RURAL RAMBLES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 54

RURAL RAMBLES.

A TRIP FROM KELSO TO GORE. Br Yiatob

Ivclso is a railway station and farming township on the Waipahi-Heriot line of railway. It is a fairly bu;y little place, and will in the near future be a much' more imroriant centre than at prewnt. The Pomahaka River skiits the western boundary of the township, while immcdiitely to z\i east, acrcfss the railway Ihie, rices th^ icc]-y slopes of the wooded hill. The township *'-. largely supported by the settlement on ilio west sid-o of the river, as on the cost thi* ground is muoh broken, and not of nrc!.olasH quality until a few rnil^s above or north of the township. There are some vp ry neat little residences, and Messrs Dunnet's and Officer* accommodation houses aro fine substantial buildinge-. Messrs Wright, Stephonson and Co. a year or two back built a. splendid .grain store, which is of much service to the farmers, and no doubt is proving a first-class investment for that enterprising firm. In days gone by the Kelso railway wae noted as being th© busiest station of ito size in the south ; the piles of sacks of grain covering the • whole of- -the railway ground was a sight well worth seeing. Cultivation in those- d»y3 wa»3 -ever -so much more extensive than is now tho caise. The Railway De-part meat see n to have e.ver bean fortunate in having good m&i to look after tho goods traffic A more obliging lot of sbationinasters i.han the men who have been in charge of Keliso station could hardly have been wished for. Air Pa:nbe<rton is in charge just now, and is highly respected as being a most obliging and ooiarteoue public servant. There is practically only one main street, .and this i 3 the main road leading from Tapanui to Heriot. The road leading to Gore, and tho one I intend to travel along, turns sharp round Mr Dunnet's Hotel pioperfcy, and runs du-e west after skirting the riveT until we erose tho Pomahaka bridge. The bridge^ has not been many years constructed. It is buil-t of first-class material, but the- county or counties whose propeity 15 i* liavo seemingly never had sufficient funds to paint or -tar it. This i<s n-ot only waete of public maney — it is also a standing kli«gvace to the mianagement under whose control it i-s. About a mile after leaving Kelt-o the traveller pa-sses close by — The Old Green va-le Station. — The sta'ion was I believe, selected by the latei Mr James Logan, and comprised some of the finest grazing land in this part of the country. At preseoit one of the descendants of the original owner lives on what remains intact of th-e old station. The station buildings are very up-to-date, and comprise splendid large barns and seed-cleaning sheds, together with a powerful windmill that, in former yoars, was used for various purposes, and to develop power to drive the machinery. The splendid seed-cleaning machinery erected by the late Mr Logan is still in uee. Mr Logan, the present owner of the property, keeps it going more as a convenience for the settlers on- the old station than 3<> a paying concern. The main station buildings are surrounded by a beautiful plantation, which is in a most thriving condition. The residence is situated on the slopes of the old river terrace, and i-s embowered in a lovely plantation of Home and native trees. It is an ideal situation for a home, and reflects th© tastes of the founder. There ;s; s a splendid stretch of river -flat land leading away towards the Pomahaka River in the east ; and beyond the plantation, on the we*t the country ext^ndts in undulating ridg-r-s pnd rolling plains right on to the Dusky Hills. Indeed, then, the Gre-enval© station, in tha.4, period' of New Zealand history When the "station" was all in all in th-e life of the country, must have been a splendid property. Some eight or tea yea.r.3 ago, however, the property was cut up, on the death of the founder of tho elation, and sold by publio auction. Tho land foil largely to the bids of settien=, and is to-day a thriving settlement of small farms.

After passing the old Greenvale station, our road lies dv« west still, and the first farm, immediately near our line of /oute, is owned by Air Marshall. It is principally compared of fiat terrace or low plain land, and Is in a wondt-i fully high state ol cultivation. The appearance of th-e homestead ?ho*s Air Alarehall as being a painstaking and systematic farmer. Tho dwelling hou-se is a ■scry neat and stylish one, and is eurrotraded by a nice bek of evergreen trees. The road 'leading past Air Mar^h-dl's pro-p-arty is a really level and well-kept one Jenkins's property is next met with, on 11 © south side of tho ro?d, is the farm of Mr Russell, another fine property. Air Thos. Jenkin's property is next met with on the north side of the road. Air Jenkins's farm is also one that discloses good and able management The homestead is on the rising "'round, and well overlooking the plain, giving to the family a beautiful outlook. — Green Fields and Waving Corn Land? — stretch away north and east, almost em far as the eye can see. The homestead is sheltered by a well-grown plantation and a fine garden slopes away in front of the dwelling house. That is one thing that the settlers hereabouts seem all to have gone in for, and years ago, while taking tea with a settler and his good wife, the writer was assured by the good lady of the house that she had carried -water in the dry summer day-?, long gone by, and so kept the young treea alive. To-day beautiful plantations eurround nearly every settler's home, but the hard frosts of last winter seem to have killed a large number of Pmus insignia and gums. After leaving Air Jenkins's farm we lore the beautiful level road we have had right from ILeteo. and begin to rise up on "the rolling terrace land. The road i-s ciill fairly eM*n until we pas 3 tbe- next farm. Away south, but slightly hidden by the rolling nature of the laud, other farms can be seen, and one can just get a glimpse of th© tree tops that eurround tho Glen-kenie-h School It is a good many years since the school wa>3 first opened, and many splendid types of men and women are living hercaround who first learned their ABO within its tune honoured Mala.

Adjoining Mr Jerkin-! 1 !-, on the w = eomc« the piopcrty of IMr John Crn-s?-Thiti also s'enn a splmdid homcSLcad, an' the owner is evidently in flourishing cucuiiiitaneiV, »j fhr. t,hr- 7 l of a largo new ch\ slluig liou = o may he gcoii near by the road. A hrtlo further along the road, and on the oppo-ito Fide, we pa^s tho farm of Mr Uskdo/lc. A very tidy farm, bat cecmincriy a little of? the main road, and on the valley of the Xoi GYeek, if we mistake not. Mr Aiioue D. Al'Uillivray's adjoins Mr E=kdale's property. Mr M'Gilhvray, of Ben Koi, is known from Wendon=-ide to the p'aius of Crookston as one of thr- most successful farmers in Southland. Mr Al'Gil'ivray has a pplendid property here, and a most substantial homesteadmg. On both sides of the rood, the farm runs right on our way towards Gore until we corns to the> old Shepherd H'H, -when we come on to Mr Tnos. Block's property, on the west. By pppfaiance from the road, thw is another wcll-k^pt farm, with a fine house and plantation niorf-ly situated on the point of one of the spu/r. An excellent view is to be had from the front of the steading of tho valley of the Koi Creek, whicn, I believe, lakes its rise on this faim. Across the road, still on the west, comes one of the omh'ing cechoiis of Mi Thos. Fleming. Mr Fleming's adjoins M'Gilln ray's on the south, the homo being near what, in the old days, was known as Logan's Barn. This is another splendid property, and embraces some fine rolling ridges. There are two roads at this point ; cne goes by way of Waikaka, and thence on to Gor-e ; the one that we are to reach Goie by. takes vis down through the Merino Dos\n 3 and comes out on to

—The Little. Waikaka Valley,— near the Forks camp dredge, and then on down tho valley of the Waikaka. After passing Mr Fleming's farm we notice the nicely-kept little farm of Mr A. Johnston, and on the opposite side of the road are to br .seen tho farms of Messrs J. Pat-en- on, J. Black, and D. Laweon. From a point near Mr Johnston's farm vfe g-et a lovely view of the surrounding country. Tho view towards the east and so\ah is a magnifiecat one, — Merino Downs, Glonk-enich, Koko, and lying at the base of the Blue Mountains, in a blue haze, we can jiist discern Tapanui. The- c'.uiaps of trees dotted here and there over tho country sid-e maik the sites of the various homesteads. Most of iho eettis-rs, espeo'a-lly the married ones, have gcn-o in pretty extensively for tree planting, and without question nothing pays so well on these wind-swept downs as shelter in the winter time for stock.

On the west of our vantage point we get a glimpse of the Waikaka Valley and Waikaka township. We can «cc, too, in (he valley be-low the gold dredging that ii= creating such a etir in this part of the country.

Standing he-re. ga-zirg over the ftir-str-etohing districts that jurround us, on© nny be forgiven if one pictures a waste of waters in tho past and a prosperous country in th© future. Undoubtedly this country hos been under the sea, or formed part of an inland lake, or an, arm of the sea. Tiie valleys, washed by the small rreclcs and etixnms, are seen io have cut into what, at one time, must have been the -ancient sea or lake beds. These ridges here, the Sandy Knowes, are said to contain gold in payable quantities. Indeed, in the old days, we are credibly informed that the late Air Logai had some difficulty in keeping the Chinese out of the ground. 'Tis ?aicl that the "wily Chink" used to go in at night time and carry out the wash dirt, but of the truth or otherwise of this deponent knoweth not.

Messrs Grey Brothers own, with Air AlLay, a large extent of the country hereabouts, and, by every appearance of their properties, are able farmers. There is in almo-t every paddock one passes abundance of fine pasluie, and the crops, though in places chort, are everywhere loc-fking most promising. Alessrs Brownlic, Al'Noe, Noble, (Shanks, Jones, Faulkner, Ford, Al'lntyre, and Tregillgus are passed in something like the order mentioned. The farnits are all looking well just now, and tho vast amount of improvement that has been done eince the- land was cut up some- few years ago is truly amazing. Fine roomy houses and large useful outbuildings are to be seen on nearly all the farms. One feature in the fencing that is missing here is the gor?e. The farmers have gamed much valuable experience on that point. Gorse entails too much labour, and is not met with until w-s get down on the valley among the early settler I.1 '.

The roads jut = t now are in very fair condition, but in the winter and during the gram-cartmg season they appear capable of being badly cut up. A large portion of the Alerino Downs and Glenkanieh land dramo into the Southland County, but. in cutting up the country into counties, the commissionero didn't sludy community of interest, and so to-devy we find one portion of 0 district's settlers cutting up the roads of the adjoining county, without coii'tributing towards their maintenance. In travelling through this extensive distrifct one is perforce bound to notice the difference between the loads in Clutlia County and Southland County. In the latter county the roads arc in -a much better condition ; but 1 am a-ssured 1 that the rate le much higher. No doubt the act of last session, which gives power to counties to increase the rates of outlying portions, will be instrumental in increasing the rates' jevenue.

— The Dredging Industry. —

When we strike tho Waikaka Valley, the effects of the dredging boom are evident by the h-eap.3 of bare shingle and the sign~ of veiy severe traffic on the main road. The Waikaka Forks is the first dredge we pa^s, a little to our right, and a little below, opposite the snug farm of Air A. J. Niehol, we pass the Lilylaaf Company s machine. Both these claims are paying very well juut jiow, I am told. About a mile below we pass tho Alaitland Village, named in honour of the late Air J. P Alaitland, Chief Commissioner of Crown Lands for Otago — a small cluster of houses and a school centre. The school is built juet nt th-e foot of what was known in the old days as M'lntyr&'s Hill, on the Alam Dun-edin-Switzers road. The ford, known as Dickie's, used to bo a great camping ground in the old gold digging days. In those old times carting to the lakes was a big undertaking. I have heard old carters say that it v. as two long days from th's ford to the Pyre mids, where there was an old accommodation house erected by the Provincial

"thoriiies. To-day a fir-t-rate biicl^e i.'ns t! c liver, and a fair road leads out of xs -wi'ley on both side~>. Immediately ibovo the bridge a, new dredge is almost lea-dy to begin" turning o%er the cplenaid 1 agricultural land that extends ihicughout tho entire -(alley. What will be a very serious thing, too. for the local bodies affected, is the future of the bridges that are now in es.iste.nce. The dredges are leaving no channel for the river, and the river is certain to cut a new one for itself, and one can easily understand how difficult :t will be to keep tho river into one confined channel.

Just across the river wo pass the coi?y farm of Air James Dickie, under the hill. I am told that Air Dickie one cf th© old identities, and that he has lived to see a transformation A little below Air Dickie's ■we pass the neatly-kept farm of Air W. J. Johnston, a great breeder of fine sheep, and evidently a tidy farmer. The property looks very well indeed just xiow Me^ra Pryde, Aitken, Cumming's old farm, Reid. Johnston, Sheddon, and a number of -small farms are met Ttith approaching nearer the Waikaku railway siding. Near Air Sheddon's property are to be seen very neai to each other four powerfully built dredger tearing up the flat. It is re* ported that th-ese dredges are getting great return's ; but be that as it miy, they are changing the aspect, of the farms en which they are working. I noticed that one of the owners of th-e dredged land is planting soms of tho gravel beds with young trees. There is another dredge a mile or so below this point, and a little nearer the PukerauGore biidge, of which Air Thos. Graham is the manager. II i-3 the la^t dredge in the valley, and proves thai the whole Hat, from top to bottom, is gold-bearing. The Waikaka Valley may be compared to a great big ditch that for ages had been tearing down the bar.iks on eather side. Th© gold that is now being obtained is that which had become d-oposited along its course.

J. ( roin Waikaka skiing into Gore is but a couple of miles by the "awitchbaek" ; a little farther by the coach road. There is a number of neat little suburban farms and small holdings on tho route, but nothing of much note is io be an-et with, and we enter Gore by way cf ? Jine substantial bridge over the Mataura. Th© drive from Kelso to Gore at this season of the year is a most enjoyable one, and any o*i-e having a day to tpare cannot spend it to better advantage than by taking a drive through this important district. The transformation that has been effected during the last few years is amazing, and the only thing required now to thoroughly open up the country to more systematic farming is a railway up the valley. Thia no doubt, will go through <ma of these days, but not ju3t yet. When, however, it does, one of the finest district? in the colony will be opened up.