SETTLERS ON PIHAUTEA.

Wairarapa Age, 16 March 1922, Page 2

SETTLERS ON PIHAUTEA.

UP-TO-DATE DAIRYMEN. (“The Age” Special.) The soldier settlers- on the Pihautea. settlement, numbering 21, are ruining towards the end of a season that, all things considered, has been a very satisfactory one. Their cheese factory has had a good season, with its 20 soldier suppliers and a few outsiders, and it has been paying out at the rate of 9d per pound for butter tat. The bulk of the settlers are milking, and most of them have found the supply of feed ample up-to-date. This has not been quite the case wit. those who happen to hold sections orthe higher part of. the settlement, w here the land is rather Light and the water not sufficient. Those are the men who are having the hardest time of it. One or two of the settlers are milking this year for the first time. They adopted the policy of buying young stuff and spending their first year getting their places into order so as to be able to devote themselves entirely to the milking when the cows came in for the second season. t The confidence of the soldier settlers in the*d'airying capacity of Pili autea is evidenced by the fact that about June last no less than seven pedigree bulls were brought on to the place by different settlers. Soma good milking strains of cows have also been obtained, and the herds in a few years should show the benefit of this selection. WEALTH FROM LUCERNE. The Piliaiutea settlers have had good reason to realise the value of lucerne for dairy caittle, and there are to-day some very fine takes on the settlement. The best of all is the 14 acres which v.ms laid down by Mr Bidwill close to the river frontage, some four years, ago. This has fallen to two of the soldiers, Mr Robert Ness vn-th 10| acres, and Mr Mulcahy with the balance. It is a splendid object lesson to the rest of the sefttlers. Mr Ness has had five cuts already this season and will take a sixth before the winter. Last year he hanwested 81 tons of lucerne from his field, Which at £7 to £8 a ton, carried him through while his cons were coining to profit. Mr Ness, who was trained on Mr Slack’s place in Manawatu, takes a scientific interest in lucerne and should be a useful guide to any of his fellow settlers who wish to go into the business. A number of other settlers have put down small takes, with varying success. Just at the foot of the high portion of the settlement there are several takes which are in their infancy. Mr Wilson put some down in the spring from which he has already had two cuts, and he is hoping\ for two more. Not far off are takes put down at the same time which have come away rather patchy. Brbbelbly the Agricultural Instructor will be asked to sive a demonstration at an early date.

A sawmill belonging to Mitchell and Cook is still cutting out some of the bush near the river. The settlers get their timber reasonably from this source.