JOTTINGS FROM THE COUNTRY.

Otago Witness, Issue 1893, 2 March 1888, Page 14

JOTTINGS FROM THE COUNTRY.

afe_ '(By Our Tp&Yelling Reporter.)

THE WYNDHAM DISTRICT.

Crood Ridge Land-Bad Effects of Bad Weather -Failure of the Turnip Orop-The Southland Climate— Bost Suited for DairyingMr Gait's Dairy Factory-Wyndham Dairy Factory-A Pretty little Town-A Political Raihvay—Edandale-An Extensive Forest— Birchwood-Varieti'ea of Grasses.

Following the Mataura still downwards below the falls, a large area of good farm land is passed. On tho ■east side the country rises into ridges, in places somewhat high and broken, intersected l>y deep gullies, many of them forest clad, but still the land is of good quality. A free blatk loam rests upon a subsoil of sandy loarn^ perviouH to water, and this affords good drainage. The soil is warm and sharp, and grows wheat well in favourable seasons, and oats and turnips in most seasons. The crops this season are not so good as they were last. The long spell of wet, boisterous weather that has held almost without intermission since New Year has retarded vegetation very much, besides making a late harvest. Tho grass has been cut off very much, too, and feed is comparatively scarce. Over all these ridge farms between Mataura and Wyndham the crops of oats are Booking very well, though nothing like the finer crops of the Tapanui district are met in with. The wheat is good, but most of it is rather too late to ripen before the frosts set in, The turnips are practically a failure. The seed sprung and branded all right, but the high cold winds have proved too much for tho young plants, which have been broken up and battered clean out of the ground on all exposed places. It is almost too late now for warm weather to mak« up the lost ground, as the nights are growing cold and occasional frosts are occurring. The appearances in the meantime point to a general scarcity of winter feed throughout Southland so far as turnips are concerned. It would be well, therefore, to cut as much crop green for chaff as possible. Very late crops could bo more profitably turned to account in that way in any case.

The Southland Climate is essentially a wet one, with late spring seasons, but in summer there is generally good growth. The present summer is an exception which ifc is to be hoped will not be offcen repeated. Oats grow well on most farms, wheat on a few, but the climate is antagonistic to wheat growing, and turnips and grass do well all over. The climate is more favourable to dairying than that of any other place in New Zealand. Fully alivo to this tho farrrfeVs have established dairy factories at mostly every convenient centre, and every season adds to the list. Not content with tho usual company concerns, private factories are springing in bo existence. Half way between Mataura and Wyndham Mr Gait has gone into the manufacture of cheese on a considerable scale as a private venture, and it will no doubt prove more remunerative than most company concerns, for the reason that at the outset there is less expense. The dairy has been fitted up with all modern improvements, and a first-class ! article is being turned out. At Wyodham a company dairy factory is running through its fchird season under the management of Mr Thomas Stobo, who is apparently turning out good cheese. Afc the best part of the season the factory was in receipt of 2000 gal of milk daily, and now gets about 1700 gal. The second shipment of cheese for the season was just being despatched by train at the time of my visit, making 50 tons sent off to London out of the season's milk. The cheeses are made in three sizes — 361b, 501b, and 601b weight — these sizes being thought best to suit the London market. The storeroom at the factory—or curing room perhaps I should call it — is capable of storing 70 tons of cheese. Last season 150 tons were sent to London, but owing to bad arrangements on shipboard it did not reach, the market in first-class condition. Better arrangements have now been made, and in a short time the company hope to hear of their cheese having been sold at a good price. About 12 miles below Mataura, by the road, stands the little town of Wyndham, very prettily situated, with ridges rising up behind it, a pretty belt of forest near, and the open plaiu stretching across to Edcmlnle aud Invercargill in front. The Mimihau stream, on the one hand, and the Wyndham river, on the other, both flow through forest shades and cool dells that seem to invite holiday makers for a picnic. The Wyndham river is very pretty as it flows along clear aud limpid, fretted into rapids at short intervals, and winding along smoothly again past forest reaches. The Wyndham Valley for nearly 20 miles above the town is a centre of settlement, containing within its area a number of good farms, giving place furl her in the wild gorges to sheep stations. In the immediate neighbourhood of Wyndham the hill crops are lookiug fair, and should average about 40 bushels to the acre of oat.s. Some good fields of wheat are to be seen on the fiat near tho township, but this crop will be very late in ripening. Over a very wide scope of country, from Mataura right down to Fortrose, most of tho cutting will be done by back delivery machines, so that harvest hands should be in demand now that the harvest is fairly on. As many of the crops are late, it will be well into April before the harvest is over. Wyndham is the terminus of the Ertemlalc-Forfcrose Railway in the meantime, although au extension to Glenham, about 10 miles farther on, is in course of formation. Hero tho line is likely to stop for some time to come, and why a line to Fortrose was ever thought of it is difficult to divine, as at the latter place there is a fair harbour sufficient for the requirements of the district for many years to come. At Glenham the line will tap a good area of agricultural land, but will manifestly benefit the Glenham estate most. Either of two other routes — down the river side or along the Wyndham Valley — would have done far more to opeu up country and benefit settlement, but here, as usual in our unfortunate colony, political influence has deviated the line from its proper course.

Across towards Edendale the railway passes through a splendid level plain — excellent grazing land, but not so good for grain growing as might be expected. Oats grow well, but wheat will not produce a good crop. The soil is too cold aud damp for that. The plaiu is more fitted for grazing than anything else. There is a dairy factory at Edeudale, receiving more than 2000 gal of milk daily, but as it has on several occasions been fully described in the Witness, and as I did not pass through the township on this occasion, I need not enter into details in connection with it.

Proceeding along the Fortrose road below Wyndham the country soon rises into somewhat broken ridges, batter adapted for feeding stock than for farming. Still even on these ridges there

are some good crops of oats and wheat. Bush clothes the hill tops generally, and extends right down to the Mataura river all the way to Port* rose. The extensive forest known as Seaward Bush touches the river 4 and a heavily wooded area continues right on to I?ortrose. Sawmills ' are doing their best to eat the heart out of this Vast forest, which will keep them going for many years to come. Fire is a worse enemy ' than the sawmills-, and always follows in their wake. Much ado has been made about the conservation of these forests, but as they rest upon level land the question is : Which is most desirable—a dense forest or smiling farms over the same area ? Let these lands be cleared of their forests, I think, and conserve the forests on the wild bills and wilder gorges of the West Coast as far as practicable. BJreJmooil Making a detour to the right from the main road, Mr W. Royse's Birchwood estate is entered upon. The homestead stands en an eminence overlooking the plain towaf ds fidendale, with a I heavy birch forest behind, which latter has | given the name to the estate. Besides about 100 acres of ridge and bush land, the estate includes some 1700 acres of fertile alluvial-land on the Mataura Island. The estate is managed by Mr J. Sinclair, who has had a good practical training to the business of farming, stock-deal-ing, and the management of stock. The soil on the Mataura Island is not unlike the alluvial soil of the Taieri Plain, but is heavier and i stronger, if anything. The most of the island is laid down in grass, though excellent crops of oats and wheat are growing on part of it. Part is yet in the rough state, but in good time all will be under grass for fattening stock. Cattle are, chiefly dealt in, the store stock mostly coming from Canterbury. On this island grass grows luxuriantly, and everywhere, even in spite of the unfavourable season, the stock are feeding in abundant pasturage. Various kinds of grass have h&m sown, both with a view to testing their suitability and also for seeding purposes, grass seed being a serious item when used extensively, as is tho case here, Mr Sinclair having two other estates besides Birchwood bo manage. Last year's seed bill amounted to about £2000. On passing over the fields we see the various grasses sown in separato paddocks. One paddock is sown down with cocksfoot, ryegrass, and clovers. Another may be laid down in timothy and clover, while again crested dogstail, meadow foxtail, Poa pratensis and clovers, Poa memoralis, or meadow fescue mixed with clovers, may be seen. All these grasses are doing well, though some of them have been down too short a time to form a full sward> which will take three or four years in some cases. The different grasses are so laid down that any one kind can be seeded as required. On another estate, called Springfield, farther down the river, between it and the Titiroa 6tream, florin, or creepiug bent, has been sown exclusively. The estate, some 1700 acres in extent, is chiefly low land liable to floods, and fiorin is just the grass for such soil.