Oroua Downs Estate.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 6926, 8 October 1889, Page 2

Oroua Downs Estate.

(By " Traveller.") Having heard so much about this wonder« ful estate, I thought I would go and hare a peep at ifc a few days ago. I was fortunate enough to drop in with a party who wera. doing the same thing, and after partaking of the hospitality of Mr John Reid at the Ropani, we set oufc. Before going I was ■wonderfully struck with the view of tho portion of the estate from Mr J. Reid's verandah, at the Ropani. This picturesque house is situated in n. commanding position, being nearly surrounded by bush forming a splendid shelter, and certainly, without exception, tho richest land it is possible for man to conceive. Ifc did one's heart good to see the magnificent paddocks all around, and the bullocks browsing aboufclooking the picture of contentment in various stages of fatness, some boing so prime they could 4 hardly walk. The latter, those attending ' the Palmerston Show will see, for L hear they are to be shown there ; and when you come to think thia is done in a little bend of bush, on a small area of land, without a particle of artificial food, it speaks volumes for the soil. The first farm we went to, which will be sold on 6th February, was on the Ropani, containing 128 acres of the cream of the land subdivided into 5 paddocks, with a good 4-roomed house, 3 stall stable with 4 rooms attached and loft, stock and sheep yards. This most compact farm will face the Awahuri Longburn Road, V and never to my mind have I ever seen so perfect a little farm, the sward of grass is so thick that you could not put a penny on the soil, the growth is splendid and of the richest colour. It would be hard to say what number of sheep that land would carry to the acre, as they would destroy tho feed far more by making it dirty than they could by eating it. All this land is ploughable, and 20 acres have already been ploughed. This Foil would simpjy grow anything. Mr Reid told me, on a quarter of an aero on this farm, he grew potatoes wnich yielded a crop at tao rate of £36 tons to the acre. This farm is sure to bring a long figure and it should, for I am convinced there is nob better land in New Zealand. The other sections joining this are equally rich, but they have not so much fencing on them against whioh there are pieces of ornamental bush, which will make charming sites for homesteads. We then crossed over equally good land intended for the second 6ale, to the sections fronting the Oroua River which, will be offered at tho first sale. These sections havo been surveyed into farms in such a manner as will bring all the existing fences in as boundary lines as much as possible, and in every case takes in the higher land near the Oroua River, thus giving each section a good site for a homestead. Mr Scott, who, has the suivey, is pushing on his work in a mosfc satisfactory manner, and evidently thoroughly understands what he is doing. ' On many of the sections fronting the Oroua there are splendid lots of flax, and mills are working in eyery direction bringing this now valuable commodity into tho market. Portions of this flax will be on some sections which will be sold at the first sale, and the purchasers of the land will reap the benefit of contracts existing for the sale of the flax at the time the land is sold which is bringing in a splendid return. Several sections near the Campbelltown settlement will also bo sold at the first sale, that is equally good land, and should command high prices. After riding over this magnificent estate how vividly it came to my mind that to be successful how necessary it is thafc capital and labour should work together. Had not the late Mr R. Campbell and his son, the Honourable R. Campbell, undertaken this great work of reclaiming this apparently impregnable swamp, it would have been a vast swamp to this day as far as the different Governments wore concerned. But selling the land as they did to the Campbells has been Hie cause of the greatest benefit to this district. Facts speak for themselves. Yon have only to go through the thriving settlement of Campbolltown, which once joined part of this estate, and judge for yourself. There you will see splendid little farms with excellent roads, and, as Sir George Grey would say, " smiling homesteads." The settlers there are all doing well and contented, and the majority of them got there store from the labour they obtained from the Oroua Downs Station, in the shape of draining this vast swamp and bringing it into the magnificent state of cultivation it is now in. This, together with the absolute proof in tho shape of the extraordinary returns tho Oroua Downs Station is no\r yielding, speaks volumes for tho managemenfc, and very rightly places Mr J. McLennan foremost in the lank of successful managers of large estates in the colony. When the returns were made up some time ago we heard thafc this station grossed in fat stock, wool, and flax over £34,000 in a year, at an expenditure of £4000. I am told it is absolutely better than £34,000, as the price then was calculated at the amount drawn on fat beef and mutton frozen and sent Homo. In every case since there has been a handsome sum to receive in addition. lam sure any one reading this will think I am telling a fairy story instead of the truth, to those of such a wind I say pray go and see for yourself, for I am convinced you will return from the property in the same mind as I have dono, and say to yourself you havo never seen anything like it in your life. I shall look forward to this sale with keen interest, as I can]imagine what animmenseboontoths country this nil! be, instead of carrying, as it is now, only comparatively a few hands, it will support a very large population, who, with such, material at their command, -will only have themselves to blame if they do not succeed. The Lougburn Freezing Works will shortly be an established fact) and all this land is essentially fattening ground, and if the farmers a< c prudent and make tip their minds to go in for freezing thoir stock, considering these works will be only 5 or 6 miles from their properties, they have got auch opportunities of doing welt as have never beei offered to anyone before. I feel quite convinced every farm will sell, and all I hopo is they will fall into the hands of the many and not of the few.