THE HARVEST IN THE GREY VALLEY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1736, 26 February 1874, Page 2

THE HARVEST IN THE GREY VALLEY.

. No. 2. — Conclusion. [PHOJM OUR OWN" CORRESPONDENT.]

Continuing the description of the agricultural holdings in the Grey Valley, the one nearest Ahaura after passing through the town is that of Messrs Giluier Bros. , near the cemetery on the Napoleon road. There i 3 here a fine paddock of oats, the first crop upon the land, which is newly fenced in. Close by is the farm of Mr John Rees, formerly he!d by the unfortunate Peter Mulvey, who" spent years of hard work in overcoming the first difflculin connection with it. A few miles further along, and near the junction of the Napoleon and Amuri tracks, are the farms of Messrs Garven, Classen and Matthews, and of the3e Mr Garven's is the most important, both as regards cultivation, crops, and stock. Mr Garven has made a name for the breed and number of his poultry, and also for the excellence of his garden produce. These comprise all the holdings on the open land between the Ahaura River and Orwell Creek, with the exception of a small clearing of Mr James Purkiss, near Riverview, and it is not probable any more clear land will be alianated in the neighborhood. It is the intention of the inhabitants of the whole district to request the Government to reserve all the land on the plain— about 1000 acres — for commonage purposes, and it is probable the reserve will be made. Crossing Orwell Creek and landing on the table land on the northern side of the creek, the first farm is that of Mr George Carter, one of the oldest settlers in the Grey Valley. Mr Carter is largely engaged in the cattle trade between Canterbury and the Grey, and dairy keeping is chiefly attended to at his homstead, although there is a fair display of grain crop this year. Passing through the Totara Bush, the first holding when Totara Flat is reached is that of Mr Henry Gilmer. The oat crop is especially good here, and seeing the great extent of land (nearly 100 acres) under that crop, it must be an extremely valuable one. It is all in, and safely stacked and housed. On the opposite side the road are the farms of Mr H. J. Hughes, and Mr Erskine. The crop on the former is late, and that of Mr Erskine, although it looks promising, is scarcely a3 forward as it was last season. The dairy f aim. of Mr Maurice Doolan extends from the main road, backwards to the old tramway landing on the Grey River, and is remarked alike for the fine quality of its dairy produce and for its potatoes. The yield of the latter crop has always been far above the average here, and the produce has from the beginning commanded a leading price at every market in the Valley. A nice piece of pasture land, of about 50 acre 3, belonging to Mr James M'Langhlin, adjoins Doolan's, and the crop from it this season seems to be a " neat little wisp " of good sweet English hay. Mr Robert Alcorn's property joins the last. The oat crop is good here, especially in the land near the river, and as the owner of the holding, largely combines the business of cattle-dealing and slaughtering with that of farming, great attention is paid to the production of grass. Mr Alcorn has a large quantity of good grazing land, produced from sowing imported grass among the native stock, and the mixture seems to be very suitable. Next is the farm of Messrs M'Kinlay Brothers, a fine property in a high state of cultivation. Dairy-keeping is well attended to here also, and the land sown with oats has always produced excellent crops. Messrs M'Kinlay have another piece of land near the ford, at the Little Grey Junction, containing a splendid crop of oats. The plan of laying down clover among the oats is followed to a considerable extent by this firm. Opposite these farms the land is unfenced, and stretches away to the Totara Swamp. This is the onlypatch of unfenced land now left in this part of the Grey Valley within reach of the main road. The late Mr Kynnersley had a piece of about 50 acres here, from which he derived his right as an elector of the Grey district, but it is now the property of Messrs Stewart and Burrows, of Ahaura.- Mr J. D. Pinkerton and Mr Aloorn are the proprietors of most of the remaining portion of this block. Mr W. Thurogood and Mr James Marshall hold all the ground between the unfenced portion and the Half-Ounce road. The land begins to get atony and poor about here, although the crops on the back portion of Mr Thurogood's holding have always been up to the average. Opposite Mr Marshall's, the lands of Messrs Lardi and John Devery are all laid down in grass, and this is also the mode adopted by Mr John Doolen on the Duffer Creek side of the flat, who is entirely engaged at dairy work. Mr M. Savage has a fine crop of oats and a large quantity of grass laud fully stocked, and this is also the case with Mr R. M'Neill, at Lome Hall farm. '

There are about 100 acre 3of a very fair oat crop here. Mr M'Neill has one of the three reaping machines on Totara, the others being owned by Mr D. Donald and Mr W. Methven. These machines were fully engaged all over the flat this season, and did good service, in preventing any serious loss through the threatened scarcity of labor, wjhich at one time it was feared would entail serious damage. A paddock of about 50 acres of oats, belonging to Mr Methven, on the land adjoining Mr D. Donald and Mr J. Devery's, is considered one of the best crops in the Grey Valley. The crop on the farm of Mr Donald comprises among the rest about 100 acres oats and 60 or 70 acres of prime English grass, some of it for hay. There are also between 200 and 300 acres of inferior land sowa with grass and bush- harrowed, the whole capable of carrying a large quantity of sbock. Proceeding along the road towards the Ikamatua, the farms of Mr P. Kennedy and Mr H. Magill are in fine order, with the crops in prime condition, the oats on portions of the land being considerably above the average of the flat. Across the Grey River the farms of Mr James O'Malley, and lately held by his brother, Mr Austin O'Malley, on the Ikamatna Plains have a fine appearance. The property of the latter was recently sold by auction, the then proprietor being about leaving the country, Mr Alcorn and Mr James O'Malley being the largest purchasers. : Both farms are in fine situations, with plenty of free grass, in the neighborhood. Mr W. Cochraue, Mr J. F. Johnstone, ' and Mr J. Prendergast, are also in this locality, as well as a new settler, Mr E. Coutanche, who is now in possession of the property formerly held by Mr James Fergusson, at Spring Creek, the pioneer of the Ikamatua. The crops on all these farms are mostly gathered, with a fair average yield, the harvest being earlier here than lower down the valley. At the Mawhera Iti station *he crops of Mr Alexander M'Hardy are up to the mark, , as are those of Messrs M'Naughton and s Kenney, between the Snowy and Black- [ water Creeks. The farm of the Messrs Murray, at the junction of the Little [ Grey and AntoDio's Creek, is the last ( cultivation on the Grey side of the/ r dividing range, and with the exception of . the clearing of Mr M. O'Keeffe and Mr Alexander Duncan, at Antonio's Flat aud ; at Maori Gully, is the only one of any im> \ portance in that part of the country. , Returning to the Ikamatua, and crossing • the Little Grey, the farm of Messrs Mirfin ! and Son is situated about one and a half miles to the northward from O'Malley's j Hotel, and here the first attempt has been made at sheep farming in the Grey dis- , trict, on anything like an extensive scale L taken in connection with regular cultivas tion of the land. A bale of wool, the | first exported from the Grey district since | the gold-fields were opened, was forwarded from the farm of Messrs Mirfin a short ' time since. Re-crossing the Grey River, \ the homestead of Mr S. Mackley, of Wai- , puna, completes the number of settlers , with cultivations above five acres in the [ Grey Valley, between the Arnold and the ' Inangahua Saddle. The list numbers 36 , above Ahaura, with a total acreage [ of 2000— of which 1100 are in oats, 800 in , English and other imported grasses, 80 in [ potatoes, and about 20 in peas, Swedes, ; and other kinds of feed. This gives nearly 60 acres as the average of each holding of fenced and cultivated land, and the gross . quantity unfenced, but leased or freehold, and sown with grass and stocked, may be ; set down at 1000 acres. The gross total . . from the Arnold to the Inangahua, cleared, fenced and cultivated, is esti- ; mated at 2750 acres, of which 1250 acres are in oats, which at 1J tons of oaten chaff to an acre give 3 1875 tons— this at atLB per ton comes to L 15,000. The acreage in potatoes is given at 130, and the average yield is reckoned at 5 tons to the acre, which will amount to 650 tons, and this yield at Ll2 per ton will give L7BOO. It will from this be seen that the actual cash value of the crop cut, and yet to be taken down this season, is L 22,800, exclusive of the market value of the hay from English or other grasses, and the turnips, peas, beans, and other descriptions of produce grown for winter feed. The foregoing calculation gives an average value of nearly L3BO among the sixty-one holders of land in the Grey Valley for this year's crop. This result is eminently satisfactory, seeing there is no allowance made for the increased acreage laid down in grass, and the consequent increase in stock. In connection with this it may be mentioned that the mining districts are now supplied with homemade butter, which has nearly driven the imported article out of the market. "1 Again, the farmers are turning their ' attention to other sources of profit besides tilling and cropping the land. Sheep, poultry, and pig rearing, as well as cattle raising, are becoming important aids to regular far mine;, and the culture of bees is making rapid strides. Mr David Donald on Totara, and Mr Warden Whitefoord and Mr John Hamilton at Ahaura, and the late Mr George Muir at Camptown, were among the first to introduce these industrious little insects, and they are spreading in a truly wonderful manner. There is scarcely a farmer now but has one or more hives, while at Mr Donald's as many as fourteen are at full work, and Mr Whitefoord can exhibit nearly as many. The breed of farm stock is also improving, and still greater improvements may be expected as far as regards horse stock, as the result of the introduction of the fine Clydesdale entire horses of Mr Jas. Holmes and Mr Jas. O'Malley, and the thoroughbred stallion of the Messrs Mirfin. The making of the main road through to Reef ton from Greymouth has done an immense amount of good by opening a market at both places where surplus produce can always be disposed of at a price, but a central market some place in the diatirct, held at regular stated intervals, is still a much-felt want. The inauguration of the Grey Valley Agricultural Association has greatly benefited the farming interest by giving it a local habitation and a name outside the district, but to nothing like the extent it could or should have done good, if the members would take a greater practical interest in its welfare. The ploughing matches held under the auspices of the Association have hitherto been successful, and were a feature among the exhibitions and social gatherings of the West Coast, and lastly it is expected that the Cattle Show, or Stock Exhibition, to be held next Christmas, for prizes to be given by the Association, will mark the advent of a still more prosperous condition of affairs and showing a stronger light the great advances already made.