IN THREE YEARS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 17

IN THREE YEARS.

BUSH CLEARING TO A SMILING FARM. ' VISIT TO OTANQA. "' ' MR. L. RATHBONE'S PROPERTYIt is'a fortunate thing for . the- second, era of land'.settlement in New" 'Zealand that many of'tho'young iiielr who . are taking up the task-.of- traus;forming the half-baked buslr'-section's., into a proper form of civilisation are endowed ' with'a fair of 1 capital. ':'.'On what has,~b'een, very ,]ieavy, ,bush sections, the work, of clearing, tho iland and keeping tho kettle boiling; at tho samo timo is ono of considerable expense. In 'many instances, there-, 'fore,' tlie transformation is of . a necessarily slow '.natures, and a district , is. thrice, blessed-if it has as pioneers, men :who are so confident ■ of- the- future'-of-' .tlio plaoe as.to.he..willing to makojcom-. paratively large outlays of money in improving iho value 'and quality of jthoir; -.land:. 'By ."this .procedure, !ho't, r on)y ci'eate trade; .iii'.,their'; district',', /but .they are ! '-alsp; -inc'roasing- tlib.vajiio jof, -their . liqiglibbii'rs' dand. side., by • sid& jWitli ;that of,-their, ownj.i.-.wliilo 'every Ipound 'of grass-sced-.sown ' aud bvery jchaiiv' of fcnciiig^erected,' 1 ' is .-enriching' '.values in'tho: immediate' town'., lii,this' way,;'capital : begets' labour,' 'and labour procreative .industry,aijd-.-when: all,'co-" 'operate .thb'result. is-general-prosperity'-and contentedness. ■■~', ■-' ; An' Example. • - • :example.of.the ifo'regoing -.is' seen ,iii .the whieli - is,; ; now 1 p'rpceedi'ng • oil' tlio J; Otaiiga: Estate -'Opf 'some" 2000 .'acres, - qwiiqd "(by. . 'Jir/".LJ.' <of - the , ! 'iate. "'Abbotsford" owner, .Mr.- - W r ': '■ Rath-'-;bone. 'The''property- is ■ situated about' .foiir"miles ;iiorth'' 6f 'Dannevirkc,,'near' ■Piripii'i; on .tlie''Woliirigtbn-Napier . rail-.' .way. line, and fbrmw'ly.;'cbmprised''6ooo, .acres'-of land."' About '-i!X)0 .'acres'wero' acquired by 1 tlio.; Government' for , sub-'. Idiyision purposes ldaViiig'' in' th6',c'ent're jtW-SOSO-acro "block' which" retained 'tlio name of Otanga,' and' ii'hich was■'taken' 'over by '-Mr.-'Ratlibpnojsiiiiply 'in .' a -ring'fenced state. , This was; in 190/. Fully 900" acres- we're', in 'busli.' ."In'' the lH&t' -threo - years,--Mr. -Rathbone:' -has spent- over -£8000 -an 'unkempt wilderness,-- and no .doubt 'lio will liavo -to' spend niiicii. mqre>'money before he is satisfied: with' his .iprojectV. : ' ■ . Good Undulating- Land, i " ; ; ; The Otanga,land*isnm'du.latingy;;'orig-: ihally it .was 'soil with,a gravel. ,It.:'do'es:not' liold 'tho rain, and raiii, falls veryOpleii-;. tifiilly in 'Danneyirke; ;and its -.'.earth wi11... grow- au • excellent. English pasture, .-which' .will .hold splendidly, -, No,doubt, in -the future .Jlr,. Rathbone will be repaid ill; a measure'.for ;his; outlay, but at present, his experimental work is being watched with extreme interest, and the result is likely to .be of much value to the Dannevirko district from a settlement point of view. How it Is Dona. : The manner in .which Mr. Rathbono has gono to work is interesting. There was no road at the timo . leading to tho section; in fact thero was no road for twelve months after ho had taken over the property, and everything had to- bo "packed" ' in. Ilc-was enabled, however, to get his timber thrown off from, tho railway about a milo- from tho place, and this helped him considerably. Bush-felling contracts were commenced, while sites for. buildings * were being stumped, and- it was some satisfaction foV Mr. Rathbone to know- that ho liad his buildings ill course of erection, and tho fencing oil its way within two months after he had taken oyer tho property. - ' Thß Nsvj Buildings. When finished the buildings comprised a manager's cottage, stable, trapshed, and outhouses, and woolshed, and vards, hay-loft and other buildings. Although there was lio regular vehicular track road, Mr. Rathbone decidcd. to havo telephone communication estabJished at once, and this lie did, paying half the cost himself of laying the line. 'The wool-shed has five Wplscley stands driven by a llornsby-Ackroyd engine, and thero' is accommodation' in the eight pens'for 300 sheep. The sheep and battle vards »rA' very commodious.

Complete, arid substantial. They arc , fitted with concrete sheep-dip, arid ' a foot-rot trough,' and-" their very 'extensive area-gives a' good . finish "to the' appearance of the woolshed. ■ ' Building .the. Plantations. While, tile ; building . was in progress,, ..Mr. Rathbone,' following /iii " fpoW .steps of his .father, ,Mr. "\V. Rathbone, °f ;"Abbbtsford,".. Waipawa, .determined ■that'thc..place'.should bo 'studded with .These, were, .planted-! oii .every, hill,. ajid ■•iii every;.', watercourse, and also in close proximity, to the. main buildings for protection purposes. • Tho. frees planted aro pinus muricata,, .bluegums, and acacia. - Mr. Rathbone has V preference for these trees becauso .they are'tho .(luibljcst. grpiving,/ivhilo the bloom. of. the'.' acacia.',is .very, pretty. It was a notable fact, said the. owner .of Otaiiga, that.'.fir'o could., not.' kill acacia. It . would burn the tree down the. roots .would; spring.;,up-again slid grow as well, or even better,"than.ever. It may be .mentioned ■ that tho ,1908' fire, was a; severe trial to tho ;placo at, the time, but it- helped to 'clear, the : .place,up splendidly, and. prow cd eventually -to 1 have been* of incalculable ivortli." In the eoiirso of a few years,' the plantations of Otanga will .no doubt add considerably, to the. place and; th'o district. , , ,v. ,/ 'Other Improvements. There .are . various springs about the rfarm-.and taking advantage.of Nature's lliborality m:, ; t'his . respcot ; Mr: ' Rath;bone'has them, opened up—five in'all. jl/ho paddocks' are thus -well, supplied .jwith water, , One of the springs which {Has been connected with .tho manager's jcottage lias a ,300-gallon flow . every [twenty-four hours. Other improveiments included/stock tracks- and sheep 'bridges. . These, latter, which • number | .about sixty, ..have been placcd' practically across all- watcr-cburses, so. that .when mustering in w : et .weather,, sheep pay cross in safety over tlie streams bogs in tho gullies,;, Somo of tljeso bridges cost as much as £15oach, but they aro only further evidence of the desire'.to make' the, place a thorough !and well-kept farm,..' Otdnga to-day "is .divided' into fourteen main, .'.'and' seven •smaller, paddocks!. It is', sown' , with .only -rye and clover seeds, .no cocksfoot b'eing'required. Tho'paddocks are'numbered on the respective liematile painted gates, while the smaller sub-divi-jsions aro marked alphabetically; This appears to be' a-simple and businesslike way of keeping a tally on all'stock •for'.depasturing purposes/while it is jrery. effective for' book-keeping , pur-, poses.' 1 Fences are. seven-wired aiid .sheep and cattle-proof, the'style being post and batten—;an improvement on the-old fixed post system. Tlioro aro eighteen miles of fencing on tho.farn}, ! I Before Otanga. was taken over by •Mr. Rathbone ; it had been used as ,d cattle property, but since he lias, had it, ho llas run cattle and sheep. ■'.'With the exception of ewe hogget's to replac'o old ewes the placo is stocked with breeding ewes, and fat lambs. ' Tho breed is tho Romney-Lincoln cross, Mr. Rathbone finds that'on rough bush country the wool'on the pure'Romney will not hold. Fat lambs aro- being bred from half the flock.. Each' year the wool clip "at Otahga is increasing jn weight, although as is natural on. rough bus'lt country only partly cleared, tho results cannot bo expected to be so good as they 'are from sheep stocked on old. and clear plantations. It .was some' 'satisfaction, however, for' "Mr. lvathboiie. to know that last season his clip _cut.'>half a. pound more than- tho clip of"the previous year. The "cattlo running' oil tho place are beef breeds and dairy cattle, the latter being put to the best .stock obtainable and then sold to, the.'dairy .farmers who are flow settling in ' and around Dannevirke in fairly large' 'number's. . Raymati, / where there has been'established a very successful- cheese factory, t 'adjoins lOtauga, • and was formerlyi a,; portion .of '.the old Otanga ■/Estate'.,' ■' ,', , ■ : ' : A Crct'itablo Performance. The evoiution''.of • thti. 1 2000-acre» farm from a; rough, biish cattle '.depasturing' section- to :a' scries of ;well-kept,. well-' grassed . 1 paddocks,. dotted '. over iwith' plantations, 'with : fine/sheep"' flocks; and, herds', of ' cattle',,, ■.well-arranged-,.•' residences' and. outbuildings,' woolshed and yards,v is ..well' adviiiijced , and-. is. ; ,'a. : striking; tribute to 'thfc J zeal/ enterprise and industry' 6f a young. New''Zealand settler'. './ 1 ■. •■■■: - * ... ' Previous, to his . .'coming'.to.. Otanga,' Mr. Rathborio/had ,'..had-.,'considerable farm'-experience-, at Abbotsford., •,; Ho was in.' practical; control,'.of all tho est-' tie, including tlio shorthorns, .was two years. manager "of •Tuyere; '..which';'. lie broko iii, and , then .came . which ho. managed in ■ conjunction : with the stock of other stations. _ .Mr. Rathbone i*. a married j '.a- :tow,n house' in Dahriei;irke,; lie 'is' a.- \i'cc-prcsi-. dent of' th'o.''Danncv'i^ke■'•,A'.''•'an'd , I'-. Association, and takes a great interest in all local government matters and indus-