Gk—lo.

men, who have depending on them between 1,500 to 2,000 dependants. The total sales for the whole of the central district are as follows

Period 1st April, 1936, to 31st March, 1937.

In the short space of five years over 500,000 lb. of butterfat have been produced from the schemes on the Rotorua-Atiamuri Road and for the same period from five sheds on Tikitere approximately 183,400 lb. of fat have been produced. A summary of cash receipts for the central district for the years 1935-36 and 1936-37 are as follows : —

Before tracing in detail the schemes on the Tauranga-Rotorua and Tauranga-Whakatane roads, from Brents Farm to Rotoiti scheme, a brief extract from " Soil Surveys of the North Island " will be helpful in appreciating the nature of the soil in these areas : — " On Waerenga block part of Okere development scheme (north shore of Lake Rotorua), 1,097 acres are classed as rolling and flat country and 595 acres as steep. The soils are derived almost entirely from Kaharoa sub-aerial deposits, the texture of which is that of a gravelly sand. On the eastern corner, Rotomahana coarse sands 3 in. thick overlie the Kaharoa ash at one mile to the west they thin to 2 in. ; and on the western boundary they are J in. to J in' thick. The available iron in the soil is considerably lower than on the Taupo pumice/but the thin coating of Rotomahana ash on Waerenga will have a beneficial effect as far as 'bush sickness is concerned, for on areas where this ash is thick, anaemia in stock does not develop." It should be mentioned here that bush sickness to any marked extent has not been experienced on Okere scheme, due no doubt to the fact that the use of licks and the method adopted in working the sheep and cattle is such that stock on areas inclined to sickness can be changed to healthy land within the property from time to time. Many of the schemes in the area from Brents to Rotoiti are covered with Rotomahana mud, and a description of this by the same authorities is worth quotation here :— " The areas to be developed on which grey Rotomahana ash forms the soil, contain, in general, a high proportion of steep land. On Taheke nearly two-thirds of the land not covered with bush is classed as steep, on Tikitere one-sixth, on Puketawhero slightly more than half and on Wharenui almost two-thirds.

28

Lambs. Ewes. | Wethers. Brents to Rotoiti .. .. .. 7,693 1,422 4,803 Atiamuri Road .. .. .. .. .. .. j' 575 Maketu and Te Puke .. .. .. 842 300 330 Tauranga .. .. .. .. 1,297 600 Ruatahuna .. .. .. .. 500 577 Tokaanu .. .. .. .. 633 100 100 10,965 2,999 J 6,808 Bullocks. J Beef Cows. Brents to Rotoiti .. .. .. 208 252 Atiamuri Road .. .. .. .. 376 166 Maketu and Te Puke .. .. .. 126 40 Ruatahuna .. . . .. .. .. 100 710 458

1935-36. 1936-37. £ £ ~ Wool .. .. .. .. 5,355 13,232 Sheep .. .. .. .. 14,216 17,206 Cattle .. .. .. .. 12,081 855 Cream .. .. .. .. 11,854 18,559 Crops .. .. .. .. 458 62 Sundries .. .. .. 3,674 2,368 47,638 52,282