YOUNG FARMERS' TOUR OF NORTH ISLAND

North Canterbury Gazette, Volume 8, Issue 36, 1 September 1938, Page 6

YOUNG FARMERS' TOUR OF NORTH ISLAND

INTERESTING TRIP DESCRIBED IN PRIZE-WINNING ESSAY

The following essay by.Mr D. F. Coleman, of Amberley, has been given first place in the competition open to members of North Canterbury Young Farmers' Clubs who visited the North Island recently:— With the good wishes of the leaders of the Young Farmers' Club movement as a farewell, and considerable speculation as to possible "reactions to a first sea trip, sixty young men set forth on a tour which will be remembered as on© of great events of their lives. Several hours spent on the* uncomfortably crowded Maori were soon forgotten in the excitement of arrival at Wellington, where the party was met by the Dominion secretary, Mr S. Freeman.

Breakfast over, the three large buses were soon loaded and on the way. Something of interest came into view at each turn, and during a brief halt at the top of the Peakakariki Hill wo had our last glimpse of the South Island. The run to Palmerston North was through various types of country, mostly quite in contrast to our own districts and in places showing decided signs of approaching spring. During our stay in Palmerston North visits to the Plant Research Institue and Massey College showed some of the experimental work in 'progress which should eventually be of definite assistance in farming practice.

A welcome by the Manawatu Young Farmers at a complimentary dinner gave us an indication of the receptions which we were to receive in most parts of the districts which we passed through. Although the next day was showery, a varied itinerary was carried' out, including visits to some high-carrying capacity farms in the rich Kairanga distrct. Some idea of the extent of the construction work being carried out at the new air base at Ohakea were obtained by a brief stop© en route to Hawera, which place was reached late in the evening, after a stop at Wanganui to refuel the Diesel buses. Maori Welcome Given A unique experience at Hawera was a Avelcome by several Maori chiefs and chieftainesses at the Turutura Mokai redoubts, the scene of a great massacre of Pakehas, 70 years previously. As the. tapu had just been removed, ours was the first party of pakehas to be greeted by Maoris on this historic place. During the day the clouds cleared and we had a wonderful view of snow-clad Mt. Egmont, which appeared to dominate the landscape al lthrough Taranki. A noticeable feature here Avas the almost universal use of box-thorn for fences and shelter. A high annual rainfall and heavy topdresing enable very heavy stocking all through this area with the result that land values appear to be very high. Cows, pigs, still more cows and the everlasting odour of ensilage made us think that perhaps after all, Canterbury was not so bad a place.

A long trip Avas scheduled for the next day, so leaving .New Plymouth early we made good time over Mt. Messenger and through the Awakino valley, where the scenery was like that of Westland. A halt for lunch was made at Mahoenui at Mr Purdies bush farm, where we were shown the progress made, during 30 years, in improving the land from the original bush state. Here we saw one of New Zealand's ' leading Aberdeen Angus studs, includ- ' ing bulls imported from the United States of America. It is interesting to not© that in all the more recently developed areas visited, subteranean clover was giving very satisfactory results. Te Kuiti was reached in time to enable a visit to be made to the lime, works, the largest in New Zealand. Waitomo Caves Visit Next came a call at the Waitomo Caves, but owing to lack of time only the glowworm caves could be seen. 11.30 p.m. was rather an inconvenient time to arrive at Hamilton, but no one appeared" any the worse for the experience the next day, which started with a visit to the lluawura State farm. Here Ave saAV the very marked results of the facial eczema, epidemic, and in most districts visited, numbers of sheep in the flocks which AA'e saAV appeared to be in very poor condition and further losses at lambing time Avere expected among these sheep Avhich had been affected to a lesser degree. Modern method's of dairying and pigraising Avere demonstrated here, and a general impression AA'as gained of the methods of draining and improvement of this type of land. Another phase of our national development Avas cfemonstarted by a very interesting Ansit to Arapuni, AAdiere the method of harnessing the "Waikato River and the utilising of the Avater for generating poAver

were explained and the party was conducted over the power station where great interest was shown in witnessing the intricate machinery. Large areas of excellent sheep country which had recently been developed on pumic land, and are now carrying four or five sheep to the acre, were passed on the way to Rotorua.

A visit to the blue bath followed by 'a Maori concert gave an appropriate introduction to Rotorua and as were experiencing perfect weather, the following day, Sunday, was looked forward to with keen anticipation. Our hopes were fully justified, as after an interesting run through the Horo Horo native development area and through tens of thousands, of acres of healthy looking pine trees belonging to Perpetual Forests Ltd., we arrived at the newly developed thermal area, OrakeiKorako. Here, the Waikato was crossed in a large punt and the various attractions of the area were seen, including the best silica terrace formations in New Zealand. After seeing the local attractions in" Rotorua we left for the Bay of Plenty, where we travelled through some very fertile country, calling at the Rangataiki Dairy factory and Whakatane paper mills. At the latter place is assembled what is probably the finest set of machinery in the country and which will be capable of supplying New Zealand's requirements of craft papers, cardboard, etc. On arrival at Opotiki we were met by members of the local Young Farmers' Club and were their guests at a theatre party. Gisborne being our next objective, we. made an early start, travelling through the Waiweka Gorge, Avhere the scenery was quite the best seen on the trip. In places the road showed signs of the recent floods and there were some doubtful spots 1 which our drivers negotiated without any trouble. Practical Help However, these delays carried us well past lunch time, and as by now Ave Avere used to a. meal every two hours, there Avere some rather frayed tempers, Avhen at 3 p.m. AA r e arrived at a temporary bridge AA'hich AA r as too narroAV to alloav the buses to pass. Food Avas only half an hour further on, so sixty desperate young farmers set to Avork and in a. very short time the sides of the bridge Avere demolished sufficiently to allow the buses to pass. Lunch at

3.30 p.m., folloAved at 5 p.m. by afternoon tea provided by the Te Karak'a Club, saved the situation and Ave arrived in Gisborne intact.

Unfortunately, rain fell during most of our stay in Poverty Bay, but several very good farms various types were visited and Avell-knoAvn studs of Hereford, Polled Herefords, Aberdeen Angus, Romney and Lincoln Avere inspected Poverty Bay is a most misleading name for this district, Avhich Ave found to contain some of the best land seen on our trip of 1300 miles. Only the present isolation prevents this part of NeAv Zealand from taking its place among foremost farming districts, but the opening of the East Coast raihvay will alleviate this handicap to a large extent. Approximately 250,000 eAves are are sent annually from Poverty Bay to the Waikato district. During a visit to one farm near Gisborne the oAvner

placed his orange grove at the disposal of the party, Avho needless to say, made the most of their opportunities. Features of the landscape here Avere

large open sheds filled with maize Avhich groAvs to perfection, and paddbcks of pumpkins Avhich produce up to 45 tons per. acre and are considered to be excellent food for Avintering stock. The climate here was so mild that Avinter had little apparent effect on the groAvth of grass, Avhich seemed to be plentiful everyAvhere, but oAving to the exceedingly Avet conditions Avhich have prevailed for several months the AA'hole countryside Avas saturated and many signs of recent flooding were in evidence. OAving to the Uncertain state of the roads an extra day Avas spent in Gisborne and the trip to Napier was made in :one day. The country in this area : has suffered severely from slips and flooding and the destruction has to be seen to be realised. As all the traffic bridges had been destroyed, the road Avas diverted over the raihvay A'iaducts and temporary bridges and parts of the road were very doubtful, but again our drivers shoAA r ed their skill and after an eventful trip Ave arrived at Napier. Hawke's Bay appeared to be more like Canterbury than anyAvhere else Ave had visited, and all through this area and the Wairarapa, apart from the. absence of cropping to any great extent, Ave Avere reminded of parts of North Canterbury. Some Avell-knoAvn properties Avere visited, including "Penrose" at Masterton, Avhere Sir Wm. Perry shoAved us his Avell-knoAvn Romney and Southdown studs.

The end of the tour left one Avith the impression that the Young Farmers' Club movement had already done a great deal to help bring about a better understanding betAveen the farmers of the future in the various parts of the

Dominion, and that tours such as this are of the utmost benefit in broadening the outlook of the community, by showing the problems which have to be faced in different types of farming.

The success of the tour was in a great measure due to the officers of the Department of Agriculture, who were responsible for the arrangements in the various districts, and who proved to be excellent guides. The scenes of farewell at the wharf at Wellington will long be remembered by those who were fortunate enough to be present. At a farewell breakfast in Christchurch, arrangements were made for a reunion of the party to be held at some future date and members expressed appreciation of the able manner in which the tour had been managed by Mr Sheat and' Mr Blackmore, through whose efforts the whole venture had been such an unqualified success.

A Leeds engineer anounces that he is now working on a robot hallgtand that will take people's hats and coats as they go past. Many umpires will agree that no cricket ground should be without one.