MARTON.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 994, 20 March 1891, Page 24

MARTON.

I wrote yon a few lines last week, but question if it reached you in time for inßer. tion. Sinoe that very little has transplrßd worthy of note, but as you do not appear to have had a correspondent in the locality for some considerable time past, even old news may not be stale to your readers. As the acreage of agricultural and pastoral land in this county is about equal, agriculture is therefore oarried on to a great extent, and the graiu and produce grown in Rangitikei amounts to no small item, as the soil is particularly well adapted for it, with a good clay subsoil. I have known grain grown on the same land, not far from Marton, for nine years in succession, and the last crop was as good as the first. Although j such a record spoke volumes for the soil, so muoh can hardly be said for the farmer who was trying to kill the goose that laid his golden eggs. By referring to the plan of Rangitikei, you will notice that.it covers a great area of country. The ridings nearest tbe coast are what might be called level and

fit for cropping. As you go inland the country ia more hilly and covered with bush of a mixed character, a good percentage being sawing timber, which will soon ba within reach of the Central Railway. Indeed, the last contract just let opens a large tract of first-class timber of the best description, and sawmills are being started in the locality. The soils underlying this bush is the best quality for grass. Under such circumstances settlement progresses rapidly. The Paraikarapo Block, of about 45,000 acres, which for years after its sale by the Government still remained unbroken bush, is now all in grass. The Rangitira Block, joining it which was only purchased from the Natives a few years ago, is being rapidly put under grass, and large tracts of Native lands, only recently purchased aud surveyed for settlement, are being felled and sown. A bad burn, therefore, for owners of busb land, would be as seiious a matter for owners in this part of the country as ruined crops for the agriculturist, and both have suffered this season severely. A great amount of crops, had either suffered damage or absolute ruin from the continued wet weather that prevailed throughout the harvests, and, of coarse, the felled bash suffered to an equal extent. However, the weather for the last week or tan days has greatly improved and the air is thick with the smoke from the bush fires that at night appear to have plenty of flame, which should be an indication of good burns. I hear of a good many who were too anxious, and fired their bush before it had time to dry in the smallest degree, with the result of a bad burn, which is really worse than no burn at all. There is, therefore, less risk in waiting for fine weather than iu taking it too early. In the former case you may, and often do, get good burn, but iu the latter the possibiliy of success is thrown away for that and many other suooeeding seasons. There is not a worse picture of desolation than the scene of a bad burn, and farmers dread such a prospect. When settlement progresses so rapidly as I have stated in the northern portion of the county, the roading is of the utmost importance to give access to the various holdings. This has been no easy matter, but it is wonderful how quiokly first tracks, then formed roads, aud eventually good, well-fenced, and metalled roads appear. The roads are all made partly by money borrowed on the thirds and fourths aocrumg from the sale of the land, and partly through the * Loans to Local Bodies Act.’ Owner* do nob grumble at tho yearly special tax this course necessitates. I think there ora fifteen or sixteen new roads being formed, and more extending in directions from Huaterville, each one with a special loan of its own. It is hard to say where and when this loan business is to cease, as there still remains a very large extent of country to settle further inland, and tbe demand for laud shows no signs of diminishing, The sons of most of oar old settlers are among the pioneers of this new country, ep that it cannot be said that our country youths are - less plucky than their parents.