THE WAIPA LAND.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1538, 13 May 1882, Page 3

T HE WAIPA LAND.

" Fftq'ueffs herbi^s et fertilis übere'cdnpttsL"— „: ' ~"~~ ~ *"" " TO"THE ElSlTOfc." <r *'^ r **^^rSSir,— Will you kindly give me« space for a few words in reference to a note which appeared, in.your issue of the 2nd.inst., and r the strictures made on Mr Fitzpat-* rick's remarks by a " working man," in' last Tuesday's paper. I have some delicacy m approaching the ' Subjects of my own crops, but as the farm is not for sale, and as the largeness or the smallness of my crop is not likely to affect the market price of potatoes it willscarcely be looked upon in the light of a "puff." The padlock in question — an old meadow, and fallowed through last warier— contains some ten acres ; seven and a-half of these were planted with potatoes >j but owing to the wet, weather of last spring, the sets in a large portion of the field rotted, sand fully three acres missed. The remaining four and a-half a^cres yielded sixty-eight" tons or rather over fifteen' tons to the acre. This iff by no means a very extraordinary crop— lo,' 12 an.d 15* tons per acre being the ; - rule, <c.nd always without manure. In the, next "paddock to to the one in question H tons were raised by a former 'Owner from about 7 acres. In regard to the general character of the Waipa land; the most casual observer? will have noticed the peculiar '.'terraced" appearance-6"f' the country in the neighborhood of 'the river, 1 evidently theresult of the action of water ; the higher flat corresponding with, that of the Waikato distriot. The Waipa has, in addition, a lower terrace, denied to the steep-banked Waikato,' and it is from the ricli alluvium of this flat that the large crops— appa-: rently so objectionable to "Working Man "—are raised. Further away from the river, and between it and' the bushcovered range, are \isually to be found low, fern-dad hills. As I had.no. land of this "description" under' cultivation, I determined to use bonedust when laying down some 15 acres last year : a splendid crop of grass, and clovers has been the result. The efficacy of boning'new fern land is admitted by all farmers, and the superiority in nutrition of the grass so obtained is, well known. / Few who know the land^on this side of the" Waipa will, I think, be inclined to deny that it is pecul iarly adapted for producing large crop 3 ,and for carrying large quantities of stock. " Working Man " has paid a jnst tribute to the excellence of the land in the Kauiwhaniwha — it is of precisely the same quality as that of this district.— l am, etc.,,, R. B.ATHBOBNE. Kawakawa, Ngaruawahia.