ntr. From Ihe hieh nri e- name I for sb op, modem shoei who are am ttstomcd 4 o i ick a"d choo«e from a flock for !( few shrllietrs n he d, would rnMiral'y ihink the 6'ass or breed must have been very superior. Not so, however. 0 1 th“ co' traiy, Mr Tripp's station rt the name of being the “ A v]mn for M.vgrels and 0 d Crawlers IWibl" this may l ave In'* som< thing to do with that gentleman’s di-o Tnr nation to merit the cl dm to a minn l of a, different n< d higher ord l r.

The great expense of t ndi g the flocks in Mi'-h a mountainous conn fry ami the advantages to be gained hy al lowing the sheep to pasture without molegation, led him to fence these mountain ranges, T. is was soon- r said than done. Nevertheh-ss, putting a stout heart to a s’iff brae ( ill) as the S ot- h cal' it. Mr Trinp mad- np h’s mind to „c----cornpl:sh it, and 1m did it. In order to c rry out thi • re»o v.-, um'.s must be found, who, by their aure-'b redness, • ou'd climb the mountains. To th"se, peck saddles of a pecu’iar construction had to be provided, and. at ’he time of our vi it, Mr Trip!) was die owner of ten mules, so furnished —The sadd es have iron frames se nr 'd to them, and on these post a"d nils had to be packed and handl 'd off under es ,- ort no the sides of mom t dns like the wall of a and many mih « dis'ance. Witii such apt liacces something between t'enty-five to thirty mi es of ft" ci g lia< b en done, extending from 1 ehind the Four Peiks Station to near Peel Forest, aid 160 tons of \vir<- and iron standards have been thus pock 'd, besides a quantity of wooden post and rails. The posts were usual'y kept on the station for a year or two, when the sapwood wa '• stripeed off, and the heartwood posts packed longitudinally on each sid ’ of the mu'e, and thus for scores of miles, as liffi ult to describe as Chinese hierogdyphiclis. These animals, as patient as an Irishman needing a favor, trundled on ♦heir weary journev,carrying 2<-wt besides their sad.Pes,under the .sound of language as sweet and soothing as that usually made nse of tiv the l-uMook-dri'ers

This work one** accomplished, P e next s'enis’to imnrove the hre'd of she tv. How far Mr Tripp has sir-cceded in this direction limy he gathered from t!ie following statement ..f facts : A* ti e time of our visit there were, in round numbers. 40,000 sheep on the run, nil of w’di-h are i nre merinos, excepting 4000 to 5000, which nre cross breds. A r ference to memoranda showed that at the onts'-t tiie aver-->ge cip per he id w-.g milv 3Ul)s, whih- Inst year the whole flock averaged 61 hs s"za. In the early days all that was looked to was the mouth hare h g®. hare hellier, or hare heads wa« viewed in the same way as a I’arai‘T used to view his i rop.' wh- n he only looked t" dm thickness of the growth, without taking into account the length of the lieads. With the sheep f irmer it was all right if it was ewes or rams, according as his fancy or necessity instructed. Now,however. the merino of the present day must have wool down to Ids very nose, and on his legs to his very t"es, \x liile the whole body must yie ! d up its quota, and be as i lose and hard-packed as if ores-ed toge’her in a weaver’s loom. The length, a so. of the staple has to be taken into account.

How far Mr Tripp has accomp'ished his object, may be gathered in addition to the statement as to in reuse of weight from tlie fact- that we ourselves measnr d wi'h the rnb 1 on the l>ack of some hoggets 5| in< lies. As a fnrth-T pr- of, ram hocgets sliorn, when weigh d in onr 'Tesenco,gave over lib'*. Tiie subjoined statement last yn. and t ! is wi’l be us. fu'.

Ranis from the Hon. R. C mpb ll’a flock of merinos. No. 1. when s! orn g've 18V ;No 2 17; No 3, 16 ; N<> 4,15 V ; No 5. 13V*'S. The same tins year—No 1, 14; No 2" 12£ ;No 3. 16 ; No 4, 13|; No 5, 13V bs ; and hngg-'a ib■ 1 1 Mr Tonp gave 4"20 -h ad for, mil wide' l took fir-n prize at the Dunedin, Christchurch and 0 mam shows. When sh rn gay —No 114; No 212 V ;No 311 ;No 4 12|; No 5 13V bs. Nothing could be more convincing o'" th-“ value of a'udying the breed and the ke“j t!nn the ab"”e facts. Anoth’T surmise to us was the fa -1 that i nlv from 1200 sleep more in 1878 than was shorn in 1877 76 bales more •» <>ol w>s ob*amed ih n the year before. This, we le Tned, was through the season being a drv one. while this year, as far >-s Urn shearing has gone, the average weight is on the heavier weightsmore than 21'>s ahead less.cmsed t' n n .h the season Rung a wet one. The** facts are wd! worthy the study of farmers. The number of bales of wool sent ! 'rora this "tntion last year was 720 The price at Home for clip 1878 was 13Vd ; last ye -r it was onlv 10|d nor lb in the giea e. Tb • average yearly income from wool a’one is about LSOOO. ft must not, however, b • thought that this inc m' 1 lias sn uicreas d without a corr spoil 'em cvp<-n Inure i'S, from ihe time that this run-holder first took posses i> ii. nn’il nd.v, !• h.s 'aid out over LIOO 000 ; the expenses ar> ,-dsn heavy. One itmn is a cod 3 nnivimi of 1200 sheep on th • st ition, 12 toes of potato s and 7 tons of fl -ur annually, b - sides other stems, Ther is also a saddler and a blacksmith, each ivhh lu's s -pM.ra.nest b ish oent, and a qifpine t. Aco -k who 'lakes 40 loaves a cl .y. a d cooks t.<« about m b !S : der giving supper and br-akfa t t •30 swaggers on an a-v -n-ge wr-eklv, "ho re'-e've luck ran t d without harge.

During shearing tini3 there is over 60 meo oo the station, in Tulin ; shearers. Two 4 hors’» -md iv o 2 ••rse | loughs are he'd going all the year round, mid Eoelis'i grass is now to be seen n to the very spurs of the mountains Double moiild shifting ploughs are used.the share mul mou'd boards shifting lay a very simple pro- es s *. uh’c’ enables the team 'o return along th ■ -am * Mne or furrow. A plough made by Mr John Cummings. South M"lton, Devonshire excels that of Hornhv’s or Locock’s.

Over 60mil•* of fencing has b en done altogether. S m-e th • run as talon np Mr Tripp h is bough' 17,000 aere* fieehold, of whi'-li 700 a< res is native bush. Severn, •' thousands ofamesof this freeh dd was •purchased at second hand at ovi-r L 5 an acre.

So great ha-i the fame of the Or ri Gorge. Station merno- 1 n'*,v become that the rams from - the flock nre b>-spoken long before they,, are b* rn, although the object in studying breed is not so much

for liuene'-'s as for length of soqee -anp qu Hty of wool. As to tie 1 buildings—tl-e. residence w’ ich is of wood on a stone found ition, and two storets high, 'contains 24 rooms, and an underground ce lar. The garden and-or-hard are in a ho’low, and we 1 sheliend wid e the house is hacked up by a w 11, luishy den < r gu'ly, extending inwards h r m down which come at times torrents of wat -r, rhacendii g from the higlier imm t>ina. Tire grounds in front are he u tiddly laid out. and are of consul-rah 1c extent. The vi wis very phasing. The staid- s and coach houses, with the loft and grain store above, are extensive, and very substantially built of wood, on a c - n r-'c foundation. T-e woo:-she '« are liiroe, capable of containing over 1,900 sl u p.it the lime, and room for twentyfour shearers.

The men’s eating houses and ah-eping apart tpents are well ventilated and ev- rytl'iiitr lu«ndy, even the water bring condu ted by a r..ce for a con ideralde dist nee

Some of the freehold land, in its rough « - ate. must have look d ratber forbidding. Hil'-dreds upon hundreds < f acres out on the stony plain cost 30s au acre for ploughing, and n ucli more per acre to carry off the stones, or gath< r them into leaps. When tl-e land is plough d i* is sown with turnips, and when this crop is eaten off it is again ploughed, and hurt down in Igag- 1 lish grass. Ii is but bare justice to Mr Tripp to say he de e v s ;he than s of the public for tS e I if, era inanei in winch he has ■ span-led money on improveuu nts. {Some may say it was for Ids own ’merest. 1 rue ; but how in-my wo'dd have bought those stony plains and rugged mountains at £2 per a re? The vast aiuou-.t of flit land ext -ndi’ g from one | rmaontnry to another is valuable to the sheej-'armer, as it keeps out troublesome neighbours, woo, with flogs and pigs, are i ften a great nuisance. If tl! the squatters wore as liberal as the ovnerofthe Oiari Gorge Station, there would he less cause for comp'air.t ; unfortunately, too many of them care only for themselves, and employ little, or any, labour.

The care taken hy studying the improvement in tne breed of sheep is well worth the attention of agricultural farmers, who also now, to a considerable extent, devote their time to this pursuit. It is a well authenticated fact not sufficiently actod upon, ihat the best bred animals do not require more feed or attention than the 11 bred, who often eat more food and are m -re restless than the other. The success of Mi TVij.p’s Mmy in t.e imrease of wight and qu i ity of wool is ols*• a mat-t-rot’ ini; ortanco to sued f-rm rs. The bred fencing is a gre.t mens of making a better siapie and better qua'ity also Tiie remark made in tin* Lkadek some in it* ago peimed to the injury to sheep by catching hv the woo:. How uinch inoro--90 must ii be ; rjnrious to have the flecks hunted hy sh phmds and tlogs. Good fencing on smad farms also rives s’ elter and warmth in the winter months. With the low pri<-e wiiicli may he expected to rule for all other kinds of produce farmers would do wel’ to devote their attention more to breed and comforts to tin* flu. ks. Tiie same holds good with regard to o'her sto k ; good cattle are easier kept, come soo er to maturity,and consequents (altliodgh they may cost more) "ill nay hotter. T e same with horses and pigs; if it wi 1 not pty to bre d good stock it will not pay to breed bad sio-k.