BEAUTIFUL MOUNT VERNON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 16

BEAUTIFUL MOUNT VERNON.

THE RESULT OF SIXTY YEARS OF EFFORT. '•ROiNEYS BRED TO" TYPE. - ' AMONGST CHAMPION CLYDESDALES.'

Beautiful Mount Vernon —a better situated homestead and gardens than .this, .the property of Mr. J. W. Harding, would be hard to find. Tho residence, a hiindsomo.-. white-painted two-storied building, is one of the landmarks of Southern Hawko's Bay; it lies about a milo west of. the town of Waipukurau, and on an eminence in tho shadows of; tho hills,;'arid amidst, well-, terraced lawns;' 1 ., ornamental : treesi'.conservatorieij ' artificial : mirrored ferneries,' and gardens,i and overlooks a panoramic viow of Hatnma ' Lake peeping through tho trees and miles arid miles < of country dotted in every direction with the plantations introduced into, tho district so many years ago ■ by tho late Mr. Henry Russell. • Twentyeight acres of . well-laid-out; gardens and . shrubberies, , surround Mount ~.Vernon, . some . of '~ tho ( " .trees— elms, poplars, ' and;'.' others'—being over half a century old. ; Flanking tho' residence are-threo or four acres of land planted in native: trees, such as totaras, l-imus, ratas, nikaus, tauis, treo ferns, and others, - which fringe an artificial lako surfaced with water lilies, and over which spans a rustic bridge. .Hound in tho vicinity are terraces of bedded flowers, rows of palms, and a .rosery, such as 9.110 .might see in Rotorua, lead-.

four-acro . orchard filled with apple, pear, and peach trees, and some magnificent cherry, trees in largo cages to protect the fruit from birds. Tho foregoing description l cannot but bo inadequate in attempting to describe Mount Vernon, but of its beauty there can be lio two. opinions. And fifty odd years ago the place was a scrub, with fern .six feet high,, in the midst of .which on 1 one, 'occasion .Mrs! John . .Harding lost herself a . few.; hundred 'yards from tho raupo .whare, which constituted the first homestead at Mt. Vernon'. The. homestead was given its name by Mr.. John Harding, owing to the . admiration lie-had for the Father of American Liberty, George Washington. . ' ' Early Struggles. : , . Though thej'c is ,a sameness in ..tlie early life struggles of our first pioneers, tho stories-of their' efforts shoiild be doubly interesting to our present' and coming generations in setting a standard, so that in our time- and in the future those living may know that tho task of development in a country can only bo properly attained by industry and hard work. It may not all he physical. labour, for. there is much thought and planning required,;, but until ho has borne the heat and burden of thcrday,—Nature never "intended-man-to bo slothful and idle. In America there is a saying that often after the. first millionaire,: his third generation is back again to shirt sleeves—Nature's 'revengo because there.was a screw loose somewhere. ~ The/late Mr. John Harding, grandfather of tho present owner of Mount Vernon, was born in Southampton, Hampshire. Ho arrived in New Zealand in the year 1842, in the ship Burmali, and after fifty-seven years of strenuous colonial life died in 1899. He was one of the first settlers to take up land in Southern Hawke's Bay, following very soon after Messrs. Purvis and H. R. Russell,, and being followed m his turn by Captain Newman and Messrs. D. Gollan,\J. Evison, J. Main, G. AVinlove, J. Evans, J. Sharpin, Peter Gow(called tho-Father of Waipukurau), H. Roberts,. A.- Jones,'J. Palmer, and others. ;'lt was ; in:ißs3 that JohmHardmg took, up-^th^.;'Mount. Vernon property, and: he arrived thero'some three years later with his, wife and family'of nine children—five boys and four girls Tho journey from Wellington' to. Nttpier occupied,, seven days in a schooner. • It is interesting to note that; tlje party"camoby c.-inoe froni the Western Spit over tho swamp,... - which' has . sincc ■: been' reclaimed, ..and is now known 'as Napier South.. Two canoes carried the. voyagers, and Olivo was reached "at.tho'e'nd of 'the' first day's sail, - by way. of the Waitangi and Ngaruroro Rivers. - In those, days these two streams with tho Tuki Tuki all emptied themselves out of the same mouth.' The travellers, got horses at Clive, tho ' children being swung on panniers, and they traversed tho Tuki Tuki as far as Tamumu ten miles from Waipawa. This con-

;ing to the smoothest of tennis grounds. Near by is a mirrored fernery, which brings to mind recollections of Monto Cristo and his grotto. Imagine a room with a roof- and .hangings to resemble, the gnarled coverings of trees, and with lascado partitions dividing the. placo into little nooks, from which peep out .ornamental trees and flowers of every description. From tho roof plunges a cascade of spring water into a gnarledlooking ' fountain, while interspersed with tho palms and flowers oil tho walls aro "mirrors, from whoso reflections one is presented with a< vista-of Arcadia, extending to an apparently interminable length. Then there aro hothouses, where , - ono may pluck luscious grapes from December to April, and gathci\ + he ripest of cucumbers and tomatoes, fro.M September to May. ' Ono .poplar in tho gardens, a. majesticlooking tree,, was planted in 1857; a .pine, Which 1 rears its . branches sixty feet up, -was carried in-a'small pot and on'horseback from Wellington by Mr. John Harding, who founded tho estate in 1853. In' -front of tho residence and amongst tho beautifully-kept lawns aild terraces, and protected by tho bigger trees', are such .flowers as spico plant, grarilia robusta, tulips, 'clenna stilis, clematis, Judas trees, rhododendrons,, azoleas, oleanders,' pomegranates, and bay trees, while in the rear of'the house is' a splendid

stituted the second day's journey. The third day they came across to Mount Vernon. The routes to Wellington in tlioso days, apart from tho one, already mentioned, were by way of I'orangahau to Castlepoint,- and then down through the AVairarapa; or to Oringi, then over the Ruahine Range to Pohangina by a Maori track, and then via Foxton. A journey over this latter route is described in another column from an interesting record of incidents left by Mr. Rechab Harding, eldest son of Mn John. Harding, and father of Mr. J'. AV. Harding.One can glean interesting fragments of the early history of these pioneers. The, first house was the old raupo wharc of two rooms and a slab chimney. Tho first plough was brought per canoe from Napier in 1857. It was left on the bank of tho Tuki Tuki the night of its arrival near Mount A r ernon, when a fresh came and washed it away. There were no carts, and ■ no sledges and. the few bales of wool were rolled a quarter of a mile down the paddocks to canoes, where they wero taken five at a time on end per river and swamp to Napier. Tho first sheep, by the way, which came to Mount Arernon were merinos, purchased from a Mr. Cox, of Tasmania, in 1853. - Seven hundred of them were bought at fourteen shillings each. They were landed in Wellington and driven •overland to AVaipukuran via Castlepoint and Porangah.au,- and one hundred of them were lost crossing the Rirau■taka Mountains. Tho March of Progress. In the early days bullock' drays were; the only means of conveyance, 'and the family used to ride to church in one. of thonv -to hear the, sermons of tho Presbyterian minister, tho Rev. Shepherd. That was fully forty-five years ago, but such is the whirligig of timo that nowadays the Harding family think less of the forty-odd-mile ride to Napier than did'their strenuous forbears that rough bullock ride- to the Waipukurau Church. . Although the Native troubles never touched that portion of Ha.wke's Bay, there were at times possibilities of war, and a stockado was built about seven miles from Mount Arernon and close to the village of Ruataniwlia. The building, wliich was of totara, wis very complete,, and included a very deep weil for , water-procuring purposes. Years after the bridges oil Mount Vernon wero constructed from its timbers, and are in evidence to this day. There was a Maori pa at Mount A'ernon, and also pas at Mataweka, and at AA 7 aipawa.".The second house occupied by the Harding family comprised ten. rooms. It' was built of hand-sawn timber, and timber and nails were, so scarce that packing-cases were requisitioned for lining purposes, and. every nail, from the boxes was sedulously '.\rithdrawn for building purposes. This hous6 was pulled down.about twenty-four., years ago. The present building, is 'most inodern, with -fine large rooms, handsomely furnished, and a spacious hall,, well hung with oil paintings. . The estate at one time reached an area of 15,656 acres, but in 1905 all. but-2000 acres were y taken by the Government for closer settlement purposes!' and it now carries about 4000 sheep. Tho Hardings :. have always , been stock-breeders; John Hardiiig had an entry of sheep!for the first.show held at Havelock,, and. regret • was expressed

cloud. Meat freezing had not been', then introduced, ■ and their' ' excellent mothering qualities for fat lamb purposes were unknown. No doubt the jjoinney of thirty years or more ago could not in any way compare with the animal of to-day, but there is no doubt, that lie was unfairly ostracised. Mr. Rqchab Harding, however, was always a'firm believer in the futuro of the ' Eoinney, and that at a time when tlio breed had few champions. The, proud position' which Romneys hold to-day would assuredly prove.gratifying to him;.;. \ had ho lived to sec tlio successful cidiV • mination of his belief. The flock has therefore been in the Harding family . for three generations. Mr. J. Hardin"' founded it; but it was bred up to its present state, of perfection b/ Mr. Rechab Harding. In 1907 the present owner purchased three rams and 3 ewes in England.: The rams included" the great ram ' Kelvin, purchased from Mr. Arthur Finn, of Lydd, Kent. This ram was a typical specimen of the breed, and bred Tight on tho Romney Marslr itself. He has left his stamp on' his progeny, two ' notable points being the coal-black noses and the hard black feet. - Rams from Mount Vernon are senl , annually to all parts 'of tha "' Dominion; and frApiently 'to ; Aus- r tralia, South Africa, and to the.'. Argentins. Mr. Harding is-' a be-,Y. : liever in a close-typed wool,, more so " than many breeders, and farmers had ' ' come to look for that - particular type . ; of sheep at .Mount, Tcrbon.". The system „ y of course is based upon soil arid breed- . ing,. and, first made a point'of by Mr.-' l\-?chab Harding,, lias'been continued: bj ' his son to 'this-day. '>J . ■ ;■ . . Mount Vernon Draughts, The Mount Vernoii draught horsa stud, now practically champion of tha : ' North, Island, was four.de(l by Mr. • J. W. Harding , (present owner) :, in 1898. His first horse "was a. Crown Prince, named Wallace.. Several well-bred mares were brought up from: Otago. In 1902, Mr. Harding pur- . chased Lord Lyon from the-well-known Taieri breeder, the late Mr'. Robert"'.,"' Charters. Lord Lyon was -one of tha.' ' most famous horses this pountry has ever seen. By Lord- Salisbury ; (imported), his dam being/ Myrtle, ' by;' Prince of Wales (imported),' lie was dc-: ? scended from twb.of the most; famous '• families, of Clydesdales or the-last, cen- '.. v tury, and it is not to bo wondered at f ; that Lord Lyon had an unbeaten.-re-cord.. In 1906 the Mount Veriiop.'^tud... was added' to by. .-Baron Graceful, 'an-..;.--., imported horse who has) had one of. tha; best show careers .in-,tho Dominion.' 1 He was cliampion.at the 1905 Otago stallion. : parade, and in a big class of the best _ . horses produced in the; South Island.' Now, although eleven years of age,..ha is still carrying off all champion, honours. He was • champion at the Hawke's Bay shows of 1909-10, at Mas- ' terton 1910, and champion also last,:.. November .at AVanganui,: when he beat ;.!.;■ the great imported horse Royal- , Treasure, who had been, awarded, .tliev,:. championship at I Wanganui,- . 'the; ' previous .year. Baron Graceful hsis' also ..taken numerous other prizes ''.iii'. I' Scotland' and New, Zealand.. Other .. valuable additions' to the stud in 1906' ' were'the.twp- great! show,mares, Queen; • 1 Agg and.. Kate ::o'Shanc;.. These- \verei ; -: purchased in Otago. ;Queen Agg ! ias'iA' had a brilliant; show-ring 'career. ! -Shav .i

in .the newspapers of the day that they did not put- in an appearance. (Pos'sibly the . canoe overturned.) John Harding was keenly ■ interested in draught horses in addition to; sheep. Ho was ah exhibitor at ":he first show* held'at -AVaipukur'au, promoted by Mr. H. Russell, and Mr. Recliab Harding was. a constant exhibitor of stock at tlie principal shows from 1876-to" tho time of his death' in 1897. He was ari ardent Rbmhey breeder, and his. son, Mr. Walden Harding, has followed in his footsteps in this respect, .while he has also strenuously taken up draught horse breeding, and with such success that ho is now one of the best-, known not only in New Zealand but in Australasia: • - Mount Vernon Romnoys. ' ■ Tho Mount. Vernon Romney Marsh sheep date back to 1876, tho progenitors being 'rams from Mr. Alfred Ludlam's Hutt flock, and ewes from the stud of Mr. Boys, Raiigiora, Canterbury.' Rams wero afterwards purchased from the late Dr. Webster, the Hon. Mattliew Holmes, and other well-known breeders; For many years Romneys were uniler a

lias, won six championships, KWent-een first prizes, two. second prizes, and is still a prolific prize-winner. ■ Kate O'Shaiio also has had a fine record in the show-ring. Efer.. list includes : five, championships, eighteen first, and. nine second prizes. Most of . the.'. second prizes-were earned through bein'g '"up against".'-her stable mate.'. These records included prizes won" at>Christ-, church'and Dunedinj and it undoubtedlji proves that the marcs are two>of the finest', in the ,l)ominion../ Lately there lias been, a great fun oh Baron Graced fill's stock for Australia, and .-.at...the present , timo. all thb'colts except .the yearlings have been :sold.\. In' the: course of a few months, Mr;. Harding intends to-further strengthen the Mount VerI lion stud by the purchase' of a ClydesI i'ale" in. Scotland, of great bone, aud i substance as • well' as quality, owing ■to rtlie fact, ho saysi that ■ there -'is :» [ tendency for' t he.Clydesdales -to get; lighter out in Neiv Zealand.' It can very easily be seen that with the splendid stock which Mr. Harding iB breeding from, draught horse stock in the North Island is well on -the up grade.