ON THE WAIOURU PLAINS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 805, 30 April 1910, Page 8

ON THE WAIOURU PLAINS.

;> ; ; OAT CROP'OF 50 BUSHELS. :;- The 'traveller to' Anckland 'by ' the' •■:■■ Main;■ Trunk' express r will 'have jioticed :;'.-;: tow; after passing, through the bush country in tic Tipper. Raiigitikei, the ■ ':■'• lino suddenly emerges out into clear ' :tussock"land, -'stretching' away, for ■;■■■■, males round-the baso of Mount B.ua- ..'-.- pehu,. and- on -the. .eastern slopes : ." of ".-, \tiat:'mountain; running', almost up to - ; - : the'. shores of Lake Taupo, some fifty • '"■•■ miles distant'. Immediately 6n>'getting Btofthe open country the traveller is in.Messrs.. K.' \\'.- 'Chapman --'and-'.Sons" : big Waioiiru-sheep station, Mr. Chap- "' man- is>-at present in the city,.and in ■ : tho course of conversation yesterday he -.-.■; stated that his property was; carrying ;-'v a: sheep, to'.three acres all tho .year ■■'.■.. round.'. .The country was hot as good as ."■ .it Jooked'from the train. ...Up.in/tho ■':• district around Ruapehu olio does not talk of how many, sheep to an acre, but . »f how-many-acres, to a sheep—a dis- : tinction.:with,a. dilference. The sheep : 'v has to travel, for his, dinner iri' the ■■'.''• : ; mountainous country, and on one big .-'property of about-40,000 acres, which, . however,' is .hot as fully stocked as; it. \"-\: might'be, there are. no more than'sooo .'■_'' 6heep.:>e .;■'-'" ■■■■ -.-';..' ''-,-:' •Mr, Chapman's-neighbour, Mr. puncan,, who- is on a.portion of the old .'.''■'■. Karioi estate;' tliis!'.seasoii put in ;atout "■/' 300-acres of turnips,'and the crop.has - , done" remarkably well; This "is the first time that any"considerable.area.of tur- / nips:'has: been put down in tho'tussock ''..'■ country,.'which a. few . years ago : was almost worthless., Mr. Duncan : is.,stated!to' have used about two hun-dred-weight, of ■: manure., (superphosphate Bhd;bohedust) to the acre.; • Mr. Gliap- ■,. man also put' in- somo turnips, which :. have-doho equally well. ,V 'Much/:more : surprising, however, is tho result of Mr.' Chapman's' first oat crop,'also sown this season. Mr. Chapman ploughed a patch of 250 acres, and ■-■'.'•/ op this' h'e : obtained a splendid crop of Don oats,; the straw in .some .cases .'.'■■'■' reaching.a.height of fully, six- feet. Tho "'-. ' crop was not-.threshed; but.: Mr. Chap- '.; man says he estimates.:that .it would: ■'.-' have J gohe.at ; so .or 60. bushels to the sere right' through. Tho-only, bother. - with' the crop- was .that it. had too much' .-' ■■/.-. straw:. manure of. any 'sort ■ watf' - USed^Y^.' ';: i ; ''/': '. '..'.. \ '.':'.' :.'.' : ,,;'..' :'." ■ Some' weeks'• ago a . ap- ' p'eafed in' an;up-country paper, stating : that rabbits: had. obtained a footing on ■'■ "the bleak -Waiouru; Plains,": and -men- ■'■■'■"■ tionihg something about ; 200 rabbits. '■;■■ This "paragraph began to' travel from ■ paper-toipspV, and it-is still on its- •-. journeys: over New Zealand. Unlike the .rolling stone it'began gathering moss, :.-':■ and at: an early: stage "of its. career: tho, ■■■' •: 200,rabbits:grew t0,2000j and may.pos- "': eably have reached the 20,000,'200,000, ■■■: or, 2,ooo,ooo;mark by this.;. As "Mr.. Chapman's property constitutes 'the W.aiouru-Plains,he would like to meet .-■■■•' the the 'paragraph. Wai-. ouru/has not been •-so fortunate' as-to : escape the rabbit-nuisance, but' r the :■. paragraph, Mr.'-.. Chapman ■states, gives \ ail altogether, wrong .view of tho con-' ''-■'■■, ; . dition of thing's.'/It may have' arisen from the fact.that this, season a vig- '. "" orous poisoning campaign : has been conducted with' most successful. ■= re- .';:?•■' suits, -and it is,interesting to note that' .J ■'. hares- as- well-.as-jrabbits have taken readily.to the v poison.,