A TRIP TO MARLBOROUGH.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9509, 9 May 1911, Page 6

A TRIP TO MARLBOROUGH.

THE • AGRICULTURAL OUTLOOK,

Mr Frank Perry,:of Fitzherbert, has just returned from, a short health recruit-ing-trip abroflsGook Strait. .-'■' " In-a-short Chat with'a^"Standard",reporter;'' Mr Perry ieaid- there is more cultivation*.and;■preparation I 'for.; cropping iti : -Wairiii v than in thisr' district. They have had more rain ovor there; though the farmers are complaining of the dry season.- "I saw" better raerihoi '"■ over' there," : 6aid Mr Porry, "than for many a long day. Most of the stock were looking very well, but, of course, lorn© were backward. I drove, with a relative, nearly to the borders of Canterbury, far past Tophouso and Waihop'ai, and on the whole tho country is looking well., I thought there was poor, country towfirda the borders of the two provinces? ' So there is. Some of it very stony, and apparently far from, good grazing _ country, but the sheep appear to be doing all right. Of courso, immense areae of it do riot comparo with tho poorest of Mana. watu. It reminds me a good deal of land in parts of Wairarapa, as regards topographical configuration,' stono-covor-ed soil, adjacent mountains, etc From what I could see of the more mountainous parte of the district it would ptko a good few acres to keep a 6heep. These higher elevations are ■ covered with a grass known as danthonia, which appears to do very well, but which, I am glad to say, we haven't got here, we >!o not want it, though I suppose it will come in time. When it grows to about 18 inches or two feet high, over there, thoy set firo to it, and then the young stuff soon comes away and tho sheep cerhinly thrive on it. I saw a number of ploughing teams at work round about Bioniheim.- The soil is looser than ours in Manawatu. I havo been trying to plough at my place, but the isoil is only moist for about a couple of inches down, and then it is as hard as rock'almost. There is somo gold-digging, or digging for gold, where I was, but I havo forgotten tho name of the looality. Somo of the rivers that we crossed run very swiftly, and in several of them there were large deposits of white, quartz, such as I had never seen'before. I returned through Wairarapa, and it is astonishing how well that country is looking. They mu6t have had a hotter season than we have had, as they appear to havo abundance of feed, and tho stock appear to be in splendid condition. In fact, I don't lecollect having seen that district ever having looked hotter at this time of the ypar. How long were you away?

Just three weeks, and I felt all the better for it. I did not stay long in Picton, as there is not much to prove inviting or attractive to the stranger over there. I must confess I did not take to Picton.

Did you see any rabbits across in Marlborough 1 Yto, in the high lands, any number of them. My friend told mo that by poisoning and trapping thoy had warty exterminated them, but I assure" you, they" appbto'fid to. bo a long way from being exterminated, as" far as I. could see. I saw plenty of them, I hope. I shall never sec iis many in this district. Spring Creek was about the best-country I saw, The. soil thereabouts appears uncommonly fertile. Floods?- Oh, I don't think thoy are troubled with floods in Marlborough now. They have built 6ome hugo embankments as protective works, and the inhabitants consider they are pretty safo now'.' Threo banks are a good way back from the river, and are pretty solid structures, which must have cost a lot of money. Tho rivers do not cause tho samo soil erosion as takes place over here. More rain? .Yes, wo want more very badly in our district to get some ploughing done. What rain has fallen has not penetrated any distance, I don't think we've had so much as there has been in the flattor localities. Still, taking it altogether, it has been a wonderful season, ..