The Farm. CHATS WITH THE FARMERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1323, 7 April 1877, Page 18

The Farm. CHATS WITH THE FARMERS.

A VISIT TO THE FARM OF ME. JOHX PBINGLE,

TOKO3IAIEIKO.

■ It is probably a fortunate circumstance that in the early land regulations of the Province of Otago, there was a clause providing for the improvement of land faken up by the settlers, to the value of £2 per acre, which deterred them from occupying large sections. The consequence was that the fertile agricultural lands of the Taieri and Tokomairiro districts were divided up into small farms of from 100 to 200 acres. Many of these farmers now, it is true, find themselves cramped, but as a rule they have had quite as much hind as they could profitably manage. In the early days the struggle was a hard one. There were no roads, no bridges, no fences, no markets, and there were many difficulties to contend with, which it will not be necessary here to refer to. There was little more than a hard living to be made at farming, before the discovery of gold. It might be supposed that the advent of high prices brought about by that event would have had the effect of placing many of the farmers in positions of independence. So it had, but unfortunately the high price 3 ruling for produce induced many farmers to borrow money for the enclosure and cultivation qf land, and, when prices fell, they found themselves doomed to struggle harder than ever for a series of years. Some are I now independent, some are out of debt and very comfortable ; others are yet struggling on, while others still have succumbed to the force of circumstances. ; It is our intention, from time to time, to give an account of the early, struggles, progress, and position of some of our oldest settlers. The attempt will be made to gather up the experience of our farmers, and we are not without hope that it will prove useful as well as interesting. In doing this, we intend taking the material that comes first, and do not purpose proceeding in any settled order. To begin, we will take a representative settler, one who hasremained on the same spot of ground for | eighteen years. In 1859, Mr John Pringie arrived in Dunedin from Scotland, and three months after landing purchased 115 acres of hind in the South Tokomairiro district, at 10s per acre. He has ever since been gradually improvingit, and what with sheep, wool, pigs, poultry, butter, eggs, and cheese (which are the products sent by him to market), he has now a very comfortable income, and his land is worth, at least £10 per acre. The only grain he raises is oats, and of this only twelve acres. Four acres are in potatoes and turnips, and the remaineder of the farm is in rye grass, timothy, and white clover. He keeps seven cows, and sells yearly about £70 worth of butter and £50 worth of cheese — Mrs Pringie having gained some notoriety for the quality of these articles. He buys yearly about a dozen six-weeks pigs, and sells them when six months old. He keep 3 one hundred sheep, and sells yearly about 50 twotoothers, and six or seven hundred pounds of wool. He sells no stores — all fat stock. Of fowls he has about 100, and in the beat season for laying, sells one hundred dozen eggs per mouth. The success of a farmer depends, of course, upon the judgment which he exercises in the management of his farm. Mr Pringle's management, we think, is good. He works systematically. Certain rules have been adopted which are strictly followed from year to year. He cultivates a certain number of acres, the produce of Y.'hich is consumed on ihe farm. He sends no grain or green stuff to market — all is returned to the soil which produced it. The result is that his land is really in better condition now than ever, while farms where crops are sold off, year after year, lose all ( vitality. He feeds his animals so skillfully that they pay for their food with a profit, and in addition leave a supply of rich manure which actually increases the capacity of the farm for supporting stock. His cows are of the ordinary colonial stock, slightly improved by the Ayrshire blood introduced by Mr Patton from Southland eight rr nine years ago. lie started with the merino sheep, but they are now threequarter Leicester. He raises his own grass and turnip seeds. He has this year a fine crop of Swedish and Aberdeen Yellow Bullock turnips. The Bullock he got from Scotland, as, being coarse in the leaf, it withstands the blight better than the Swedish, besides being excellent for stock. Three or four years ago he got 1 some seed grown from a single Early 1 Yerniont potatoe, brought from Home by

Mr Walter Hislop. It yields large crops, and is excellent, boiled and mashed with oatmeal and barley dust, for pigs and poultry. Mr Pringie, we think, made a great mistake in not planting thorn fences and a variety of fruit and forest- trees. No doubt, like many others in the early daya, he was too busy in trying to meet pressing wants, to give much he 3d to a work, the returns from which are not immediate. So he has lost the profit they wouldhaveyieldedin fruit, or if used orsold a3 timber and fuel, and in sheltering the dwelling, the barns, the crops, and the slock, to say nothing of the enjoyment which the sight of them would have afforded. Willows and poplars would have grovm easily from cuttings, and there are several quick-growing forest trees which, if planted fifteen or twenty years ago, would now be valuable for timber as well as shelter. Twelve years ago, it is true, he planted a few blue gums and apple irees. The latter have, until the present season, kept the family supplied with fruit. But this year the crop, once so bountiful, is small, in consequence of the ravages of a scale insect, which on first appearing should have been vigorously attacked with a brush and a mixture of sulphur and soft soap. "Very often the want of proper fencing interferes with the planting of trees. The kind generally put up by the early Tokomairiro settlers was one of sods. Subsequently many of them placed wooden posts and a couple of wires upon the sod walls, and others have since planted the walls with Cape broom or gorse. The mistake was in not planting thorns inside of the walls, before they went into 3heep husbandry. There would then have been less difficulty in protecting the young plants. Drainage is another important matter that has been greatly overlooked by the Tokomairiro farmers. The great difficulty and expense, however, attending the drainage of an extensive flat surface, where the soil is stiff* will be some excuse, Mr Pringie has, of late, been turning attention to this subject, and is now putting down pipes of earthenware. His land is so well situated that it will not require a regular system of tiles or pipes, and he will find little difficulty, we should think, in removing all superfluous water from his land. There are others, however, differently situated, and we should say that to make provision for an adequate discharge for waters upon the plain, on a large scale, co-operation on the part of the settlers would be necessary.