THE PIAKO COUNTY. [By our Travelling Reporter.] Part II. Matamata.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1399, 21 June 1881, Page 2

THE PIAKO COUNTY. [By our Travelling Reporter.] Part 11. Matamata.

Matamata Station a few Aveeks ago must have been a rare combination, for this country, of beauty with business-like activity, with the pretty central cottage of the manager surrounded by gardens in which the trees and flowers have had time to develop all their beauties, the tall pines sheltering the roses and honeysuckles and rhododendrons of the flowerbeds, and the varied treasures of the orchards and fruit gardens from every rude blast, while the tall sheds and cottages of the homestead were clustered about like a Mnall town. , But within the last three weeks the wand of that great magician, Mr Dibble, the manager, has elfected wonderful changes. The whole of the station, with the exception of the residence, has been transferred bodily to another part of the estate about five miles off, known as Wycliffe, and situated near the point where the monument to Wiremu Thompson stands, and at the junction of the roads from Cambridge, Tauraijga, and Te Aroha. This was considered a more central position, and therefore better suited for the site of the station, and with the aid of an eight horse - power traction engiM*, some screw - jacks, and unlimited hand - power, the change was effected at once, some of the cottages being hoisted bodily on to the trucks without rebuilding', and carted whole to their future destination at Wycliffe, where now the long lines of sheds and stables, and the' trim cottages surrounding the little school-house, make up a picture of active progress and comfort, highly suggestive of the advantages of capital. On the road are the sheep dipping pens, and the Burwood station for the men employed on the estate, consisting of comfortable cottages, a dining-room and kitchen, with every requisite for cleanliness and good feeding, and some moveable wooden cottages to be transferred to any part of the place where work may be going on, and affoiding an immensely superior accommodation to a tired or wet labouring nun at the end of his day's work to a whare or a small tent. Afier a pleasant luncheon, Mr W. F. Firth mounted me on a mare that both in her appearance and her paces offered a wonderful contrast to my dearly beloved old misery, and we went steadily to work to sco nil that could be seen in the limited time at my disposal, though I must say here as on the occasion of my visit to another of the magnificent estates in these parts of New Zealand, that it would be impossible to do justice to one of them with less than a week to devote to a careful examination of every pait, and mine must only be a flying- sketch with many omissions ' Mr Firth's well-known property extends over the largo plans from the Waihou river to the Mangapapa creek for about 20 miles, and of ifc about 13,000 acres have been broken up and sown in jrrass or crops of various kinds. Some 3500 acres are each season added to Lhe quantity of the improved land, and it is intended to fully test the capabilities of f,he Auckland proviuce to compete with the youth in the production of cereal crops, 400 acres having been devoted to wheat last season, and 1 100 acres this reason. The winter sowing of 600 acres of the particular kind known as •' Hunter's White " has been finished very successfully, and the remainder will consi-t of the spring wheat known as the "White Tuscan." The crop of last season on new fern land averaged about 20 bushels to the acre, a very fair crop according to English ideas, though not equal to the produce of some of the magnificent New Zealand lands, and it must be remembered that as a rule the production of soil in which the fernroot remains, as it must after a first, or even a third ploughing, is no criterion of what it will be capable of growing when sweetened by a year or two's feeding. From what I saw of some of the soil and heard of other parts, I should imagine it would be as good as any to lie found on the Canterbury Plains for wheat, and unrivalled for barley, oats, and all kinds of root crops. Some of the land on the southern end of the estate is remarkably good, consisting of a dark loam on a fine clay subsoil, while the bulk of that on the plains is a good light loam on a subsoil of a sandy nature, that will be found excellent for grass, oats, or mangold wufrsel. Having heard that 1500 acres of hay crop were stacked last season, and noticed the endless ranges of stacks of fine sweet-smelling provender about the feeding paddocks, I was pilotted to one of the sights of Matamata, namely, the machine shed, a fine corrugated iiou building of 80ft. by 64, into which we rode our Tiorses. My guide, Mr Dibble, the manager, may very naturally feel a pride in showing the, contents of this building to a visitor, for a more valuable collection of farming implements of all kinds, could not be found anywhere in the colony. A sum of perhaps £5000 has been laid out in this department alone, and it speaks volumes for the energy and liberality with which the work of improvement is to be continued. The first piece of machinery to attract attention is the 8-horse-power traction engine, whose work I had witnessed in the removal of the settlement, and the six carriages bolonging to it, of Fowler's make. .Next I was shown eight of McCormicks reapers and binders, invaluable machines for large crops of grain, and worth from £75 to £80 agiece. Not more than a year ago. one of these implements in an agricultural show was an object of interest, but the modern farmer sees that he must use machinery in every branch of his work, and , goes fn fox? it more and more, in co-operation , where indiridual means will not affSfd it. I did see a very pretty little farm scene last , autumn, on one small settlement not far from Auckland, of the owner handling his scythe, and his old woman and daughter binding, while the son in one cool corner, was whacking away with a sheet and a flail, thrashing out some of the old crop, but I am afraid the old gentleman would find the primitive style of very little use in competition , with machinery. In another part of the shed, Mr Dibble pointed out to me 16 ingeniously constructed mowing machines, witji loaders for filling up the drays, to supersede the good old pitch fork. Then there was a thrashing, machine with ' all thV latest improvements, coating, very little short of £750, while all along the sides were ranged 6 sowing machines, 4 drills, 2 manure drills, grass sowing machines, , stripping machines, and ploughs, 'harraws, and rollers with every variety of modern invention for expediting and' improving the work to be done. As a aho'w, this shed alone Would 'be'wotth'a day's journeyj and a? an mi dication of 'the scale on which 'things are conducted at Matamata .and the determination to carry 'out 1 a gtand obj«ot to completion regardless of expense, and ',khQ*ihg^ftat it^Ul repay "the 'outlay tenfold when 'complete it cannot be too heartily admired. I( ,J ' 'iYJ(2tfWe)tinHnitffi,)u. '