MATA MATA A OF TO-DAY

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6930, 1 February 1906, Page 2

MATA MATA A OF TO-DAY

:T8 PROSPECTS AND ITS WANTS

(By our Special Fei'irter.)

In the number of selectors, Mat tinata is the second on the list of estat acquired under the Lands for Settlement Act, in the colony. Waikikahi, in Canterbury, which was purchased for £328,314, selectors, while Matamata, which cost .£127,515 has 161. The Kosewiil property, the third on the list, also in Canterbury, which was taken over three months prior to the opening of Matamata, cost nearly a quarter of a million, ani carries only 15!) selectors. From an economical point of view, therefore, the purchase of tin Assets Board's big property was good business, as it has enabled a comparatively large number of settlers to take up holdings of more or less improved land at a minimum of cost. Complaints of hard times have been received lately from a fe<v of the settlers, but this is ouly what might be expected. The first year or two of any nuv undertaking, whether ia business or farming, is bound t) be an uphill struggle. In several cases at Matamata the new settlers, although keenly desirous of doing their best, were wanting in both capit il and experience, and though the Government provided them with land on the most ! reasonable terms, it can hardly be expected t) supply a full measure of the last two requisites Let anyone who has goue through or known the real hardship! of a " back-blocks" settler's life in the more outof the-way districts in the colony, compare the lot of one of these with a Matamata settler, and he will speedily come to the conclusion that the latter is on a veritable b-'d of roses in comparison with the former. Fair to good roads, within easy reach of the railway line, creameries close at h ind, good markets for live stock and easily worked land, are among the most important adjuncts to the success of the farming community, anl these the settlers on Matamata or the " great plain" possess. DAIRYING. The settlement is particularly suited for dairying and m'xed farming,and it is to the former that the majority of the settlers look for their principal receipts. During the last twelve mmths, there has been a big development of th'B industry. A year ago there was only one creamery draw ng

its milk from about 500 cows. Now, there are four utilising the product of quite 2000. The creameries are owned by the enterprising firm of Ambury, English and Co., and are under the general superintendence of Mr J. Stein, who has No. 1 creamery in the township under his more immediate management. .Some 200 gallons of cream are being sent away daily to the firm's up-to-date butt' r factory at Frankton. A steam engine supplies the motive power for the machinery at No. 1, but at the other three creameries oil-engines have been installed with small Massey steam boilers for cleansing purposes. At No. 1 creamery, in the Mataraata township, there are 32 suppliers, Mr J McCaw sending in the milk from close or 90 cows and Mr Green from 6( odd. What is known as No. 2 creamery is situated at the southern end of tht settlement, where the railway crosses the Cambridge road. It cliiuis 23 suppliers Among the larger suppliers are Messrs Bremer and McGuire, owners of the Okaiu.

w& estate, who milk about 90 cows and sent la some 1200 gallons daily, and Mr A Streiff, whose average supp y this montl is about §OO gallons No. 3 creamery known as Turanga-o-Moina (Mouth of thf Sea) ; is in the nort v eastern corner anr only draws its supplies from rlevei ditto rent holding?, Messrs J. Brown and H. (fir land sending in 1000 -md 0)0 gallon =i res pectively. No.-t cre-m-ry is situate! al the junction of tbu Ma! >.i an 1 Station roab at the foot of th.; hills on the western sic'< and has only seven suppliers, of whoti) Mi R. present per lb butter fat is paid an 1 ! probably under the besi conditions bonusei equivalent to another 5-Sthsof a p'-noy wil also be distributed. The best daily supplj from all the creameries so far has be i 17,000 gallon?, but next year it is hopec that the larger total ot (iO.OOO will be reach ed. Last month was paid out at No 1 creamery, while i:l7bo was the tota amount of cheques paid out at the four. A new testing room is being built at No. 1 where the milk from the 72 suppliers, a well as the skim milk from e*ch of th« creameries, is tested each week by Mi Stein. The average test for the LetHemco may be put down at 3.9, the indjvidua tests ranging from 3.6 to 4.2. (janerall; speaking, the tests were slightly ia favou of tho head creamery, owiag, no doubt, ti | the milk from older established herds beinj

sent there. Mr Stein inform id our repressntatm that there was a considerable difference i! the cleanliness of the milk fent in, but ii this respect there was a decided improve ment over the previous year, aceountabli for in a great measure by better shed ar rungements and appliances. With the ob ject of encouraging; suppliers tj send ii their milk in as clean a state as possible Mr Stein has taken up the matter o awarding points for cleaa milk, including care of cans, the points ranging from 1( for " excellent " to 8 for " very bid," and ; glance at the manager's list showed tha

five suppliers at No. 1 lud earned thi nnximum mirks. Those who bring thai milk from a distance are necessarily some what handicapped compared with thosi who live near at hand. The present firn who own the creameries, appear to have given general satisfaction to the settlers but as in many other parts of the colony thi advisibility of bringing into action thi great forco of co-operation has beet brought up and a final meeting will pro baljly be held next month to decide tht matter. The dairying industry ai, Mahuma maj be said to too only in its infancy,for the re* carrying capacity of the settlement is fai above its present numbers, if sufficient at tention is given to providing winter feed When the estate was in the hands of tht Assets Board, it carried in round numbers 35,000 sheep, 3~00 cattle and 400 horses, oi a total equivalent to 5t>,000 of the firs! i named stock. An estimate of the stock now on the estate, as given by one of itleading settlers, who should be the most competent authority, is as follows: —Milch

cows 2000, equivilent to 12.000 sheep; 150 C other cattle, equal to 7,500 sheej>; horses, equal to 40(0, and as an extremo figure say also 5000 sheep, giving a total of 28,500. In tho old chys, 2000 acres were annually laid down in turnips, 700-800 acres in rapq and 500-600 acres in oats, which allowed of a good sized area of new grass being available each year. WINTER FKEI). Thy backbone of the whole success of rai wing on Matamata, rests on an adequati supply of winter feed being provided for tli a stock. Unless the settlors make up their minds to the necessity of keeping up the condition of their milking cattle during the winter, they will tind that thuir cows will take the best part of the spring and 6ummer months getting back into condition and will not be able to t irn the Hush of the ijeld in the spring to the fullest advantage. To put it briefly, winter feed meaus turnips, turnips me&n milk, and milk means

i fat cheques. Systematic turnip growing is the keynote of Matamata's prosperity, and there is probably no laud iu the North Island, where root crops cau be grown to better advantage. It also mean c , apart from the direct profit-, a practical renewal of the fertility of the land, and most of the farms, by takin :definite oat h year, can bo gone over in a course of turnipping in ab jut ?even years, depending in a measure on the size ■ f the holding. By this means tho land can be kept in good heart, stock will be well wintered, the oat crops will jjive a payable return, and the new grass paddocks will top off the lambs and fat sheep and increase the butter fatratio in the dairy herd. Liberal manuring moans liberal returns, and though some of the setlers may find the outlay for niauure a severe tax on their resources there is not a shadow of a doubt that they would make a handsome profit on their outlay. Another advantage the setthrs have,compared V ith those on heavier land, is that the ground is easily worked, a" double furrow " with a good team on fairly long lands being able to turn over nearly four acres a day. Again there is little fear of '• poaching " the land in winter time, so that the stIOP.V trftf full harmfjf r.f flm

stock get the full benefit of the roots ?rown. No doubt the moro piogreFsivo farmers in Uatamata take a keen interest in the manure question, as it vitally alleets their welfare, and will carefully watch the results of the various experiiueutß which are carried out from time to time at the Runkura State farm. At the present time some limited trials of manures are boimr conducted on three different parts of the estate fc>y Messrs McCaw, Bowler and Simpson in reference 10 tb6 use of manures as applied to turaips. The object of the eswrwioat is to test the utility o? other*

wise of the application of potash to root' •rops. Each uf these set tlers named have marked off three plots of ground and have u«ed t! e minures at the fallowing rates per aore : Ni>. 1, unmauured; No. 2, Bonedust towt, Superphosphate lcwt, (the usual mixture); No. 3., Bonedust lcwt, Superphosphate lcwt. Muriate of Potash Jcwt. Most light land is greatly benefitted by pitish, and it is a manure which, in the form of kaipit, may be purchased at a comparatively moderate cost. the harvest. Generally speaking, the oat crops have I 'e«n harvested in splendid condition, wt-11 headed and free from rust, and should turn out fine bright samples of chaff. Almost all the crops are now safely under cover. The yield per acre should be fairly go< d tunning frum 1£ to 2 tons. Small paddocks ot barley may be seen here and there, but wheat p iddoeks appear to be matters of the past, ihirty years ago, the Maoris used to grow 50 bushel crops of wheat on the Peria slopes on the western side of the settlement where the land is stronger than on Hats. In connection with the straw crops, it might be well to mention that Messrs Andrews and Co., of Pukekohe, are, it ib understood, about to send down a large chaff cutting plant and threshing machine. The latter especially, should be of service to the settlers as enabling them to U3e their oats for horse feed and seed.

In the next article the Native Land question, as affecting Matamata, will be dealt with, as well as several other matters affecting the wellfare of the ■ettlement.