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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4687, 5 April 1894, Page 3

UNKNOWN

HPforu Our Own Correspondent). In perusing a late issue of your journal, I noticed a local taken from the 'Standard' re boring operations on the Pihautea estate. I thought I 'would take a ramble and see them, and I was extremely well paid for my trouble. . I might here mention that I had, for some mouths previous, felt curious about a steam engine 1 used to see puffing in the sime locality for several months together, nnd found on enquiring that a firm of well-sinkers ■ from Petone had been either driving or boring for some considerable timo j to try and obtain a supply of water for yhe stock, but after expending about j|gN|fiJ|fc(mt any,ssti»f idory results, for a time. The MossrfTßiuAvillßros,,however, feeling sure that a good supply could be obtained, renewed their efforts, engaging Mr Henry, tbe wellknown well-sinker, also of Petone, and thiß time they have fur exceeded the firm's moat sanguine expectations. Only several chains from where about £75 had been spent on one unsuecesful boring, Mr Henry obtained for an outlay of .£lO, an artesian supply of about 5000 gallons per diem. Mr Hoi;ry informed me that he ; bad in all, in different localities on i Pihautea Estate, In en successful 15 borings that, were artesian, ka in depth from 18ft to 80ft, Kh a supply of from lOOOgals. H Martin has now ongaged

'jore (or water ou.tho Martin-

HBr plain, and should he be as sue* there, it will demonstrate what can be done by an experienced person with a good plant, and encerproprietors to back him up. BkAb I wqb on ft rambling tour I ™hougbt I would fill in the rest of the "'. day the Piuautea Estate and of the many improvements that have taken place during the year, all of which meant a large expenditure of capital, and consequent employment of labour, The first improvement that attracted my attention, was h large area in turnips about 900 acres (the fruits of frozen mutton), Wandering through them I noticed about 80 chaff boxr-s and handy to them four galvanised iron moveable buildings capable of holding 18 tons each of chaff. These I was informed, were filled as the oaten staw is cut up, to save the labour of filling one large building, and recarting it for miles. The oat 3, turnips, and "~ -buildings were all in one large area, or rather were divided into a great many paddocks, and as the sheep eat off one paddock, chaff boxes are moved on to the next.

Calling at Te Maire (the hoineBtcad of J. O. Bidwill) I fouud it to be the centre from where all the farming operations were directed, At the time of my visit there were about J0 hands engaged in threshing oats, Kbig«ntting and ploughing. in-crop was about 150

ilSWWsinco yielded about 42 bushels to the acre. It was estimated to requite about 75 tons of oaten chaff and also 25 tons of straw chaff to feed the sheep while tfiey were on the turnips. I was courteously given some useful particulars by Mr J, 0, Bidwill and in answer to my enquiries, a flue large map was first opened out, on this was marked every paddock that had been cropped, what the acreage was, yield per acre, and cost of, ..working.

In fact there was no occasion to ask any questions after seeing the' map, for it explained everything. I hope the designer will pardon me for using liif name in connection with this tine piece of amateur Burreying. [t was done as pastime byMr J. 0. Bidwill. After having my curiosity satisfied on farming mattera, I accepted with pleasure an invitation to look over the To Maito vineyard, Mr Bidwill is a pupil of a well-known enthusiastic g ra t ,e cultivator of your town, and doubtless the master has every reason to bo satisfied with bis pupil's efforts. To go into details would take up too much space on this occaiferi; but I will return to the subject time, From Te Maire I wended my way towards Messrs Bidwill's flax mill. En route, about midway, 1 noticed a fine avenue of British, American and foreign shrubs. I decided to ascertain where it led to. After going through it for about half a mile I came to the framework of a large building. This I found was to b9 the futuro residence of Mr W.E. Bidwill. ' For a detailed description of this picturesque locality I will defer until the house and its appointments are in a more finished state. Suffice to say that the site chosen is on the borders of a nice natural lake; how it came to be formed is somewhat of a mystery, for there is no apparent inlet or outlet to it, and it is about two miles

from the largo Wairarapa lake, and separated from it by a range of low bills. On this fine lake are to bo Been swans—both black and white—and wild ducks of many kinds, besides other birds.' There is a tine boat shed, two boats, and a jetty, Opposito the lanfeta stage is a very pretty ivy cov\fJKwmmer house, in faot, to bo brief, the whole surroundings aro suggestive of a model homestead. .Retracing my steps through the fine K«ue] and going down the main roatFabont a mile I came to the flax mill, perhaps one of the most substantially built and best appointed in the Colony, although of course not so large as many of them, I found there were over 30 hands employed, but, unfortunately, they have found it necessary to ebortly close, owing to the depressed state of the flax market. In fact itis only nowbeing worked for the benefit of the workmen, whioh I fear many of them scarcoly realise or sufficiently appreciate. My day's ramble would not bo comploto without calling at the fine old Pibautea homestead. It takes precedence as the first homestead formed in the Wairarapa Valley, Mr C. B. Bidwill being the earliest

pioneer settler. .He used to tako a i pride and graphically doscribo the ", vicissitudes of an early settler's lot, • in forming an home for one's self in a coinpiratiye vrildernesn, I could fill a colnffi'rfyf jour paptt in describing the homestead alone, but I must content myself with a few brief remarks. Pihautea for the last 85 years has been renowned for three things in particular, First, its fine flock of Rotoney wMarsh sheep; second, its famous herd jW . Shorthorn cattle, and- third Bpuiby no_ means least), tbjo hospi : SBality extended 1 to all by litfopu*, HRe, of.niy H»r wavvery u a «^fi^BH

lady at hor Pihautea home has been wonderfully energetio, and I understand has hardly known a day's illness, We read of, and hear of men in levcrysalk of life, front a winco to a coatormonger, proudly lauding their wives' invaluable assistance, as being !tho real secret of their sucoess, It

would hnrdly bo possible for it to be more aptly appliod than in this instance, the subject of my brief sketchIn the proaout age there appears to be a growing feeling amongst those who are not land-owneis against those that aro, and if one happens to own a few more acres than hia neiglu. hour, bo is «suoial pest pure and simple in thoir eye?, and is a tit subject to bo harrassed in every possible way. They worry and fume and say that these " pests" don't employ any labour. It may not be out of place to illustrate what a falsehood this would be, if applied to the Pihautea estato, by showing the number of hands employed :- Flax mill employes about 82 hands; for threshing and chaff-cutting, etc, 20; farm hands, 10; well-sinkers, rahbitors, shepherds, 10; general station hands and fencers, 12; carpenters ut present time, 14. Total, 89 persons, Add to this number about 800 professional travellers per year and I should think anyone would conceive that the Messrs Bidwill Bros, do their shavo in employing labour. Is ibis uumber sufficient to satisfy the chronic growler 1