VISIT OP A WAIKATO FARMER

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5490, 1 April 1910, Page 2

VISIT OP A WAIKATO FARMER

Mr E. 0. Hanks, one of the leading 1 settlers of Matamato, has been spftd* ing a couple of weeks in the BajK*/ Plenty. He drove over the Kajiai in a gig and since then has bcanM guest of Mv Kingsbury (Otutuoetst)..Messrs D. Wilson ar>d W, HsiTtY (Te Puke), Mr Pinker iltketo), Messrs Wutcraton and E. Smith ( Whakntane), and Mr Tout ( ftneatoaj. Mr Banks expressed himself to^a. Times representative as being agree* ably sn i prised at the quality of tbt soil throughout, the Bay of Plenty, aud thinks that the . land- ia toe Opouriao Valley is equal to the belt land round o hristchurch, with the adr vantage of climate in favour of. Opouriao. He believes there ia t gratt future for thd swamps on this coast, and is surprised that dredges are not? now at work making the main drains^ He expects that when all these swamp* are down in grass the area from Taa»*. ranga to Whakatane will Uke rank M " one of the best dairying districts i» New Zealand. Mr Banks is tfc*. largest milk supplier at Meant Anbury's creamery at Matamata. 11ft.miik of 1600 cows is supplied to tab • creamery by 35 dairymen, Mr Basks. milking 105 Suppliers at the ereaoHfJ two years ago received 1 Id perlbfortheir butter- fat; last year 10|d wm paid, and this year Mr Banks (who, by the . way, is secretary for the Mataottt dairy farmers) considers that the friea will be about lUd per Ib. Be is* great believer in the Hobtein, uA iiopes eventually to have only cowi ol this breed in his herd. Mr Banks has given a good deal of attention to the anaatiafaetor/ state of the pig market ton yet* aud 200 pigs, weighing betwiM 60 and lOOlbs, have been seat alifl from the Matamata dutrict, to thi Auckland Freezing Worka to be k»W and sent Home on the owner*! N* count, to test the Home market witk a view to opening up trade. Mrßaaka will later furnish the reenlt of tUi experiment to th® Bay of Plenty TiMM. fc'peaking of the Kaimai road Hi Banks says that repairs are btd^f needed on the Tauranga* aide of w range. The bridges for which not*J has been voted, are urgently rewind, and when built a coach could lie !■■/ from Tan ranga to Matamats, lea^Bf Tauranga at 6 a.m., and. eosaenttf with the express at Matamata at tf noon, thus enabling paßsengera *| reach Auckland within 12 hottW oi leaving J'auranga. . In answer to a question Iff Brno says that Mr F. koche (fonßerifef Tauranga) is now living atjlataaiatii and runs a livery stable there, <* tfcai travellers can always count on meeti*! a genial businessman when they «•!. on Mr Eoche. >