The Ploughman Appears.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13803, 14 January 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Ploughman Appears.

The plough does not appear to have been much in favour with the early settlers, doubtless because they found plenty to do in the perfecting of the arrangements for carrying on the pastoral industry. At all events the "Timarn Herald," in its first issue, June 11th, 1864, had the following:— "TJntil the present season very little attention has been paid to agricultural farming in and about Timaru. In fact we may say that there has been literally no farming. Certainly we Lave a few farms about Arowhenua s>nd the Waimate, and also a very limited number near Timaru, but the supplies from these farms are not sufficient for one third of the population of Timaru alone. A glance at the imports will convince our readers that we are almost entirely supplied with farm produce from Lyttelton and Dunedin." A little later in the year the "Herald" recorded that the area of land in cultivation was 900 acres, and that "Several thousand bushels of oats have been imported, and the district suDplied 500 bushels. The price is now 6s, and oats have scarcely ever h»en I"wer than os. Flour last week was £3O per ton, cash."

The first farm in South Canterbury was probably Neal's, just north of Temuka. between the Main TJnad and the river. Mr Neal came down from Christchurch early in 1850, bringing with Mm draught horses, implements, seed, and dairy cows, and as a member of the household a youth of lfi, George Levens, who has been ever since and still is well known in that district. Mr Levens had been a carpenter's apprentice, and this training mad" him very useful .in the erection of Neal's house. He took as readily to horse s : as to hammer and plane, taking the first load of wood drawn by horses into Timaru, and becoming a first-prize ploughman when ploughing matches were, instituted.

Mr Neal brought the first threshing machine into the district, a 3-hnrse "coffee-pot" power, with small iron thresher that packed with the powerbox on a pair of whepls for +,- ansport, pnd' a separate winnower. The terms

were Is per bushel, pay and feed all hands (10) and feed the "horses (0 or 8), and the average output was about 100 bushels a day, so tiiat threshing eost about 2s a bushel. That, however, would be cheaper than threshing with the flail and winnowing with a breeze or a "fanner." In Mr E. Pilbrow, of Temuka, brought in the first steam thresher and combine, and his terms were "All hands found, grain dressed, bagged and weighed, Is per bushel; or if farmer finds coal .and extra hands (i.e., all but driver and feeder) 9d per bushel." Mr Sealey states, iti the paper already quoted, that the district from Temuka to the Waihi Bush was settled before 1870, because, like some settled districts in North Canterbury, not because there were no runs there, but because the land being nearly ail level and nearly all of good quality, the squatters found it impossible to* "spot" it so as to prevent farmers buying it, as was done with the downs land. Prior to 1870 there were very few farmers south of the Sehvyn except around Temuka and Winchester.

In 1865 Agriculture, with a capital A, was formally recognised in the organisation of the Timaru Agricultural arid Pastoral Association. This title must have been at the time either adopted or prophetic, as there was nothing in the conditions of the district at the time to suggest the inclusion of the word ." Agricultural." • The first show of the Association was held in that year, with 112 entries of all kinds, a number that was considered "extremely large." The runholders lived somewhat solitary lives, miles apart, and were glad of any valid excuse for assembling for friendly intercourse. " The Show " provided one of the best and most popular of these excuses, and whether held at Timaru, Waimate, or Fairlie., the "Show" still maintains its pre-eminence as the rural holiday of the year. The literary and prophetic -recognition of Agriculture was followed by the fact. The whole of the available country having been taken up under pastoral leases, newcomers must perforce turn their attention to farming for grain, the high price ruling for all kinds ot iarm produce was a good incentive, and in 1&67 the estimated vield of wheat was 64,000 bushels, and of oats 91,000.