FLEETING IMPRESSIONS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3087, 22 December 1888, Page 2

FLEETING IMPRESSIONS.

BY The Rolling Stone.

HOW WE DISOOONT THE NJIUHE, It was the writer's lot to have resided for many years in a district once famous for its enormous grain yield and magnificent pasture, The 1 reputation of the wheat and other cereals grown in that district had won a colonial reputation, and the most casual observer might note that signs of prosperity marked the liomes of almbßl every settler, After a timo the staying qualities of the soil became proverbial, and men pointed with pride to the seventh or eighth crop of wheat they were harreating from the one field,' But a year arrived when the face of the district became suffused with a faint tinge likothe rosy blush that mantles on the fair features of budding beauty. Men took very little heed of this, but the next year the color deepened, and. when the third year came almost every acre for miles around lay hidden beneath a bright vermillion shroud of sorrel. The farmers began to wage war with.tho tenacious weed, for it "appeared to': thein to have such destructive properties that no crop could hold its own UV the same field with it. s They, perhaps, were not awaro of the fact, ~so familiar to us air now, that, sorrel is ono of those merciful plants that come in loving tenderness to cast a mantle over the dead—for that land had yielded up the gliost and had died the death .as thoroughly; as ; can any representative of tbo animal kingdom. Most of my readers will be familiar with the irrepressible individual whose ruling conceit is to display the paces and staying powers of his steed. |He dashes suddenly 'up atorlgsido of you as you are proceeding on your' journey, iiia horde .covered with'dust and foam, : and panting for breath,'', liko ( an over-worked r ddg, j? Can your moke .trot ? Let's have a spin/'.-iays pur,horsey '.. friend, and taking JltJ for "granted that, you will try l issues with him, off he goes like the flying scud. You try a brisk canter, bntVhe runs.clean away from; you.'; You jiish youtvlibrsß hard'; gallop,; but;■. all ■; to; noVpurppke,;, you',' cannb.t '.come within!acopeyjpf your.■■. :.cpiii])ttu»n la/fshMr,. 4eßpei : aiionyoii:"rein,in, yqar-waf alon^anddiellaolps^h];

?llßiPSilr||Slii i s still -" t jvh n mijtis 'a^i^i 3 lib' kh'oVijj'his rapfcyvill; fi^aVfrah as jj'aiii Jib gef a > 11 ud a care: is jost cannot :he'js';only;trea^ fiirmers nbovp refei-red to treated r land, tpb/t:is. -discounting ;tliC/^ : - '£ future.^;On';the^ the.spirit, thenempower,tliesinewa '■"'■ ■■■'.' ■' of r ripble anintaljcriiellyj tbvturcd ijitov '•. -; premature; deatruetion; by. the igtipf•; j; ; '!:'■: ahce .or ;'tho;xridev • whilst 'on tliß other band you^have, : -:'j'>A ignorance and cupidiity'afc, work de* ; stroying the fertility- and, : .vivifying -V-: 4 powers of the soil,, There is; perbapu, -' ; V .| this difference, which is one of degree; ' ;, : that a community may ; exist without"'£ \''::;.- horses,-butt^edestrucUouof;the; ;;' involves the inevibbje.- destruction'of ■ the people. In ruins! of many a once populous -oity. < V'- : may.be found:in;the^.inidsVjjftheft';■; arid solitude or beneath sands of the desert^. ! : ;Tha once fertile :rv'? lands tliatsnrroundedthoseoiHeshave'v'--; been tortured into 'alow, death by of improvident cropping until .even \' £ the friendly sorrel" or. couoh,grass^'-.''X-which often keeps the Boil irorn ; ■ ■integration'[has had v: empirotp'the prickly cactus-; oV drifts #'/. ing sand-stomi. I have not yet liad : ';l , : time to form any correot. estimate; of '"/. V the pbsitiontoflthe. farming - industry"- : •■;• or the capabilities of Jhe soil 'in Cthp^ : : ;£ Wairiirapa. .In the 'few' localities,t :';' ' "■ have; Visited, theiropslooked;healthy. ;,r :■-;.: utid clean, and gave promise of good .'■. . - yield, though "straw sneins to lack''/. . ';■:•■ body. .I was pleased' to hear; that /'./J around Mastertou there are several;; ~ : %> skilled fanners, who are oavrying ort '■'■ * operations on the latest and mjst approved principle/ I was sorry,: bowy^ ■■'"- '■;.: ever, to learn from a few "of tb'oseVMF'; " spoke to that old story about the/ ;■! wonderful staying qualities of the'! soil, farms; in the possesion .", ; of Europeans were pointed' out to nie: - v :: whore tbeland had been cropped every .-"•;■■';■ season, without manure or green orop , v'; for tlie' last ten or twelve years. . Whilst a Maori at To Ore Ore said to't v miasLwaspassing "You see my,i■•:.' wheat. Kapai theorop. iMe set the'? crop there overy year since 18(2,"' :IX ask whether he had ever given the land any rest, or- change from, grain v-::' growing, and he replied in the 'most;'-:, ■';■' self-satisfied tone "Oh, yes, ine change j ■'■'. him every year. One year kapai the . wheat, noxt year, kapai the oats; me; always change him," Idon'tknow howt '' " fur this practice prevails 'here,' ', ■ It has been a thoroughly''New' 7 Zealand sin but like the proverbial • obickeus come sooner or later iuvai'k : : 'A ably homo to roost on thoso farms : . wlierelhooffence : waß committed^'■''l'•■; - ■■■'. am to|d that,.croppiof;,for BitccessiveS ; youra.in the'Wairarapanai only,been-:' ! . V practiced on landstield orijeart-from n.!-':: the Mapriesjlifso there-niußt ,. been a flaw; in the lcasj,- '.-. ; pmlg of the /Colony |•'•■'; successfully' qotnpetirig ■ iii tho; grain V'.'. market of'thei world,' guaho> f andotlipr tnanures; arrcouring^into:'-constants-use^'' alnjoktv.every.paVfc.bf ,"*i : ; .".■. each farm is' periodically ' this I may say say something another . day .when I ..have made* hiysolf'•';-';.'.' thoroughly acquainted with'the; dis- .: tl'ict, ' '..'•'' ■' -".■',:.. ;'''. '. '

AKE TUEY COLOR BLIND,' l '[. ' 1 In these days of marvellous preoj.,' biou, whenmeri are supposed to tate' ■ nothing for granted on matters appor- s :'; taining to their; profession or', calling, '■■■■> ■ and evoryone is expected to prove ' himself an expert iu soim; particular .'•';•. branch of trade or sqienco; when,- ia ■.'• ■' . fact, sVimtoh relianoe is placed p'n'lb'e; judgment of the individual that 'hup-. '■'-. \M dreds "oi. lives ■ often depend on tho ■ * particular tinge of a colored, light of a square foot ; of hunting, it has l W ; been found that thousands ; of tho'' human speoies, more or less, are. ; color-blind. So it frequently Bappens that tho painstaking,; plodding, offioial, who has devoted years _of carov, , ful attention to his dulies. with .tho hope of ultinißte promotion, suddenly, finds his path blocked by souie physical' defect that proves fatal to his further advancement, I give color blindness as an illustration, but tho example applies with more or less force to ,' ' nearly every phase of life. There aro, howover, certain notable exceptions' . and, though the rule appears a harsh ! one, it seems to me a matter of rogrot •; that its application' cannot be made ■ : universal. If, for instance,- tuero . were some means of taking a censusof those among the human family who have a genuine taste for the beauty of nature,as revealed in scenery,Buch as meets the gaze in almost eyery-w part of this colony, quite au army of J§ • writers and speakors would be forced to relinquish their positions as public : instructors, to which they have duly; :-j elected tlnmselves, and many ia fair' land 'liow hidden behind sombro <'4: clouds of calumny would merge into light and excite universil admiration, Some countries suffer political wrong - from the ignorance or malignity of historians and others. New Zealand suffers coraraorchilly from the' apathy; of its inhabitants to tho natural beauties of this country, as also from the prevalent color blindness on the part : of so many, of those wlio, on duty or pleasure bent, visit the-outposts of, , civilization in this land of themoa.' The colonial publioaro not deeply * rooted to any one, spot, They often change their location, generally following what they cousidor the path of ' utility, and invariably looking upon £ s d as the legitimate object of.their wanderings. In the clioice of a home. men aro more influenced by .tho., writings and current gossip of the travelling publio than by any other ''A form of information, and so it often ■*&'.' happens that while some districts in these colonies are experiencing all the : i oyils of.. coDgesUoOt table for colonisation ard almost desti- : ' : lute.of..population.,' \Vithr havo I ; beeo more impressed'in- my •; .;' erratio-wanderingS'through New-Zea- ,; .<{% land than by the supreme' indiifer'.':■'.'.-"fll ence of the people to the natural' • beauties of -' : ' .

VALLEY AND HILLfSTREAM AND WOOD ', . LAND tbaHelight the eyo of the observant' traveller at every stage of hißJournGj. Ask tho erstwhilo traveller for an j accurate description of any place ho has visited, aud be will bo bettor perfect in describing the state of tho track, tho accommodation at the 'pub' the quality of tho whisky and scale of chai gcs, Of the personal discomforts of. bts trip ho 1 has Ikei most lively recol*, lection, and be will soldom fail to,* recount from which tho-, distiict Buffers,; but of the natural! beauties of tho countries bo,(till bo', ' ' perfectly Duiinga journey;* . •> by, coach or.troin call 'the attention of' < tt your fellow travelior to some enchant- J™ ing little Jandspapev tbat,.would iromoit'alise any artist who'cbuld oaab a shadow of it upon canvas, and the ' • ' *' most brobable reply will' bo "B&flstly * s

- bud land down* that way, won't grow ' ' urain, only fit for light pasture." Try • anutbersbbt.." Select your fairy dell ' down" Which tho crystal atreum is joyously bounding'mid tho many 1 Wanted foliage of the prinievul forest its beauties with those of wavmjj fern fronds unit wide spreading gcadeful jiika'u palms. Your friend will tako • bis pipu from his mouth, cast a coutumptuous glance in the direolidn indicated and grime out. '"' That hush is tin infernal rabbit warron, wonder Jonca doesn't knock it down and bum it?" ' And still our practical colonists should know (hat tho natural beauties, of a country havo commercial value, There aro certain parts of this colony known os show places, Their 'reputation'is bo well established that the. steam- |> boat?, coaches, and hotels connected • with them, are freely patronised by ■ tourista from every' clime. I have seen all these places, and I have seen others equally attractive, but almost unknown to the tourist, Those that are. best known have been bettor advertised. Photographs, highly Sored maps and placards in every nroship and in cvorv leading hotel in Australasia tell the travelling public of tho attraction of the West Coast Sounds, the Otago Lakes, and the volcanic regions or the North Island. Why uro the beauties of the Wairarapa so seldom heard oi beyond the ltimutakal Once, and once only before I saw it did I bear of Ihii Wairarapa Yalley beauty. A friond of mine, who had spent a fow days here, grew eloquent in describing its charms, He returned to town with his face very red; certainly ho may have got sunburnt, but I had always Buspected him of ut lienoncy to soda water and other mild stimulants. Be■A l sides on this particular occasion. IT WAS Ills HONEYMOON TRIP, and in the earlier singes of the hwneneal journey folks are apt to jjieve that their path ia strewn with roses, I could not take his word against the mass of evidence I had heard to the contrary, and with n pious ejaculation for my newly wedded friend, that those sweet imaginary flowors would bloasom oil along his path, I dismissed his testimony as of little value. Had I not heard hundreds of glib tongues describing the Wairarapa as it region whero the storm fiend delighted to roam, and where vast tracks of indifferent land were held inn sort of dividod ownership between thn squatter and tho rabbit; 1 had beard, too, of an extensive lako which its residents were anxious to drain, in which case there would be h considerable area of really good land available for settlement, In

other words there is a sort of Iwzy air pressure abroad that your only bit *' of good laud is under water, But I f' think I speak truthfully when I say ~\ that your district is not known in its true character as one of the most picturesque spots in the colony, 1 am not blessed with the powers of the jyintive writer but should my nffiible contribution reach those who delight in choice scenery let mo piess upon ..them the claims of the Waiiarapa : Valley, To a settlement ns prosperous as this the advent of a few hundred tourists a year might- he only of secondary importance, but lam convinced that if some syßtoraatio effort should be made to convey to the Australian public and those who aro constantly travelling by steamer round the const, some idea of the resources and natural beauties.of the district. As a favorits resort for tho angler and shootist it ' is becoming known, but ns a delightful Bummer resort, or as a field of settlement it. is to even the bulk of Now Zealand colonists a terra inagnitit, Just now when English capital is pouring into Australia, despite the appearance which' the terrible 'Vought has lent to the face of the ' Tounlry, why do we make no effort to atjKt attention to tho matchless , resources and climate'of ourOolory ! While we havo the poorest display at tlit Exhibition the facile pen of THE USPAIRIOTIO " TANIWIU"

is (Warning us in the wellhead columns of the" Australasian," Ic is ' a littlo difficult to uudorstaod why tho gentlemen who adopts that uncanny MA depkm should take such pain's to convince tho English capitalists that Not Zealand is on the verge of bankruptcy, Tho Americans are perhaps the best nation in tho universe at Bounding their own praises, while Now Zealand certainly leads the choir of national croakers. Americans hare loop; since weaned themselves of old world ideas and sympathies, but up to the present tho destiny of this ; colony has' been almost entirely in the hands of peoplo whose sojourn here is an enforced oxi.Mo be terminated at the earliest oppwbity; hence littlo of that zeal and whole-hearted patriotism that is necessary to tho building up of a prosperous nation has yet been disAjfeyed' amongst us, On the young sew Zealandor, whoso aspirations and ambitions are bounded by his horizon, this colony must depend for that true national spirit which springs only from the earth over which it flourishes, Maj we not look for better days in tho future, not far distant, when the vast majority of the men and women in tho colony are those who were born here, and whose strongest feci- ■ ings of patriotism circle around the rugged coast of this the greater Britain,