WHEATGROWING IN EARLY DAYS

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26094, 22 April 1950, Page 5

WHEATGROWING IN EARLY DAYS

Few Implements And Low Prices STONES AND TUSSOCKS TROUBLESOME Two articles in the New Zealand Wheat Review, recently issued tor the seasons 1948 and 1949, appropriately dig back into the past. In one, Mr A. W. Barnett, of Morven, ’ describes from his own recollections and irom information given him by his father, the difficulties faced by wheatgrowers in the early days of Canterbury. The other article is a history of breadmaking in New Zealand, but contains some references to wheatgrowing in the very earliest days of white settlement. “In the earlier days there were in Canterbury large areas suitable for growing wheat for a period, but few farmers had much capital and the supply of implements was very limited,” says Mr Barnett. “The farmers’ stock of implements was, in most cases, limited to plough, harrows, and a poor type of roller. Much of the light ground was easily ploughed, but stones gave much trouble. There were large areas of tussock land, but tussocks were difficult to plough and when the land was harrowed they pulled up and soon blocked the harrows. Heavy land was difficult to work because of , springs, bogs, timber, rushes and flax, j The disc harrow was introduced later, and one of the earliest demonstrations of this implement was given on my father’s farm, at Deep Spring, Leeston. “The sowing of grain was often done by hand on the smaller areas, and with a broadcast sower on larger ones, j Then came the drill which gave a I much better sowing, and also prevented the birds from taking such heavy I toll of the seed. I “The ploughs used were single and double furrow, with handles and had no lift or steering handles. The ploughs had no seat. / “The reaper used was of the side delivery type and all grain was tied by hand. (This type of machine was first used in Canterbury in 1857. —Ed.) It was wonderful how quickly and well good men did their work. Then the reaper and wire binder came (in 1877. —Ed.) As the price unassembled in cases was less than when the machine was bought complete, a number of farmers bought in the case. As they had never seen a reaper, many found it difficult to put the parts together. First Binder “The Woods’ binder, one of the first used to throw some of the sheaves over the fence when opening up a field. All sheaves were tied with wire, the twisting being done by two cogs. I When the twist was finished one cog stopped and cut the wires. When there was talk of using string, the wiseacres knew that it could never be done. The knotter (introduced in 1880. t— Ed.) was a wonderful invention and has not been improved very much since it was invented. It should be noted that the man on the binder had to put the binder part in operation for every sheaf by engaging a clutch. It is not surprising that as he had to attend to horses and fans, some of the sheaves were very large, and some were very small. These were usually called nups, and when farmers were told that a reaper was coming out which would make all the sheaves the same size, they said that it would never be dope until all* crops were grown evenly. “Few of the earlier binders had any extra transport system and all were wider than most gateways, and it was a difficult and ingenious task getting a wide reaper through a narrow gateway. “The earliest threshing was done by, horsepower, using an intermediate (or’ horse-work), as was used for cutting, chaff. Then portable steam engines were introduced with combine and elevator as separate units. Few people can imagine’ how difficult it was to move this outfit. Most of the teams in my district were two and three horse, not a great many four horse, and farmers had to help each other when the mill had to be moved to another farm. Messengers were sent to say about when to come and a whistle was used on the engine when the set was nearly finished to call them. Horses that did not work together seldom pulled well when fastened to an engine and few roads were properly formed and shingled and jibbing and bogging were frequent. The setting of the mill, at the stacks, was usually done by man power.

“The men, with the mill, slept in tents and had to carry their food from home. It was a great advance when the traction engine came, and could drag huts; and the men had a cook.

“The feeder of the mill had great trouble when string binders came in, for often a string binder would be worked in the same field with a wire binder, and both sorts of sheaves would be mixed in the stack. One moment the feeder wanted wire cutters, the next he needed a knife.

“Although the threshing was carried on as late as possible into the winter, often some stacks had to be left till the spring. Many were spoiled by rain, and much damage was done by rats and mice. Some farmers were fortunate in being able to get good British thatchers. It was a good sight to see the well-built stacks neatly thatched. “The value of oats was about Is per bushel and wheat often as low as 2s. The marketing was in the hands of many merchants, many being local men of limited means, and it was disheartening to farmers, after waiting many months, to find that there was no money available. Most of the grain was shipped to England and it took months to go. Nor’-westers Worse “I think that nor’-westers were worse in the earlier days than now, and at times much grain was lost. The farmers worked long hours. “There were brave men and women in those days, they had great faith in the future, worked hard and in most cases gladly helped neighbours. It is a pity that prices were so low, and some seasons so unfavourable that a number failed.” The article on breadmaking says:— “The Maoris made an early attempt at growing wheat from seed which the Chief Ruatara, on a visit to New South Wales, had obtained from Samuel Marsden. However, with the exception of Ruatara who had seen wheat milled in New South Wales, they expected to harvest an underground crop, as with kumara, and they lost interest in wheat when they were disappointed in this expectation. Later, after they had learned the use of wheat from the missionaries they grew it very successfully, e.g., in the Waipu district. The first wheat grown as a crop was almost certainly from seed brought by Samuel Marsden from New South Wales. He arrived in New Zealand by the brig Active (Captain Thomas Hansen), on December 19. 1814. “Early in 1815 William Hall, one of the missionaries who came over with Marsden, erected a steel mill for the purpose of grinding grain. The grain in this case must, obviously, have been brought over with them. “During the latter part or 1815 Hall shifted to Waitangi, and writing on January 12, 1816, stated: ‘We have two small crops of wheat, one of which we have already cut.’ "By 1840, with the start of organised immigration, the various groups of settlers started at once to grow wheat and to mill it, sometimes on hand mills, but also, at a very early date, by means of watermills and windmills. Wheat growing developed close to the new settlements as there were no roads by which to transport bulky goods from a distance.”