LONGBEACH.

Otago Witness, Issue 2560, 8 April 1903, Page 9

LONGBEACH.

A SKETCH OF A KOTABLE NEW ZEALAND FARM. {See. illustrations- elsewhere in this issue.) By G. H.

In all probability there is no farm in the Australasian, colonies that has' a better claim to public interest than Mr John Grigg's" Longbeach Farm. That, there are larger holdings devoted solely to sheep and cattlerearing — or wheat-growing ranches, for in'tsnoe—may be Conceded, but it would bo difficult to find on one compact farm of the seme 6ize co many of those varied productions that mixed farming embraces. Indeed, , there are very few moderately-sized farms that | can compare with Longbeach in the variety i of its products, and fewer still that obtain ] better results, because Longbeach stands today a -shining testimony to the value of up-to-date methods in farming and stock-rear-,ing; moreover, the product of those methods .takes its place in the very front rank in thei produce market of this colony. There are .few people interested in farming pursuits in "New Zealand that have not heard of Long- . beach farm], and have, rightly enough, come to regard it in a vague way as something oat of, Jihe common, but, as it lies ~to one 'side of beaten track, not 60 much is known about it as one would suppose. fhe only regular means of communication is by coach from Ashburton, which leaves daily at 4- p.m., Sundays excepted. The driver turns his horses eastward, and they | jog along for 17 miles towards, the rising I suit. Before going very far the traveller learns that the coach he is travelling in carries his Majesty's Royal Mail, that its headquarters is Longbeach, that the coach imd horses belong to the proprietor of Longbeach, as also does the house in which, the driver and his family reside, and ■ the peat office and store at' which he delivers up the mails. The driver's remarks are punctuated at wide intervals with a jerk ci the arm as the daily paper, or perhaps letters, is tossed off at the gate of the address which , it bears. On either side of the road wide- j spreading fields of ripening grain are to be , seen, and the whirr of the reaping machines and the swish of the falling grain make pleasant music. Here and there mca can be seen amongst the stubble gathering up the sheaves and putting them together into stooks with a rapidity that is surprising — the result of long practice. The coach rolls Along mile after mile of beautifully-level roada that would delight th© heart of any cyclist, and presently we catch a glimpse of "the sea, arid, pointing with his whip to -what appears to be a small township, the 'driver informs U3 that it is Longheach. As "the eye roams about amongst the various fruildingi which form an irregular, crescent fey the seaside, the beholder begins to hear of big things in .the farming line, and if he 'be observant his expectations will be fully realised.

By the time the visitor has completed his tour of inspection he is fully convinced that •Longbeaoh is a farm in the be«t sense of the term. At the present time it comprises an area of 12,000 acrea, every acre of which is under cultivation or laid down with grass. In order to realise the full meaning of this statement to-day, it is necessary to revert to the early history of the Canterbury settlement, and not the least interesting is tho part which, pertains to Longbeach. I , The late Mr John Grigg, the sturdy , pioneer, wjio was destined, to accomplish so much useful work in his lifetime, was born on Bodbrane Farm, Duloe, in Cornwall, and when a- young man of 25 years he landed in Auckland, New Zealand. In the year 1864 he purchased Longbeach estate, which at that time • appeared on the survey map as an irregular square bounded on its eastern front by tlie sea. on the west by a ' boundary road, having the Hinds River for its southern and the Ashburton River for its northern boundary. These boundaries j enclosed an area about 12 miles long by ] eight miles in width, and across the survey ' map denoting this area was written "Im- | penetrable swamp." Nothing could be seen for miles except rank-growing flax, toi-tois, and Maori-head tussock, through whiob a > number of streams meandered until they got hopelessly lost in their endeavours to reach the ocean. However, they proved the ex:6- ! tence of a fall seawards, and mile upon mile of drains were cut into the swamp, flax md tussock disappeared in columns of smoke, and gangs of men sowed grass seed in their ashes. In course of time large herds of cattlo found good rasturage, and the surface of the land became consolidated enough to bear the plough. The surface was , tickled and Nature smiled upon a bountiful harvest. At thi6 time the West Coast was delirious with gold fever, and large numbera. of fat cattle from Longbeach found a ready market there. Drove after drove of cattle were driven through the Bealey Pass to the West j Coast, and a number even found a market j in Dunedin; but the difficulties attending ' euch a long journey did not encourage this enterprise. As the land came more and more under the sway of the plough, cattlerearing gave way to grain-growing and sheep-breeding. In order to gain the information denied him by the survey maps, Mr Grigg evolved a novel plan to find the area of his estate. To a do this he would ride his horse along a boundary for a certain time by his -watch, judging by the pace of the horse the distance travelled in a given time. All the boundaries were timed in this manner, and an approximate estimate ■was formed of the enclosed area. After the Hand had been considerably improved the surveyors came along, to be followed a little Jater by the inevitable tax collector. At .this time Mr Grigg offered £20 for the original map of the locality having the legend, "Impenetrable swamp" printed across it, but the reward was never claimed. Canterbury was now getting more closely settled, and slice after slice of Longbeaoh wa« sold to make moderately-sized farms, and occasionally an employee would purchase a slice on the fringe of the estate and settle down to farm on his own account. These anen found-in Mr Grigg a man who delighted to assist by every means in his power these tnost laudable desires, and his memory is cherished by a number of farmers who were at some time or other employed on Longibeaeh. In tliie way the estate has decreased in area from over 30,000 acres to 12,000 acres, its present size, and this area is cultijatecl tiu<Lxeftc m fa&oire;r* -

under crop, the remainder being laid down in permanent pastures^ 723 acres having been seeded down with^rape and grass Eeed this year. • From 1500 to 2000- acres are put down in .grass'every. year, and remain under pasture from three to- five years* Red^' clover, cocksfoot, and Italian ryegrass are the kinds that find most favour. The following figures will give an idea of the stock which finds its. way to market from Longbeach in" a. yCat :— r r i Pigs „ .; 1,100 to 2,000 " Prime freezing wethers .. .. 6,000 Prime lambs' „ .. ..' .» ». 11,500 Prime fat cattlo .. 200 Huckneys *+ -.. „, .. „ 20 , C)yde3dales' .. -.., „ ... +, 30 -Stallions .. ♦► .. ». *. -.. 5 j Fifty per cent, of lambs are sent to market before harvest. Tho remainder being marketed by mid- April. From 5000 to 6000 store sheep are purchased- in autumn, cad are marketed again before lambing com- : inences in the spring. Owing to the ravages of the green fly or turnip aphis, turnips are not sown to the Game extent as in the south, but excellent \ feed for fattening lambs is got by sowing 21b of rape seed- .and 6o? of Sut- j ten's Imperial " Green Globe turnip per acre, the seed being sown about mid-December. A large area is also sown down each autumn with Dun oats and fed off with sheep until the end of October or beginning of November, and then they will thresh 40 or more bushels per acre. In various ways 150 horses aTe kept at work every week day at Longbeach, and at harvest time between' 200 and 300 men are employed. To feed these men six cooks and three assistants are retained at the homestead and various camps, a flourmiller grinds the flour in i aill driven by water power, and also prepares the r horse feed by tho same means. A baker uses tip" 16 sacks, or a ton and a-half, of flour every week, and bakes. 12C 41b loaves every day in a properly constructed' p.ven adjoining the mess feitchen. A butcher kills' 80 sheep a week, and the milk from 35 cows is consumed on the estate... ., Cheese 'is not made, and' no -butter is sent, to market. . In adcUtjou to the above, skilled, labour is represented on Longbeaoh by three blacksmiths,- two carpenters, two coachmen, one brick and (ilemaker, one machinist, one saddler, one- sailmaker, *a--postmaster and storemau»3h.«, latter having been employed on< the estate in various capacities for over 33 years. TSvery mb'rning over 30 children collect from the various workmen'e cottages to go to and, although they can hardly be, termed farm produce, their healthy- and robust appearance is not the least - attractive feature at Longbeach. It will be readily understood that the task of supervising the work and workmen on such an estate ia no small one. The distance from the homestead to 'the outlying parks -being reckoned by miles renders it neceosary to have what are called "camps." The dwellings in which the workmen live are very similar in shape to those in which railway employees live when working at a "distance from home. They are all placed on ■wheels, ' about 2ft high, and can be readily shifted when required. fliey are extremely cosy and neatly painted. A large cne serves the purpose of a "galley," or cook-house, and a cook and assistant attend to the culinary requirements, all the provisions, meat, etc., being sent by spring waggons from the homestead as required. These camps are complete in themselves so far as farm work is concerned, and the 50 or •60 men who plough and harrow, sow and reap, may be there a year without having occasion to visit the homestead. Farm implements of all description can be seen at a camp, and the oheery ring of the anvil tells you- there is a blacksmith at .work in the smithy at -the end of the row of huts which form the "street." All the work that can be. done within a comfortable radius is 'arricd on with systematic regularity, and the^ workmen are thus spared the- necessity "of travelling lemg journeys to aud fro when- going to. or returning from, their labours. - The men at the outlying camps are supervised by Manager Moore, and the homestead employees are similarly looked after by Mr Tout, the whole estate being under the personal direction of Mr -John Grigg, eldest son of tho late John Grigg, who, with his managers, ride many miles every day while attending to their onerous duties.

The visitor gets slowly accustomed to the large scale on which evei-ything is worked ; nevertheless, he cannot help .feeling suipriset! to find 30 harvesting machines cutting and binding mile after mile of golden grain, while a small battalion of men throw the sheaves into 6tookc like magic. A little listance off stacks are being dotted over the fields, and we notice that all the stacks are small, round ones, and are placed in clutters of half a dozen ; large, -quare stacks arc never seen except for hay or straw ; a stack to thresh about 250 bags beincr the size most in favour. To deal with the contents for these stacks three large traction engines and threshing mills are kept busy in the fields, while a fourth very large traction engine is almost constantly employed hauling a train of lorry waggons, laden with produce, to Hinds oi Winslow railway -tationa. Some id«a of what this involves may be gathered from the following figures, showing the output of grain alone in one year: — > Bushels. "Wheat „ v „ .. 150,000 Oats .. •** n .. 100,000 Barley .« ** v 1m 12 000 Total .. ,r .. 262,000 It has been said that "he is a benefactor who makes two blades oi grass to growwhere only cine gr&w before," and when it |g yflm«wVwii-n^ t.hnf, fcbji Jajul. which qrqd.mjfid

those 262,000 bushels of grain was an "impenetrable swamp" 40 years agOj it is difficult tc 'express a glow of enthusiasm for the man who served his adopted country so well and added so materially to the wealth of this colony. The Empire rewards her generals and admirals who have fought in battle for her, and rears monuments to record their prowess on the blood-str.ined field, yet such is the irony of -Fate that the toilers who wrest the peaceful harvest from the stubborn earth to feed amd cloths mankind receive scant recognition for their arduous toil ! And yet the late Mr John Grigg has left behind him an enduring monument in tlie shape of vast fertile fields betokening peace and plenty, a beautiful and artistic home surrounded by a village of outbuildings, magnificent gardens, containing ar wealth of flowers of every conceivable variety suitable to their habitat and border a spacious lawn covered with a turf like green velvet. From the windows a coup!e of artificial lakes can be seen, in which hundreds of wild ducks find a sanctuary and immunity from the sportsman's gun. At the extremity of the large- and well-stocked orchard the gardener's cottage can be seen nestling amongst the trees, while the gardener may be seen attending to the want 3 of 300 chrysanthemums in large pots, each plant a3 high as himself.- 'A short distance away can be seen the pretty villa in which Mr Tout, the manager, resides, its trim lawn and dainty flower plots reminding one ■of a gentlemam's suburban "-residence. As we retrace our steps through the shrubbery, we almost step into a watercourse, because it is so hidden in a wealth of ferns growing on its bank; and, as we emerge into the sunlight, we pass a number of rhododendrons 10ft and 12ft high, and on turning to our : left -a quaint little churoh, with its belfry erxd shingle roof, meets the eye. The church is about the size of those to be seen in email country towns, and is within the borders of the homestead grounds, which are surrounded _pn three sides by a noble plantation of trees in large variety. A3 the chapel bell rings out through the leafy bowers, and its echoes steal across the meadows and become mingled with the murmur of the ocean, the sunbeams form a halo in the tremulous shimmer of the har-■vcst-ladca air. "Peace hath its victories no less renowned than war," and, as we reflect that a life well spent is( its best monument, we fcrventlv murmur, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," and bid good-bye to Longbeach.

Acres. In wheat „ »,„ -.t ,r .. 2630 In oats .. .'. .« .. »• 2380 In rape and turnips .. „. 1390 In ryegrass .. .. .. (. 360 In red clover .. .. .. i: 400 In prairie grass .. .. ax 260 In Chevalier barley .. „ 130 In partridge, peas .* .. .. 200 In mangles »,. .. as. ±*. 100 Total .. .. .., .. 6900