WHAREKOHE

Northern Advocate, 17 August 1933, Page 8

WHAREKOHE

•- j ■ V ■ - (From Our Own Correspondent.) The jVhnrekohc.-.Block' has ? celebrated its first birthday. 1 DuringUhe year sixteen of the twenty-two ’ sections have been taken up , and' m.ost, of the settlers are in occupation. ;5,0,. far, the greater part of the settlers * time has been occupied *in establishing,, themselves and milking, has \ not been a serious business. Nearly ...every, section has a house or bach—the , womenfolk say there are , too many.. baches—and cowsheds are springing,up;!’like mushrooms. Several miles of /fencing has boon done, and the,, sections . are taking on the appearance .of 'farms.

Some-, stock has been. carried ;.on each section, but the capacity*,’; of the land has been lowvthe ' first .year. Expectations for next year range fiom a cow to two acres to a , cow, to ten‘acres, according to the temperament V of the settler arid . the variation ‘ in( the sections. The.areas are between 100 and 200 acres, with from! 40 to 00-acrcs in grass each. •. " • Most of the settlers have - had to cope with a. vigorous,, second>• growth of tea-tree on the grasslands,;, some millions of, young - plants', having, been pulled out by hand. No doubt/maiiy of these were seedlings',/but gt, is'.the general opinion that discing only, whilst, giving a reasonably good .seed-bed,* does not kill all the native growth,. The small tea-tree here will -continue* to grow if it has only: one 'leaf left out' of the ground. - 1 .Summing, up the . experience gained in the first year, it seems that patience is the chief virtue required by settlers on gumland. . The: improve iuent iu the pasture'is slow, but none the less, sure. The sheltered places are naturally Showing most Tmprovcmont, and it appears that one' of the first requirements, especially- in the exposed parts; will 'be, trees 'arid ■ still more trees, . -• j■(

■.. Milking will tins season. Most, of ■tUc./settlprs , :l4ave a small herd : l6gellief,';;biit&it'|wi:li be a month or more before ! }all‘ as the growth ofgrass is'-hVot bxpeetod till next month. ‘ * ‘ - ’■> v ■ ;; :- ■■■ v ’ > v A Priend' ■ ; ‘• IS-'-It , was t npt bay last season, .. except ’■in.'.one:; ease, . as

there were no paddocks feneed./Gonse;qu'ently, there •' has • been , a shortage , of ■fodder this winter, arid S though|tho cows have done fairly well by .-fossicking in the rough, they. were r-having a rather lean time,

Their troubles have now , been-con-siderably lessened by the ; action vof Mr Cutforth, of Whatitiri,; who' .recently made a large stack "of "£ hay available to: them. Besides the help;, to the stock, the. pastures will .bendfitiby the seed from the hay , being| scattered about. The settlers :grej’i£lyyappreciate this practical assistange.*;^; V ’• * ,V- T- I •» A New Settler.■ . Mr ,E. Nellie and seven of -his*fam-. ily have now taken. up; residence£cn their section opposite the ' falls//; vMr Nellie and the boys came and,/erected the house’, vyhi-hotkey brought with them from’ the vviriinily of Tauinarunui, The house ’“lias: tory already* having been/ flooded Sup -to the windows by the Wanganui River last year. Though again*.erect*, cd near a, river, there .wcvihl 'have *;to be some unprecedented liappqningAbefore it had a similar experience -here.

.* Weather. ' . '■•P* > Wliarekohe has been having> of real cookies ’ weather. Quite/a v lot of ; rain has fallen at night'after work has finished • and has ''cleared away in the morning. AVithMhefexception of some showery days,; it'.has'been great weather for working. I' c,, ) A Schoolgirl Howler. /•>' 5 A • daughter .of one •< of, • the settlers has : apparently been much, impix-sled by- a certain officer of the .partment who has done- innch ito (induce this settlement a success, : and •; who visits the -block- at. intervals" ir. j ; ti»b course >of his work. When ; aslredjj at school who,.was. the New Zealand,- her reply was: Steedman. ’ ’ Though wide*;. ..'of A*) the mark, it is not - hard to follow/ her reasoning, y, - v ’