TEVIOT STATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2675, 21 June 1905, Page 89

TEVIOT STATION.

one of the finest properties in all the Molyneux Valley district, and one which, had there b&en railway oomniunication, would undoubtedly have been cut up long before this. " Through the kindness and genial hospitality of the owner — Mr D. MacFarlane, formerly of Hakataramea Station — I was enabled to view pretty well all Teviot Station ; and, even having some idea of the- immense resources of the Molyneux district, I confess I was more than

astonished to find what an enormous scope of magnificent land lies back from the river valley. 'Looking at Teviot from the river, it is difficult to realise there is first-class agricultural land above the level of the flat, because/risiiig up from the plain is a rocky iiaoe more or less thickly clad with matagouri scrub, and that is about all that meets the- : eye. - A drive, over the country above willj.ho.weverr^absolutsly convince even the most sceptical. Teviot Station comprises about 74,500 acres, of whioh 24-.500 acres are freehold. At present 31,000 sheep are carried, about two-thirds being -halfbreds and the balance merinos. Some 10,000 acres are under- cultivation as represented by

English grass, and there is a total- of not less than 17^000 acres • fit for cultivation, while at present there are 1000 acres down in turnips for winter feeding. The run extends back to Galloway and Linnburn Stations on the other side, and bounds with Beaumont and Ormaglade on the river side. A feature of the land having value for cultivation is that it requires absolutely no manure, and every bit of it is silt. How the deep river silt came, to be spread out over all these terraces and elopes is a problem fof geologists; but there can be no mistaking the fact that the soil is silt, and very rich at that. Starting out from the pretty homestead — a really typical New Zealand station horne — and passing the long woolshed (which,, by the way, is said to be the largest in- the. Australasian colonies, and is oapable of holding from 7000 to 8000 sheep), the station buggy, with Mr MacSarlane in charge of the whip and a merry little party on board, left the flat one morning en route for the terraces above. A detailed, description of the country passed through on that drive would, of course, be weariEomej but even the" most elaborate description oonld hardly succeed in conveying an -adequate idea of the very beautiful country passed through. Paddock after paddock of the moat. beautiful English grass was traversed, for, though very late in the eeason> the grass was still good all over the property' A most noticeable feature was the systematic "measures adopted for the

extermination of rabbits on' the property. Rabbit-proof fencing of the best possible etandard is being carried forward over the country, ..taking in large blocks. As each block -is securely fenced, war is declared against - tranny, and every possible weapon is -brought into play until tbe rrabbits are thoroughly exterminated from that block; then another" block is taken, and so on. A -very great area has bean thoroughly cleared, in this manner, and the result has been most gratifying; indeed, the results *re apparent to even the most ordinary observer, for outside a rabbit-proof fence the ground is almost absolutely bare of grass or vegetation, while inside there is a thick carpet of feed. How hungrily the rabbits must -lcok through those fences sometimes, and how heartfelt must ba the thoughts they think" about the awful cruelty of the man who invented rabbit-proof fenoes"! The difference is most marked, and, indeed, reminds one of irrigated land in tome parts of Central Otago, such as at Galloway Flat or Earnscleugh Flat, contrasted with soil which does not, receive water. At present there is about 50 miles of fencing on the property. Visiting the turnip fields I was shown one area after another, all showing most beautiful turnips. The roots were' very large and growing fclosely together; in fact, it was not possible sometimes to Btep between the turnips, so that a grazier may readily reckon what a tremendous quantity of winter feed is available there. A considerable area of the land laid down in turnips has only been ploughed •once, turned over from the silver tussock "and then sown down without manure of any 'kind, and yet these astonishing results are obtained. One portion of the turnip area ■had been ploughed the year before and left to lie fallow, and this season, instead of its being ploughed again, the disc harrows were run over it and turnip seed gown broadcast, with the result -that a most magnificent crop has been secured at a cost of about ♦s 6d per acre. Despite the assertions of -Soutblanders who try to convince the people -in this district of the necessity for railway ■ communication with Invereargill for the purpose of bringing up much-needed jaannue, no manure of any kind was used on the area sown broadcast, and yet results were obtained which would turn farmers in 6ome of the down-country districts green with envy. Wherever the eye turned in that day's drive over the estate there could be seen nothing but glorious areas of undulating and first-class agricultural and pastoral country. A good portion had been under scrub, but clearing and burning have been steadily prosecuted, and now there is comparatively little scrub left. The oountiy on these slopes and tea-races lies from 1200 ft to 1600 ft above sea level, and, even on the run itself, there is no bad winter country. Some magnificent views wer© obtained on this drive, and the Witness photographer went after them till his camera would hold no more. From one point of vantage the gorge of the river near Roxburgh, backed by Mount "Bengar and the Old Alan Range, ■with the Moa Flat Country lo the left, could be seen ; from another, Miller's Flat, ■with, the river winding away down to the Horseshoe Bend, appeared; and then, in another direction lay the beautiful Ormaglade country, and all around, stretching away in every direction, were the magnificent acres of Tevio-L The soil everywhere over the property is dry and warm, and almost anywhere on the 17,000 acres referred to it would grow almost anything in the way of wheat, barley, oats, turnips, etc. What glorious country this would bo for graingrowing. Thousands of acres might bear goldien crops of from 90 to 100 bushels pea* acre; buL what is the use of growing- grain vrken it costs as much to cart it to a railway as it is worth? This might easily be one of the richest

produce-growing districts in Otago ; at present it is a sheep station. Much of this land has value and environment for fruit-growing. I will speak of the faces near Roxburgh later, but, referring now particularly to the sunny valleys over almost all the property, I am confident stone fruit and apples could be grown well there. There are hundreds upon hundreds of acres of rich, deep soil on sunny, sheltered slopes there where apricots, peaches, pears, nectarines, walnuts, and apples could be grown as well as in some of the orchards in the valley, and practically no irrigation . would be required.- I was conducted over ! one paddock which, at the end of May, | was still showing thick grass and clover, j and ample evidence was forthcoming to j show that in summer the clover here had been up to the saddlegirths of riders who passed through it. Sheep could almost be ' lest amongst the grass and clover, so luxuriant was the growth; and for the growing of lucerne or clover hay for winter feediner this country can have no equal in the interior. Only about 300 acres so far have been utilised for grain-growing, and ' that was for station purposes, but the magnificent crops obtained gave Mr MacFarlane adequate testimony of what his country is capable of producing, and he far one, were a railway taken through, would sow large areas in grain. On Teviot Station alone there is enough agricultural country io keep a small town going-, and if ever there was an estate which is suitI able for close settlement this is one. Beiiind Teviot, again, there are several farms which are altogether out of view from the river valley. Two fine areas are held by Mr Oockburn and Mr Forbes, and a visit to these would afford sufficient evidence of tbs value of the rest of the farming settlement. For 144- acres of farm land there I £900 has been refused by the owner, Mr Forbes, who has a holding of exceedingly rich and well-cultivated and carefully-farm-ed land. Mr Forbes has obtained a consistent yield of 60 bushels of wheat per' acre. He and others have been compelled to burn their crops off because the strength of the growth caused the straw to fall over badly, and, no doubt, the difficulty of getting the prdouos to market assisted in the decision to burn off the crops. Mr Cockburn, whose holding adjoins that of Mr Forbes, fincb that his land grows oats and barley best, and the yield obtained averaged 50 to 60 bushels per acre in each case. The barley grown in this locality is equal to that grown at Hawea Flat, an exceptionally high quality. On Mr Kerr's farm, again, which is on the slopes in front of Ormaglade, and above Miller's Flat, oats and barley can be c.ulityated to perfection, and the same applies really to the whoie of Miller's Flat. (With a railway up through the valley to Roxburgh, there can be no question but tbair Teviofc should be subdivided, and a I very large portion of it could be cut into- ! farms without materially detracting from the pastoral areas, because comparai tively speaking, a small area would ksuffiee to serve- as winter country. In the case of such runs as Morven Hills, Tarras, and Ardgowan, in Central Otago, for instance, a very large area would be required for winter stocking, as that oountry, while rich, is ever so much higher than Teviot, aiid requires a larger acreage of pastoral run. land over almost the whole of Teviot is well_ watered by small streams, while the Teviot River, rising in a pretty sheet of water known as Lake Onslow, flows down through the run, joining the Molyne-ucc near Roxburgh. Standing at one of the trig-stations, facing towards Ormaglade, I 6aw a stretch of miles of beautiful grassy . slopes, and away behind, again, towards PeniJheugh. over at Galiaway, was a stretch j of first-class- undulating country going right away to the sky line. -~