REED AND BRETT'S ALMANAC.

Waikato Times, 7 January 1873, Page 2

REED AND BRETT'S ALMANAC.

Thw publication came to hand too late for notice in o» *•* lait uaue. It it a very creditable promotion indeed, % -. i\ the low rate at which it ii to be sold will eaturo id a 1| circulation. It contain* a large amount of iufurma^ without which, every aettler would often be<s*t fy siderable inconvenience and trouble. It prct«nd»-^ • justly *o — to be something more than a work ofifc •$ terence to the «ettler; it give* very useful iaiotuSt ->a. with regard to the resources and trade of the province, calculated to diaabuse the mmdi of inteudiag lmmigrantj of the faUe nations they have imbibed from tb° mouths of the immigration agenti of other colonie*. L,!/* 3 to th ® interest of every «ettler to purohjuo one at lafw forward home to the friend most likely to diffu^ iU contents th. ough the greatest number of the popuUtio^ It describe* with general accuracy the ditfeieuc settlements in the province ; it is not absolutely correct in all inatancei, but only amall inaccuracies, so far as we can detect, are to bo found in its columns; being the first year of publication, thia was to be oxpected. In order to give as wide publicity as possible to the description given of the jettlements of the Wailtato, we print below what is said of each : —

Alexandra Ii one of the frontier iiottlemwnts ou the Waipa river, •outh of Te Rori, which was a thriving little settlement in former days. Alexandra is the hig'iest point to which the river boats usually ascend the W.xipa. The township ia one of c*nsiilei*iilo s>i£3, and for -jeVfi.il ye.us a goo 1 deal of nnpoiUucu was <(,■/ ached to the possession ot ttiid tjoiut t j0iut in i sL atomic il point of view, l'lu so U lenient lies on both ))uiks ol tluf aver, and a lai^'o portion is on the ca^t side of the river, lyin,! between the Punui river and the point where the i\ij,'y.»lioe joins the Mangapiko. It is disUnt fioia Ngaiuawahui a hitle over thuty imles. The di-jtuc'u is j. highly feitil© oue, and well adapted for the growth of all kinds of farm cropi. Its prosperity M a •ettlement ha» been considerably retarded from the lame came which has kept back the progress of other frontier settlements- military duty. There ia now a detachment, of the Armed Constabulary stationed there-, bat still the Militia Act is in force in the district, aud the calling out for drill is generally effected at the time nlo4t pleasant for the officers, but altogether destructive to farm crops if allowed to remain on the field unguarded. It is from this point that the various messengers to or from KingTawhiaocome #r depart.

Tb Awamtjtxj Is the next military settlement eastward from Alexandra. It is situated in a largo tract of exceedingly fertile land. Severe itrugglcs occurred in this neigbourhood between the British toldier and the rebel Maori, but in every case tho latter were worsted. It 1* a fine, open, agricultural district and promises to be a wealthy district. There are many thriving settlers residing there,, some of whom have donogood nvlitary service m days gone by. Roads are betn^ ma le in various directions, and when the district is properly opened up by these civilising ageucioa it will rapidly ad~ ranee.

Hamilton. About twelve miles below Cambridge and fourteen mile? above Ngaruawahia, is situated the large and rising towns'iip of Ha.ntlton. Tho township site cnbrnees both sides of the river, but it is chiefly on the eastern »ida that iI is inhab'ted Mr Searancke, RM r here holds h» Court, and the chief de,j6t of the AriueJ Constabulary in the Waikato district is stationed here. The country around is beau'iful and of a more fertile character than tliat around. Cambridge. Flour mills hare lately been erected here to. manufacture the locally grown wheat into flour. These are likely to be sucoesj r ul as well as the mills of Ngarua/wahia.. Tue Waikato River Steam Navigation Co. have done much to foster this and other Waikato settlements abutting on navigable waters. A depdt for coal is kept here, which » much more- convenient than when, firewood had to be carted many miles as formerly o«r that which was the barest anology for road*. A bright future awats most of these Waikato settlements, for a large and fertile agricultural country lies at the back of almost »U the townships. la Hamilton nearly all the occupations carried on in more pretentious townships hare represent atires who. are doing wellThe spiritual and educational wanti of the people are alsowell attended to.

Hamkpi Ii situated a little to the west of the "Waipa, in a direct line between Whatawhata and the Piriongia mountain. Ib was a post of considerable danger during the years immediately following the crus'iing of the rebellion. The land is good, and many hardworking amd industrious settlers wero located there, but the harrassment of military duty has largely interfered with the prosperity of the lettlemenf. In, consequence of this and Tarioua little petty tyrannies, exercised by militia officers, many of the best settlers who were located there hare left the district. The settlement is now beginning to revise again. In this district th«ce u win* very fine agricultural land.

I KIKIJCIHI I Is one of the most southerly of the Waikato military settlements. A l.irge military expenditure was maintained there for several years, and the- attention of many of the Mttleia was turned more towards trade with tha-soldiers than the cultivating of the soil. It abuts upon the large Punui river. It has excellent soi', admirably adapted for the yrowrh of all farm crops. It i* now but sparsely settled, but this will not always be no, for in time it will attract a large population. The settlement is- near theboundary of the connVated Waikato laxuL

Ngarvawahm Is the name of the Maori settlement, which existed in. former times at the junction of the Waipa aad Waikato rivert [t is now called " Newcastle," but this name is only used in connection with Crown Grants or other official documents It wa« hero the Maori Kinjj Pr>tatiu was buried. The to>vtnhip is mist advantageously situated for centralizing t'jo who'e of the trade of the Upper Wukato disbuct, commanding, asitdifi, the tnlfi.; of the ues'iern and eastern bianohesof the Wukato Uiver. In former times a \lao i Press was established here, in -vhich we: c published seditious and treasoaable articles, s'irrins; np in the native tnind hostility to their European neighbou*-? Now the Press is established once more in Ngaruawa'.ua by Mr O. .lones, who has issued the Waikato Times, a tif-weekly paper, devoted to the interests of the Waikato settlements generally. It is a creditable publication and will doubtless advance, with good management, with the ever increasing impor ance and wealth of the Waikato settlements. Ngaruawahia is admirably situated for commerce and defence, and at tome future day it will be » wealthy and important inland town.

Ohaupo. A few miles down the river from Cambridge, and westward of the river about four miles, is situated the military settlement Ohaupo. Its residents from the Gvut were,, and still are, chiefly Germans The land is good and the people are plodding and industrious. Throughout the changing fortunes of the Waikato these people have stuck to the soil, and are more comfortable to-day than had they been as much given to wandering as some of their British com-panions-in-arms were. The settlement is steadily increasing in population and extent of cultured land.

JRaicgia-whia. Adjoining To Awarautu, and immediately foiith of the Great Mona Tua Tua swamp, which contain! some 20,000' acre*, is situated the Rangiawhia district. It fornif part of the same rich yoloanio table land as Te Awainutu. does. Thero were situated the chief Maori cultivations that supplied food to the rebels during the Waikato war. Whentin's district was taken possession of the Maoris had some 900 acres sown with potatoes, and for weeks after our soldiers pitched their tonUupon the Rangiawhia plains, they dug up potatoen from the ground within their tents. There was food in abundance ; and the seizure of these cultivations bj the British troops gaTe a severe check to the rebellion. The district maintains to this day it* character for high fertilitj||fc and the time cannot be far distant when the produce fromW this district will sensibly diminish our importation of bread- 1 stuffs. The land will grow almost anything that man requires, and as capital is gradually finding its way to the Waikato district, few parts will more richly reward a liberal outlay than R-ngiawahia. For long the settlement was a struggling one, but many of the settlers clung to their allotments, and are now reaping the reward of their perseverance. TheHighway Board of this district if the moat important of all the rural onei in the province.

TVAXAV I* a, fine agricultural district on the Watksto riyer, be* tween Eait Pukekohe and Mercer.

VVIIATAWHATA. Ascending the W&ipa or western branch of the Waiiato* the first of the military settlements that were laid off and peopled from the teveral Waikato Militia regiment*, is Wlfatawhata. It is some ten or twelve miles above Ngaruawahta. A township and suburban allotments were laid off. The land it of very superior quality, but the settlement haa not thriven as some of the other military settlements hire, and it has now almost ceased to exiat as a separate settlement. The land here will yet be in requisition and bring handsome pricei when the wide district of the Waikato becomes more thickly populated. Printed and published by Reed »nd Brett, Evening Star office, Wyndham- street, Auckland. Price la.

Thb Flavour or Buttbh. — The German Agriculturist •ays that a great portion of the fine flavour of fresh butter i» destroyed by the usual mode of washing, and he recommend* a thorough kneading for the butter milk, and a subsequent pressing in a, linen cloth." Butter thus prepared is preeminent for its sweetness of taste and flavour, qualities which are retained for % lone time. To improve manufactured butter, we are advised by the same authoritj to work it thoroughly with frftth cold mUk, and then to w asli it in clear water; afejd it is Raid that even old rancid bultcr may be rendered palatable by w ashing it in water to which » few drops o£ & wLutioa of chloride oi'luno i»%v# hteqwided.