Country Rambles.

Otago Witness, Issue 1490, 5 June 1880, Page 22

Country Rambles.

A TRIP FROM TiiPAiSUI TO MILLER'/ FLAT, ADA CHAT

WITH MR JOHN FADIE.

Leaving Gii-nkeniob, and travelling along t,b.« Tnn,'n )Ofcd from Kelso, over the \Voo«ied Hil >. \bo tiaveller procures an excellent vie-" of thn sum-undine country. On as••imlwtl 'ho lull above Kelso, »nd lo kiug buk, h>j ln-lmlds a D>agmfiernt tr^eli o coutitrj, ixtinding frcm die Puuiahaka to i be Holtnuui Mountains we>u of Gore, though a ia?ge;rcAof splendid atirioultu'. 11 -! tand on the i> 'k« of tbe Mvt <u>a h.d(s- ■• frrm vi- w 1y t h intervening ri» cm i>roui d m Chatton uml Nirth Oknkeiiioli Trave> - ing V'« r.'yd to tin- larfclxr end of t l ie hii'y, wc^j bbfoit.U'. the townbbip of Tapauia ; while on our left hand w> h j o hi/eto-'livd before up a fine tract of level country baclud uy tho Blue MounWiu:-. "■•'' o\ is known ,-s the property of D. MlCclkr. Ei-q. -f Brookhdale. Turning to the right wu ■ o ice a. h vl plain, bounded on the oni h<,n . by the Pomahaka, and on the other by the Blue Mountains : this is known as the Tapanui Flat. Leaving the Wooded Hills, our route lies along the main road, running through the Brocksdale Katate to Crv-okston. We soon pass Perry's Saw -mi I. i-ir,uattd at the edge of the bush, about .<. quarter of a mile from the road; while a ;;,,ile further on, but on the opposite sido of the road, we encounter Mr J. M'Farlane's new mill,

The land on this plani is mostly of a light friable nature. It grows go 3d crops, and gome of the wheat grown here will compare very favourably with Oamaru wheat. The lower portion of ihe estate has all been cultivated, but after travertiag tho road for a few milef, the groucd is in its natural state tiil we reach the Crookston settlement. There are not a great number of settlers hare, but those who have chosen this district will have no leason to regre'e their choice, as most of the land is of excellent quality. A new echoolhouee and master's rcsiduice have been recently erected ; but at tbe time of my visit it was not occupied. The whole this 'plain is well watered by crystal ttreams, which trickle down the mountain side.

Leaving the plain behind, there is nothiag worthy of note for several milea, the country being ridgy and uncultivated, though the soil is good. At th« end oi' the hills we again come upon a few settlers, and the road, pursuing a narrow valley, leads us iftto Eome very rough country, fit only for grrzing. In some places the country assumes a picturesque appearance, and in places reminds one of Ihe road over the Horse flange to Hampdcn. The road winds down the aide of a long steep gully ; above it the hills rise abiuptly for about 200 feet ; while below, a small brook rushes onward, through scrub and a profusion of ferny, "To join the brimming river,' and anon it can be discerned leaping over a rock, after winch id onco more loses itself in tho scrub.

A few miles farther on we reach Use's Junction, where the Tapanui, Beaumont, and

i Moa Flat roads meet. The only habitations aro a few Bottlers' domiciles and an hotel. Turniug abruptly to tho left, we follow a good road for a considerable distance, winding through hills covered with scrub, fern, flax, and tusscck, till we get a glaace of the Clutha hurrying on over a rocky bed. An hour's ride brings us to a long flat — the celebrated Island Block— which comprises some of the finest land in tho province. The greater part of ihe flat is »t present hid down in English grass, though some of it has not yet been brought under cultivation. The stock consists of both sheep, cattle, and horses, there being some fine specimens of the latter at present grazing there. At the end of this fiat we once more encounter ths Molyneux at the Horse Shoe Bend, the road lying along the right bank of the river for a considerable distance. Nearly all the settlers are situated on the letfc ba»k, to reach which we have to cross 4he liver on the Miller's Flat Punt. There sre a good number of settlers here at present, and some of their house 3 are very pleasantly situated on the terraces above the flat. The'settlers seem to ba fully alive to the advantages of tree planting, most of their domiciles being surrounded by a belt of trees. The majority of the farms comprise a portion f f level and part of the ridgy land, the latter being the better, as it is warmer and drier, and consequently better adapted for growing wheat. Tbe flat is generally wet in the winter months. A good d*;al of capital is reg aired to bring the hill land under cultivation, the expenditure for clearing scrubbing as high as £3 per acre in some localities. The climate ia well adapted for agricultural purposes, and though snow falls in winter it eeUli m lies on the ground for more than two daya on account of tho wu-in nature of tbe soil. The want of an outlet for the surplus pr<>d cj is keenly felt, and retards settlement to » c msiderable extent. A good road on the left side of the river to tue Beaumont w< uld be invaluable to the settlers. In forming suoh a road I was informed there would be no difficulty, as matetial of a suitable nature is obtainable al! along the route. The County Council have not as yet spent much money in road makiDg on the left side of the river, in fact they are only commencing to jpMid something. Although the roads were i,ot in a good state for travelling, I noticed several teams busy ab work, This work might have be<m done to more advantage in the summer months, but the inhabitants will probably try to find consolation in the old adage — " Better late than never." Though the prioeß for produce have fallen lere as elsewhere, still they are better than those of several other Inland districts, suoh as Goro and Tapanui. There seems to be a scarcity of timber in this dißtriot, mostly &U v the fences beiog made of either iron standards or sods.