THE WAIKATO.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 112, 12 May 1888, Page 5

THE WAIKATO.

FARM OPTIRA. TIO NS.—f. H E PHEASANTS .—SWAMP DRAIN. 4.GE.

Our own correspondent, writing from Morriusville 'on Friday, sends the f-Mow-ing notes-:--We are having sp'tandid rain here s.b the present moment, tuud a good deal i'eli during tlie night, whii jSa. Itaati Cad tlie oflecb o£ making the turni]) pttoEdooks look quiSte bright, and will do t bemalot of good. They look well all a rowad. feere, some 300 or 400 ac res .at/j is'iotumaoho. Thrashing is about t( i ewiaimcnco, tenders having been called i' or ifche-' work, and the manager anticipates ? i good yield. Pheasants areas scarce.here £ s anywhere elfcO, ana hares are not so nun lemous as they used to be a few years' ago. The Waitoa reclaimed swamp, property of the Auckland Agricultura.t. AsBoeiution,, logic's well, and the araon.afe .of stock they c i ry speaks well for itself, eoaae 17,000 sheep-and 1,800 head of cattle 1 Jtsiog pastured on. these lands, which, five c r sue years ago*, were nearly all imras. sablfcj swamp. The drainage* of this block of country has been an evident access. i«; spite of the opinions so freely §ypixelsed^at, one time that it would not fof, so. lhe. work has been done systems' Really and scientifically, by which I mean ' Jiat no haphazard work has been done in the way of putting in drains promisco ously wheie* there seemed to be a fall (a^ very commonerror all over the country*, but the whole estate was properly levelled, and the drains taken out to fixed levels ur ider proper engineering supervision. Th' j result speaks for itself, and ought to be a leseon to other large swamp owners Vhc< have for years been spending mone7#(aTid a lot of it, too) recklessly in seeking for 'the propei* outfall, and often, oh how.- oflbffn, finding on ifbe completion of a drain that it wa« in the wrong pla^e, find" work had .£o be done twice over. It is -.a matter of hi*' j tory now that £20,000 has1 been spent in: one swamp aloaia (not the 'Piako swamp) on drainage, tot sGIOO .of 'wfoich is really to the good a^ the presewfc duy, aixl: it is also a Jaot that, before* mafci hZaomib of money was exoandfiii. a level >*jfi\ never been pat over the mstftes oK JSjC ground. Thera.»are threfe gr<asti eassaAiais i

bo the success of swamp draining, viz,, time, money, and scientific management. No amount of money spent will effect the purpose unless the necessary time be given to^ the. water to get away, which is at all times a slow process, and this it is that has surprised so many persons, who, after getting their drains in, found to their disgust that the swamp was apparently as wet as ever, and they have left it in disgust, only to find out, however, that in the course of two or three years the land is dry and their labour has been unexpectedly rewarded. Past experience, has, however, taught its lesson, and nowadays the works are being carried out on systematic principles with naturally successful results.