A MASTERTON DAIRY FARM.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3045, 3 November 1888, Page 2

A MASTERTON DAIRY FARM.

Mr George Dixon, M.P., when here oil Wednesday last expressed a desire to see a Dairy farm, and a representative of this paper said to a friend: "What farm ought he to go to?" and the reply was: "Wo will tako him to Shaw's!" The party was speedily en ■ route for, Wangaehu, where Mr Francis Shaw's three hundred and oddacres are situated, just about half an hour's drive out of Mastorton. At, this spot a few years ago stood a'dense bush, haunted by wild pigs and cattle, and tenanted by myriads of wood pigeons. Wlion the property camo into the hands of its present owner about five years ago, a third of it was cleared and grassed, but now every acre has been felled,with the exception of a small patch left as a shelter for stock, The visitors pulled up before a clean bright-looking house almost close to the road, and found Mrs Shaw and her two sons at home 'to receive the party, the gudeman being away in Mastorton. - Mr Dixon was at once conducted to the dairy, an unpretentious building whose special characteristic appeared to bo clcanlness; Mrs Shaw does not believe in all the modorn inventions, and ovon questioned tho advantage of the cream separator, She thought this wonderful macliine took a little too much out of the milk, so that the residue would not keep life in calves, Neither did she believo in churning every day, hut preferred her cream to ripen a little before it was introduced to tho churn, But if Mrs Shaw is a champion of old-fashioned methods, it must ho admitted that her butter fetches tho highest price in the Masterton market, and Uer opinion is therefore entitled to some respect. Mr- G. Dixon asked a hundred questions, and appeared keenly interested in every detail of .fanning economy. He ascertained that there were thirty cows in nuty, each milker averaging over seven pounds of hutter.por week. He found that jive pair of hands' were required to milk tho cows and noted thoprico obtained for butter, tho season'when cheeses wero mado, and the relative value of each product, Noxfc the stock yards wero inspected and tho: paddocks wlierei the calves and pigs consumed the skim milk. Tho fat little porkers appeared to bo •.•enjoying .: themselves; oblivious of the fact that by ' Christmas one and all sll have disappeared down, the gullets'of festive eoldnistsr Noxt tho Oi'cliafd was viqteili it'plais'o where sturdy trees -break i tjowii each fiutuum under Ms of friiitraiid the

crop, though the • place is still young; . - can bo counted by tlio ton. (tho soil on this farm is- of that sort which when "you;tickle it,with aWk it laughs with a'- harvest." W®he soil will do when it. feels in good • health J is; something ■ astonishing. Eleven tons of carrots have been taken out of less than half an . acre of it, • 'and the visitors were introduced to the vestiges of a mangold-wurzel bed.' A specimen, weighing about twenty five pounds, was.pulled*up like a - radish, but the giants of ,tho.place.; had long ago vanished. The monarch of the lot had been a fifty, pound beet, hard to be.besten I; i In- ~' qliiry was made'as to jvliat aii \apre.; of this land could; produce' with a crop of mangolds, and an estimate ofL; seventy-tons was furnished. Tlienli Mr Dixon went through the garden, which is very like an EngM ; garden . and is well stocked' with' vegetables and fruit. A little lunoheon was the next thing oh the programme,. and. though Mrs Bhaw had. iiaitbected visitors she had a table jfcfad with some wonderful cheesecaißnd other home dainties, which produced in conjunction with new milk and sparkling home made beer, a very favorable impression'.' 'Just tlion Mr Shaw himself arrived on the scene, and the British M.P. turning to him said" You area Yorkshiremau—l'm a Yorkshiremau too —so we are brothers." In two minutes the pair of Yorkshiremen were as friendly as' if they had known, each other for v years, and.wlien a little later the visitor began talking about the clever way in which Mr Shaw managed things about the dairy, we felt that Mr George ( Beethaiiij our popular representative, was lucky in not tan ing to contest his seat with a shireman. Mr Shaw, however, is undoubtedly fortunate in having on his faim the assistance of Jurili a capable housewife, and steady industrious sons. ■ A family like this working together can do more to push a place ahead .than' a large money capital. Mr Shaw had his weather-eye open when he picked ' out his present homestead. Outside. his dairy produce he has many provable sources of income. He breeds i a few horses of a stamp that pay for breeding, and he runs a couple of i hundred sheep, and ploughs a little i laud. There is too, a profitfiblo garden . and orchard, and a poultry yard whicli gives a good account of itself. Farmi ingnow-a-days cannot be - made a ; i success without intelligence and ex- ' i perience as~well as euro and labor. ' All these conditions are. applied on Mr Shaw's farm, and Mr 6. Dixon i was delighted to find such an excellent sample of Colonial life, taking as lie does a vivid interest in .the pro- \ . blem of how people live and thrive iir New Zealand. \ .