FROM HELENSVILLE TO WAIROA.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 202, 30 August 1887, Page 7

FROM HELENSVILLE TO WAIROA.

m " SBW ZXAUSD FAHMEB."

v&<* of country tetwesn f"^a H*** however ple«». "fiirt, «««* little that is rS! «b. C ov 8 «l clay ™> back " K?2d farmer. Seating Helens■Ei&Sot* more reassuring, and ftSmaukuto theKaipara River, cviM.Cfc wanting that with a system of dT Hnn dSd to the circumstances, f Slid bf more of a success than it iJCb to be-if not advancing by to wd bounds, is making steady head*T The line liefice to Auckland derided Bi inception as traversing a wilderness toeSd in amudhole, has turned out to be the most lucrative line in the colony, and Enitsnorthern terinifius steamerss arrive S depart daily for the Wairoa, the Otamtea and the Oruawharo, carriers of the Lhered commerce of the Kaipara. The food folk of Itelensville have every conideneein the future of the place, and this confidence becomes, assurance when they only ask the possible land buyer f6o an sere for land adjoining the township, and fl2 M ofer for partially reclaimed territory across the river. Always desiring the lint of otto, we wish that they may mtit. Amongst the.local farmers and prdflMrsrtbfr recent drought gave cause kdtanty, and with the exception of potatcei,ve^t&bleß were only a dimly-remem-kred tradition. With such an arid season wetablea could not gi-ow, would not grow, mA fob* induced to grow, and John ChianiJMi with his waterpots was about to bUt th« o!istrict to quell the mutinous mint of cabbage and kail. By all accounts to Celestials bave.had to pay a smart price fcr their leasehold. '

AIiUVIAL FLATS. Btifeftße alluvial flate along the windajcmffie 6f the Kaipara River the land tailtlensville would not invite the cultinkr, Much will be done with the tuty levels over the river at Babylon, tad ti« mud banks and mangrove flats, fco» not tiry nightly deposits of alluvium, have beea drawn upon unsuccessfully as maiiiirt time stiff and poor land has bordered tie stream. On the comfortable tomestatf inhibited by Mr James MeLeod, fliefe fits several instances of what had been done is the way of reducing the flax imttp and the ti-tree flat to cultivable order. MdrG tbttii one class of experience Wto be (Sailed: into play, for tke geological Tariety found within a limited area mM fflr diversity of treatment. Some portions of the flat lay at a higher level tian others j . these had a surface soil, inclined to be dark as if with humus, freely wrking and .with a B'tiffer, yeilow subsoil, tins last mellowing upon exposure. The lower levels, abounding in flax, had been jinaerdrainei. at intervals of a chain with Wree brash drains; the burnt and rotting W tussocks awaited thd harrow to tear ««m te fragments and level them down pwrarasw cultivation. To grub the tvs ™af>andkrn them in heaps was ttowhtmadi-iuable because wasteful; the itm of testable fibre in them, when Ota deeayea, would give a rich mould ; «< this wealth would be lost by burning, and ac residual ashes would be a poor set-off WSWcHloss. Brought well under the rjf m properly drained, flax swamp «a tos not njach to fear from comparison ri? y ot hef *»eription of soil. Where UW had ten fehrousb tbe ti-tr6e rt 7^ ndm K he*> some twelve feet high, £ft^ fl! oWfch had attained a TOM four fetor thereabouts, Mr Medal ""T 86- *° a novel method of 3' T Umg thafc used for dealing Sl^^blandin Victoria and Sttft-4^vy roller. a cfossCST J 0 B^like.areaping machine* mSt ? M rountf a space of 2)ft.^ breaking down the •^SSfi»& bearing down and B™*l *l- The fire being •iatofiS T e bQth- burnt up,.leaving «fi£ri a!f I'^tom up stumptets «* «,„ Wl 1*"1" of Potatoes, ST SouS t^ d *** Obfcain^ fro™ W Si, - treated -' and the S PSei^^^P"^ iavour" •^ Back those of Au^- **» cSwL*" ! ats ' toward« the Stly \*m clay- Near >** ?4 fem ge 'the fend is "aid to fc J! rt1 lty.and working. r w lSdo'lbt^ S due to %^Wh Jfv Bandfrom the > Wv'nlT ICh has the SthftinnJl !\ and is mashing SSB healthy, unaSwBS moraine. By

S^thettT^ roadthafc & » tofolfL I .^^ and the H>St a I*SS,, ! comfortable

turaing up a kindly soil to some six inches depth. Upon similar soil, not the best upon the holding, Mr Drennan had planted potatoes for which bonedust had been applied to the extent of ten cwt. per acre, which we consider too much. The crop turned out seven tons to the acre and sold 41. per ton at the local market, by no means a bad return, and on the year following, without manuring further, a grand crop of maize, grown for grain and sixteen feet high, was gathered m, Sorghum (sugar corn) does very well here, and dairy cattle do exceedingly well on it: this plant, however, is a gross feeder and takes a deal out of the ground. Better land was found on the cabbage tree and light kahikafea swamp land near the river. The coming railway will drain this land, and if it should prove to be drained too much for very dry seasons, irrigation would be easy. Skid roads and wooden tramways led back from the tidewater to the various kauri bushes. One of the skid roads had a steep incline on it, up which several yoke of bullocks—we are afraid to say how many —had to pull the ponderous logs with the help o f a length of hawser and a moveable pulley. With a fixed pulley higher up, the bullocks could have worked much better, pulling downhill and throwing their weight upon the bows. The extra pulley would not have cost much.

Beyond Kaukapakapa, the road crosses a steep ridge and deep gully, running through poor country, thinly settled, till the Makarau i 3 reached, where some good land borders the creek. The waters of the Kaipara are frequently visible to the left, and the mountainous, heavy bush region of Upper Waiwera and Mahurangi bounds the vision to the eastward. As the Arapareira Liver is approached, the country spreads out into broad, moor-like expanses, with occasional raupo swamps that make capital farms when drained. Close by the river is the large and fortunately placed farm of Mr Gardiner, amounting to over three thousand acres. Most of this is good, river-flat land, originally covered with light or mixed bush, ti-tree of twenty feet high predominating upon A good depth of fairly fertile soil. Here may be seen the not too common sight of a sturnpless paddock, smooth and even of sward, enclosed by a closely-trimmed hawthorn hedge, and with shade trees dotted about. There were two sizable Orchards, one of mature age and liberal of fruit, the other a young, succession orchard. A portion of the older orchard was laid out as a nursery for raising young stock to replace old and inferior trees, arid the large kitchen garden was well attended to and prolific. On the other side of the road, which runs through Mr Gardiner's farm, is a large clearing, in which stands the large galvanised iron factory that has replaced the former and smaller wooden erection, lately burned down. A small, creek branching off from the Arapareira runs up to the factory, and serves as a dock for Mr Gardiner's cutter. The factory, devoted to the canning and preserving of meat and fruit, has been furnished with more extended appliances. The good people of the Wairoa, customers of MiGardiner, took a fancy to compressed corned beef in the well-known wedge-shaped tins. Mr Gardiner does not argue the point; he sends to America for the necessary machinery for pressing and packing, and can supply his customers witn the article put up as they desire. The site of the farm was the most desirable met with north of Helensville, there being large stretches of land ready for the plough and worth tho breaking up. With hiß great extent of good and level land, water carriage, and his own enterprise, it will go hard if Mr Gardiner does not succeed. HOTEO. Northward, the country is of the same character as that passed through before reaching Mr Gardiner's, till within about a mile of th© Hoteo, when the heavy tar&ida bush about the base of Mount Auckland is reached ; also the end of the road. Beyond this point, owing to native obstructiveness, there is only a rough bush track, where tjje rider must frequently dismount lest he me6t the fate, of Absalom. This track strikes the Hoteo near its mouth, at the native settle* ment of Poitahi, and crosses mud flats and swampy ground to a good bridge spanning the main channel of the river. Though helped out with fascined causeways over tlae minor channels', the road is iii bad order, and when spring tides arid high floods come together, would be difficult by day and dangerous by night. The valley of the Hoted has a fair margin of good land on either side near the river, with plenty of cattle run on the open land at the.back, whil6 towards the head of the river there is a goodly supply of as fine kauri as can be found in the Korth. Less has been done here in the way of settlement than the district deserves. Descending tto ridge that divides the Hoteo from the Tauhoa, more open land-and that of inferior quality—is encountered. The Tauhoa is tidal at the bridge, and limestone crops out at a little stream hard by. A new road has.been opened to Warkworth from Tauhoa Post Office; it is almost a beeline, has no gradesteeper than one in seventeen, the summit level is low, and tbe total distance is but thirteen miles. The road has been engineered by the settlers themselves. Tho old road, laid out by professional surveyors, is twenty-two miles long ; takes to the top of the ranges, and is very tortuous and rugged. The rule seems to have been, with trie surveyors of old time, that when a precipice was come to the road was to be taken straight up it. From Tauhoa to Port Albert on the Oruawharo the road has received much attention. As a mark of a higher civilisation, finger-posts, with legibly painted inscriptions, are met with, and the homesteads have a comfortable and wellbeing appearance. On the whole, the land is but of moderate quality. Here and there good patches are to be found, but, to counterbalance these, much, poor land abounds.

(To be continued to-morrow. )■