IN THE PIONEERING DAYS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13649, 17 January 1908, Page 8

IN THE PIONEERING DAYS.

REARING A FAMILY ON EIGHT SHILLINGS A YEAR.

A correspondent writes as follows to a Wellington paper:—"Some time ago I was staying the night with a farmer in what was a real ' back block' district. After tea we drew our chairs up to the fire, and got to talking of our experiences when we each took up our bush sections. He said : ' I can tell you what very few have had to go through.' We had already related many strange episodes, attendant on starting a bush farm. 'All right,' I said, 'go on.'

"' Well, when I first took up this section, on L.I.P. of 200 acres, there were myself, my wife, and six youngsters. We bought an old horse, on which we packed as much as we could, and, between us, carried the rest. There was a road for a few miles from the township, and for the rest of the way a track cut through the bush. When we at last got to the sectionnearly all bush, and about 20 acres of scrub—the first thing was to pitch the tent. We had to make a bit of clearing for that was 18 years —and the only tools we had were a slasher, cnc axe, a hand-saw, and a hammer. The n-'xt thing was to make a punga whare, thatched with scrub. Our total cash spendings for the first 12 months amounted to eight shillings. All the flour we had in '12 months was 251b. There was any amount of wild cattle, pigs, and pigeons. We lived on beef till we got tired of it. Then I used to shoot a pig occasionally. After we were tired of pork, we had pigeons. There was any. amount of wild honey in the bush, which took the place of sugar.' Then the old man's eyes twinkled, and he said: 'We had just two bullets left, and enough powder to make two shots. We had been living for some time on beef, .when I thought I would go and shoot a pig. I hadn't gone far from the whare when I came across a real fat cow. I could not resist the temptation to let fij, but she cleared off. A little further on I saw a fine calf. I had my last shot at it, and down it dropped. As there wis no shingle or metal in the district to make bullets, I was done. So back to the whare I went, and on my way I set up a pig. Here was the pork I set out to get, but no more' ammunition. However, I found a little powder in a tin, and then went back to the calf, cut it open to see if the bullet was inside, and by good uc< it had not gone through. I cut it out, charged my gun again, went back to where I had seen the pig, and shot it a little further on.'

"This pioneer has now a well-built house, good outbuildings, and a nice orchard. On the 200 acres he wintered 500 sheep, growing a nice lot of oaten sheaf hay for their winter food, and for feeding his few cows. He does not owe a penny to anybody, his youngest boy is still at home with him, and he has helped the others in taking up sections of their own. It used to take him two days to go to the nearest store; and he and his wife had to teach the children what lessons they were capable of imparting. When the children's boots got too small, or were worn out, they went barefooted. Surely settlers like these deserve the full measure of the hard-earned increment which they produced."