1849 - Hursthouse, C. An Account of the Settlement of New Plymouth - CHAPTER VII: Agricultural and grazing capabilities..

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CHAPTER VII.

THE Taranaki district is pre-eminent for its agricultural capabilities; experience has proved that English grain and root crops, seeds, vegetables, and fruits, are easily produced of excellent quality. In the virgin forests of America, where trees are deciduous, a mass of foliage is annually shed, forming in time a deep vegetable mould; but here, where all is evergreen, the foliage, dropping only leaf by leaf, is partially withered up and dissipated before its decomposition into this vegetable mould. Thus the rich surface soil is comparatively shallow, and the peculiar adaptation of this district for agriculture arises less from any extreme fertility of soil, than from the genial and forcing nature of the climate, the extent of level land, the low cost at which it can be cleared, and the extraordinary ease with which the soil can be worked at all seasons of the year. Here, neither droughts nor wet harvests occur; water and water-power are abundant; all animals thrive, and no winter-provision is neces-

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sary for stock. Violent storms, which occur even in England, blights, rust, and mildew, so injurious to grain crops, are here unknown. Except the rat and the parroquet, there is no destructive animal or bird--these are comparatively harmless; and no insects are found so injurious as the locust, wire-worm, turnip-fly, and others, which occasionally commit such ravages in various parts of the world.

It is only within the last four years that the Taranaki settlers have been engaged, generally, in cultivating; and although in this period several important facts have been discovered, it can hardly be said that farming is yet reduced to a settled system. The principal cultivation, hitherto, has been on land covered with fern from six to eight feet high, intermixed with a small bush, called "Tutu." The surface soil is a vegetable decomposition, of seven to ten inches, matted together by the fern root, with a light, yellow, loamy subsoil of many feet in depth, entirely free from stones, shells, gravel, or clay; in fact, no real clay or brick earth has yet been discovered. When this land is broken up and got into order, the soil becomes so pulverised, and is ever after so easy of cultivation, that a pair of oxen will easily plough an acre a day, even with the rude and clumsy implements which are still generally in use.

Fresh fern land has one marked peculiarity, called "sourness" by which is meant some property hostile to the growth of crops, put in directly

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after the breaking-up. The probable cause of this, is the absence in the new soil of such promoters of vegetation as the ammoniacal gases, readily absorbed from the atmosphere when the soil is loosened and exposed; although if "sourness" arose entirely from this cause, it would appear strange that the bush-land also is not subject to it. If a piece of the finest fern land be cleared and sown at once with wheat, the yield would probably not exceed fifteen bushels per acre; the same piece prepared nine months beforehand might yield from thirty-five to fifty bushels; but on timber land this would make no difference.

In cultivating fern land, the first operation is to clear away the fern, which is best done in some dry month. Choosing a gentle breeze, the fern is fired; if it burns well, all the thick and matted dead stuff at the bottom, with the leafy part of the live fern, will be consumed, leaving only the shrivelled "Tutu," and the cane-like fern stalks, which, as softened by the fire, should be cut at once, either with a strong hook, or, still better, with a short scythe, and the "Tutu" slashed down with a bill-hook. Lying a few days to wither, the stalks are loosely raked up and burnt with the "Tutu" branches, and the "Tutu" stumps have then to be taken up, and carted into a heap, or carried off. After these operations, which cost from 15s. to 20s. per acre, the land is ploughed with a strong plough, having a wrought-iron share, and four oxen. The

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best depth is about ten inches, turning up a little subsoil. When broken up, the soil should lie some time to get pulverised, and to dry the fern root. It should then be harrowed and rolled so as to allow of the easy raking-up and burning of the fern root; and, to get it into superfine order, ploughing and these subsequent operations, should be repeated, when the land, after lying about six months, will be in the finest possible condition for any crop which may afterwards be grown. 1

A complete course of "double working," such as this, costs from 2l. 10s. to 3l. per acre; but it should be observed that as this sum is for work performed chiefly by bullock-power, it will be materially reduced as cattle become cheaper. The price of working oxen in New South Wales is about, 81. per pair, in Wellington and Auckland 20l., whilst here it has generally been about 35l.; but as cattle are fast increasing, and as a direct trade has been commenced with Sydney, it is probable that in another year a pair of oxen will be purchased here for 20l.

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"Glanavon" A Farm of Captn. Davy's

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The best method of cropping fern land thus prepared is hardly yet determined. If the soil has been exposed about nine months, well mellowed, perhaps the best course would be two wheat crops, then manure a little for potatoes, or fallow, and so round; but if it is likely to prove at all sour, the first crop should be potatoes, which might be followed by two grain crops and then a fallow. Sheep have a surprising effect on fern land: a flock folded a single night has been known to increase a crop of wheat in the particular spot nearly 100 per cent.; and all animal manure is considered to go twice as far as in England.

It is probable, however, that fallowing will become a more general, and for some years a more beneficial, plan than manuring. In a new colony like this, farming is never conducted with half that care, labour, and regularity required in old countries; and here, the mere collecting, carting, and spreading manure would frequently be thought to entail too much trouble; whereas "fallowing" would be made a very simple operation. Messrs. Davy, Glanavon Farm, have a piece of 20 acres of fern land, on which the course was first, wheat (a splendid crop); second, barley; third, a fallow, receiving two ploughings; and fourth, wheat. This crop was at one time expected to yield an average of nearly 50 bushels per acre; but from being too rank 2--the

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straw six feet long--its average will not be 40 bushels. On my brother's farm, a piece of fern land which had borne three successive grain crops, the last very light, was also fallowed, receiving merely one rather deep ploughing; the fourth crop was wheat, estimated at 45 bushels per acre.

The clearing of bush land should be commenced in October or early in November, so that the stuff when cut may dry and wither through the hot months, and burn-off freely in March. The forest has a thick undergrowth which should be cut first and low; the smaller trees are then thrown with an American axe, the larger with a cross-cut saw. When a tree is down, all its straggling limbs, which would prevent the next from lying close and compact, should be lopped-off; and any little extra care in the felling effects great saving in the "burning-off;" for which a very dry day, with a steady breeze, should invariably be chosen. If the fire acts well, almost everything will be consumed save the trunks and heavy branches, which are lopped-off, heaped, and burnt: the trunks are then cross-cut, rolled together, and burnt; or the best are suffered to lie, or at once drawn away for firewood and fencing.

Timber can be thrown for 30s. to 40s., and burnt-off for 2l. 10s. to 3l. per acre; but, by a plan that will generally be adopted as the clearing of bush land becomes better understood, a saving of 15l. or

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20l. per cent, will probably be effected. This plan is to leave standing, here and there, any particularly large or hard-grained tree: the great labour of cutting it down and clearing it away is thus saved. Killed by the fire, it is not injurious to any crop underneath. It occupies no greater space standing as a dead tree than as a stump; and it can be taken down whenever it may be required for firewood or fencing.

The forest here, although the land is level and the timber lighter than in some districts, is nevertheless such a tangled mass of luxuriant vegetation, that it presents rather a formidable appearance to the English axeman; and fern land, seemingly, much easier to work, has commonly been selected for farming. Which is the most profitable to cultivate, is a question not yet decided by experience. The best plan of clearing timber land would be to employ natives, through some European of influence among them. A dozen good men, living on the spot, working together, stimulated by "utu" (payment), would soon cut down a 20-acre clearing in such a style as to ensure a good burning; so that this work, frequently costing 3l. per acre, would probably be done for 30s.

Both fern and timber land will eventually be cultivated at less expense, though the greatest reduction may be expected in the latter. At present, the one to be cleared, thoroughly worked, and got into the finest order, costs 3l. 10s. per acre; the other is

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cleared for 4l 10s., and for its first grain crop the seed can be "chipped-in" for 10s. per acre more. Now, if this "chipping-in" would answer for three or four years successively, the surface roots and smaller stumps would so decay that the land might easily be prepared for the plough, when the difference in expense between cultivating fern and bush land would be very trifling. This plan, however, is thought to succeed only once, for when tried again the crop is frequently choked by sowthistle. If wheat, then, be required a second time, the land is generally "hacked-up," cleared of surface roots, and hand raked; an operation called "grubbing," which costs from 5l to 6l. per acre--too great an outlay for the production of any common grain crop.

It has not been fully proved that this plan of "chipping-in" would answer only once; but, assuming such to be the case, the most profitable method of cultivating bush land would probably be this: a heavy wheat crop might be taken first, and then the greater part of the section laid down in grass; for dairy produce would pay well as an export, and the bush land soon affords luxuriant pasturage. 3 Twenty-five acres, or any quantity which the settler could stock, might be applied to this purpose; and about ten left standing as shade and shelter, and as a small run. Cattle browse on the undergrowth, and a cow on the bush alone will keep herself in

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good order throughout the year. Twenty-five acres would keep at least twenty milch-cows in the finest condition; and the remainder of the section might be devoted to the growth of "Cobbet's corn," which, with the surplus milk, would enable the settler to fatten a quantity of pigs for hams and bacon--a staple article of trade, almost everywhere in demand. After the land had been a few years in grass, four good oxen would pull up so many of the stumps that, if desirable, the plough might be worked; and a succession of fine grain crops obtained at small expense.

The comparative value of bush land has been underrated: it is the richest soil; in all grain crops there is a considerable saving of seed, the yield is greater, and most things may be put in nearly two months later. It is admirably adapted to some of what Loudon classes as "Plants cultivated on a limited scale for various arts and manufactures," such as flax, hemp, oil plants, hops, mustard, tobacco, &c. Bush land also yields the quickest return: for instance, an emigrant arriving in November or December would be enabled to get down a few acres of timber to burn-off in March; and, by sowing wheat in July or August, he would ensure a heavy crop the following January, but on fern land this could not be done, for the reasons given at page 92.

In summing up the respective merits of fern and bush land, it may be said, that on farms of from

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100 to 200 acres, or of any size, with the necessary stock and implements, the common crops--wheat, barley, oats, and potatoes--can be produced cheapest on the first. But in the case of a settler with a small capital and a grown-up family, who required only fifty acres, and who desired to make the most of the hand labour 4 at his command, or for dairy farming on any scale, the preference should certainly be given to bush land.

Wheat is a certain crop--not subject to rust, mildew, or the attack of any insect. It is best sown on fern land early in May, at the rate of from two to three bushels per acre, though one is sufficient, and August is soon enough on bush land. Harvest is general about the 10th of January, when wages are 5s. per day, or wheat is cut for 12s. to 15s. per acre. Threshing was formerly a slow and tedious job, costing 1s. per bushel, and even then badly done; but as machines are now coming into general use, this expense will probably be reduced to 6d., and much valuable hand labour saved for the clearing of fresh land. The wheat grown here is of excellent quality, but in the present state of farming it is impossible to give the correct average yield per acre. In fact, the yield of crops in a young colony is a subject on which rather wild notions seem generally to prevail, and on which is expended no

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little exaggeration. 5 Fern lands apparently alike in every respect have varied in yield the same season as much as twenty bushels per acre--a difference attributable to bad preparation and premature cropping. Small cultivators have not always been able to farm properly; and others, until lately, have not been fully convinced that fern land pays best when thoroughly worked at first, as in the manner before described. The most practical men are of opinion, that when this is done the general average yield of wheat in this district will be from thirty to thirty-five bushels per acre. The heaviest crop that has yet been obtained on any large piece was 448 bushels from eight acres, equal to fifty-six bushels per acre; sixty bushels have occasionally been obtained on small pieces; and in one instance, it is said that the first crop on an acre of bush land sown with four pecks was nearly eighty bushels of clean wheat.

From the apparent nature of the soil, it was expected that barley would succeed even better than wheat; it has, however, been found inferior both in yield and quality; and if the common crops were

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placed in the order in which they have answered best, they would stand nearly as follows: --

Wheat, say......3
Potatoes, .......2 3/4
Barley and Oats......2

As wheat, however, has been grown in the proportion of eighteen to three of barley, and eighteen to two of oats, the latter have scarcely had a fair trial. Three to four bushels per acre more of wheat would be obtained if the operations of harvesting, thrashing, and dressing were better performed; and in estimating the agricultural capabilities of this district by the present yield of crops, it should be remembered that if farming were conducted with that practical knowledge, skill, and attention required in England, the yield would be materially increased; in some cases, perhaps, almost doubled.

Barley, as before observed, has not been grown so extensively as wheat, nor has it generally received the same degree of attention. Some difference of opinion exists as to the proper season for sowing. The best time would probably be early in September, but if tilled then, it begins to ripen in December, and is generally attacked by a caterpillar, which, making its appearance in that month, is very destructive in biting off the ear just as it changes colour. As this insect comes at one particular time, and is injurious to barley chiefly when ripening, late sowing, about the 20th of October, has

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saved the crop; but in this case the yield is deficient.

Owing principally to the caterpillar, barley has not yet been grown with much success; fifty bushels per acre is the most that has been obtained, and twenty to twenty-five is about the average yield. However, as it would pay better than wheat, if the yield were only equal, more attention will he paid to its cultivation; and by getting the land into finer condition, late sowing will probably be found to succeed in every respect.

Oats have been but little attended to. From the high relative price which they bear in Auckland and Wellington, this is rather surprising, but may be partly accounted for by the fact that seven-eighths of the farmers here are from English counties, where their culture is not found profitable. Oats, also, though in a less degree than barley, arc subject to the attack of the caterpillar. The best crop was grown by a settler from Lincolnshire, who, sowing-very early--the 6th of April--succeeded in saving it before the caterpillar made its appearance: the yield was about forty-five bushels per acre; but the crop being sown on fern land, after a good fallow, was too strong, and became partially lodged before harvest.

Maize grows luxuriantly on bush land, and the natives raise it in warm spots; but the climate of this district, like that of Van Diemen's Land, is not sufficiently hot to ripen maize as a general crop.

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Cobbet's corn, however, succeeds remarkably well; under garden cultivation it has yielded nearly a bushel of shelled corn to a rod. It would be an excellent first crop on bush land.

Potatoes are a certain crop; not subject to disease, nor, if planted in proper time, to the attack of any insect. On bush land they attain a great size, but are not so good in quality as those grown on fern, which are remarkably dry and mealy. The early sorts should be planted in August; the later, for a general crop, in September, or early in October. On fern land, without manure, about six tons per acre are considered a fair crop; but bush land will produce from ten to fourteen. An extraordinary potato plant once grew in a garden on the "Black Iron-sand;" in size, the haulm and top resembled some bushy shrub rather than a potato. It was taken up in the presence of witnesses, and the tubers, carefully counted, numbered 240, of which 170 were of fair cooking size.

Turnips have not been extensively grown. The middle of October is the best time for sowing, although a fair crop has been obtained when tilled as late as Christmas; twenty tons per acre are considered about the average yield. Turnips, like all other roots grown here, are of excellent quality, and specimens of Swedes weighing thirty pounds are not uncommon.

Beans, peas, cabbages, parsneps, carrots, and onions, have been grown chiefly as garden vege-

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tables; but from the luxuriance of their growth, some of them may become rotation crops. Parsneps and carrots yield most abundantly, and nearly 300 lbs. of onions have been obtained from three-quarters of a rod of the black sandy soil near the beech.

About three years ago, some interest was excited by an attempt to introduce the cultivation of English flax. From some experiments tried chiefly by Mr. Flight, a gentleman conversant with the subject, it appeared probable that the soil and climate of the Taranaki district would be found well suited to the production of this important article, and a sample was sent to Messrs. Marshall, the Leeds flax-spinners, and to a Dorsetshire house, whose report of its quality was considered favourable. Seed was imported, but owing chiefly to the want of capital, and to the then unsettled state of the Land Question, none of it was sown, and the subject has not since been revived.

About 260 acres have been laid down in grass; chiefly white clover and rye-grass mixed, other varieties not having been generally obtainable: grass seeds are best sown in March. The white clover is very luxuriant, and by banks and road sides, from farm to farm, is gradually spreading over the country. For pastoral purposes, however, the district adjoining the present southern boundary of the Settlement, extending sixty miles along the coast, is one of the finest in New Zealand, and as

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capable of supplying cheap working stock for the farms, and beef and wool for exportation, portions of it would form a most valuable appendage to the present agricultural Settlement. 6 The greater part of this district is better adapted for cattle than for sheep, or rather, for cattle first. The roughest tract is so improved in two or three years by the depasturing of cattle, as entirely to change its character. The fern is destroyed to some extent, and is succeeded by coarse grasses. If sheep follow, the fern is gradually killed, grasses become finer, and white clover soon appears: thus, in the end, luxuriant pasturage is obtained, never here burnt up in droughts, but always green and succulent.

Cattle and sheep thrive, and, like all other animals which have been introduced, increase very fast; both are subject to a kind of delirious attack, arising from over feeding on the "Tutu;" but this seldom affects them more than once or twice, and the actual loss caused by it is probably not more than 2 1/2 per cent. A strong dose of spirits, for a bullock two to three bottles, is considered the best remedy, but quick bleeding has been found very efficacious. Sheep are never attacked by the "fly," are free from their common diseases, and fatten quickly; half-bred Southdowns have been killed weighing

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CATTLE AND SHEEP.

nearly 30 lbs. per quarter. From the regular feeding and equable nature of the climate, wool will probably be of fine quality.

It is of course an advantage that the New Plymouth Settlement, distinguished for its fine arable character, should border on a district capable of supporting numerous flocks and herds, and possess a climate so favourable to stock; but it is not as a pastoral country that I should wish to recommend it as a field for successful colonisation. In our Indian possessions where the climate is so baneful, in the Australian Colonies where society is generally bad, the emigrant is naturally less desirous of settling for life than of accumulating money for after enjoyment at home, But in New Zealand, where robust health is ensured in a rich and beautiful country, where no penal taint exists, the emigrant may wisely regard wealth as a more secondary object, and be well content to make the field of his labours his happy home and resting-place. Now, in any mere pastoral country, the population is so thin and scattered, that the "Settler's life" is almost semi-savage; the very reverse of that in an agricultural district like this, where the inhabitants, living in closer vicinity, command society, and can more readily combine for the promotion of their social interests.

The fences made here are a grip and bank, or post and rail. The first costs about 7s. per chain, and is a good external fence when well made and

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kept in order. Owing to the rapid growth of coarse grasses, the face of the bank requires to be slightly pared every year, and the grip cleared out. The post and three rail fence costs about the same as the bank; it is the better cattle fence, and with good Kohekohe posts will stand five years. The best fences have the posts of iron-wood, which is rather more expensive, but almost imperishable. Excellent hurdles, costing 10s. per dozen, made of the karewa, or supple-jack, are useful as temporary fences for gardens, &c. Except in the town, damages caused by cattle trespassing cannot be recovered unless the ground is fenced.

Agricultural Implements 7

The plough which has been found most useful for general purposes--for the one plough on a small farm, is "Meredith's" of Kington, a village in Radnorshire. It is made entirely of iron; the share, and indeed the greater part of it, being of wrought metal. The only objection to this plough is, that although not at all too strong for "breaking-up" land, it is heavier than is necessary for all subsequent operations. It would be improved by having a wheel, and an extra share should be provided, made of the best wrought iron; for in "breaking-up" fresh land, hidden roots of old puriri trees will

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occasionally wring the share as if it had encountered a granite rock.

Perhaps, however, the best plough for the particular and important purpose of "breaking-up" new land, is one of Messrs. Ransome's, of Ipswich. It is known at their manufactory as the "X. P." plough. To make it stronger, the share and coulter should be welded together; when, with six oxen, this plough will be found a most powerful and effective implement. Another excellent plough of the Messrs. Ransome's is the one known as the "Y. C. P." plough. The frame, as well as the beam and handles, is made of wrought iron.

Wheat is cut here in the manner generally practised in Devonshire, called long and "round-hewing"--a quick and efficient plan. The hook used, less curved than the hand-reaping hook, is, I believe, commonly known as the "bagging-hook;" and as young fern is frequently found in first crops, it should be of good temper and quality. The mowing of wheat is, however, coming into practice, and will probably supersede reaping; for it is well adapted to the common fern land crops of about thirty bushels per acre, with short straw; and here, as corn is cheap and labour dear, a little waste is not much regarded if the work be performed quickly. The Kentish corn-scythe and binding-rake, described in the Farmer's Magazine of Sept. 1840, answer well, as would probably the common Cornish scythe and crooks.

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Owing chiefly to bad roads in winter, the wheel carriages in general use are small, strong, bullock carts, made in the Settlement. In harvesting, fore and back ladders are added, which materially increase their capacity; but, for this work, they are of course much inferior to light wagons, or to the improved one-horse Scotch cart. It would be advisable to bring the necessary iron-work for a cart, with a pair of strong wheels, four feet four inches in diameter, and the tire four inches and a half broad. The axles, made only of the best iron or steel, should not be less than two inches and a half in diameter. Spare tire iron, and iron rods for bullock-bows, would also be found serviceable.

Capital harrows are made of Puriri and Rata, but two or three sets of tires, about eight inches in the clear, and fastening with screws and nuts, should always be provided. As to the numerous implements called grubbers, scufflers, tormentors, &c. the price is generally high even in England, and their real value perhaps overrated. If, however, the emigrant, as a practical farmer, knew of any very useful thing, he would do well to bring it--remembering that the soil, though light and easy to work, is at first infested with fern and tutu roots, which makes a fair degree of strength requisite in every implement.

Drilling has never yet been practised; but, as it would undoubtedly be an improvement on the usual plan of "broad-casting," a drill would be service-

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able, although the extra fittings for sowing bone-dust, rape-cake, &c. would be quite unnecessary.

Winnowing machines, complete, would be rather expensive as regards freight. The iron-work and sieves might be brought, and the wood-work added here.

Thrashing machines arc much wanted. The best one yet tried here was imported by J. G. Cooke, Esq. The maker's name is "Farribee," of Stroud. It is worked by two horses--oxen not moving fast enough to keep up the necessary speed; and being light and compact is easy to remove. It runs on two wheels, but four would adapt it better to the inequalities of our roads. The carriage part should be made rather stronger; the wheels higher, and constructed of wood; and as oxen are better adapted to remove it on bad roads than horses, a pole should be substituted for the present shafts. The parts of a thrashing machine most liable to wear out or break should be brought in duplicate, with a good supply of brasses, gudgeons, and all minor appurtenances. The present hire of a machine, without oxen or horses to work it, is about 20s. a day.

A list of various tools and other articles actually necessary to a small fern land farmer is given at page 117; and of course it will not be forgotten, that if a person intends to cultivate bush land, either as an arable or dairy farm, he must make the necessary alterations in his outfit. For instance, ploughs and harrows he would not require; but he

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should bring a better supply of grass seeds, axes, bill-hooks, cross-cut saws, &c, with all things necessary for a dairy; and a little seed of "plants cultivated on a limited scale for various arts and manufactures"--such as flax, hemp, oil plants, hops, mustard, &c, with a good collection of fruit-seeds or cuttings.

Although Taranaki is a fine agricultural district, farming has hitherto not generally been a lucrative pursuit; nor is this surprising, if we come to consider attendant circumstances. It is only within the last four years that the settlers have been engaged in cultivation. In a new country, the proper method of clearing land, the right seasons for sowing, the best rotation of crops, and other things conducive to successful farming, can be decided only by trials necessarily sinking some capital. Moreover, at the commencement, so dear was labour that if the best system of cultivation had been discovered at first, the expense of clearing land would have left no chance of profit; whilst the cost of even rude and clumsy implements, the dearness of stock, and the frequent scarcity of good seed, have all pressed heavily on the "pioneer" farmer. If to these disadvantages are added those which arose from the unsettled state of the "Land Question," almost annihilating trade and paralyzing that energy and enterprise so essential to success in a young colony, no surprise will be felt that farming has not made greater advances, nor generally been a more profit-

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able occupation. 8 However, as experience has nearly indicated the best system of cultivation--as the price of stock has been considerably reduced-- as the "Land Question" is settled--as trade is reviving, and new markets are opening for produce --farming, now commenced clear of early losses, would prove a more lucrative pursuit.

He who, in warm visions of new countries, sees gold strewed thick on every side, will nowhere realize his dream; but the man who is willing to labour for a season to ensure independence and a modest competency, may now safely adopt New Zealand as his home. To such, and to those who would prefer the quiet pursuits of agriculture, to the more hazardous speculations of trade, the following statement is offered to show what could now be done on a small farm. No brilliant fortune is promised, but small risk of loss is incurred, and only a moderate capital is needed.

The calculation is made for a term of three years, and is grounded on the fact that an active farmer, with one good labourer, and a stout lad, four oxen, and the necessary implements, can in that period clear, cultivate, and fence in the best style a fifty-acre fern section; having a surplus of bullock labour to exchange for any extra hand labour

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needed in first clearing the land, in harvest-work, and thrashing. 9 The calculation is made for a young married couple, possessed of about 400l. and without children, who, for the first three years, would be content to work hard and live economically; the husband to plough and do the lighter out-door work, the wife to manage without a servant. Children are left out of the case, to simplify the calculation. Here, on a farm, a well-ordered family, partly grown up, would be a source of profit rather than of additional expense. 10

As there is, in fact, no winter in New Zealand, the mere season of arrival is a matter of comparatively little importance; but in this particular calculation, it is assumed that the emigrant would arrive in November.

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OUTLAY.

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Remarks on

RETURNS.

Crops of "1st Year."

VIII.

10 acres of Barley and Oats, at 20 Bushels per acre = 200 Bushels, at 3s. 6d... £35 0 0
10 acres of Potatoes, at 6 tons per acre = 60 tons, less 8 tons for Seed, &c. = 52 tons, at 20s. per ton .... 52 0 0

Crops of "2nd Year."

30 acres of Wheat, at 30 Bushels per acre = 900 Bushels, less 130 for Seed, &c. = 770 Bushels, at 4s. per Bushel... 154 0 0
10 acres of Potatoes, at 8 tons per acre = 80 tons, less 8 tons for Seed, &c. = 72 tons, at 20s.... 72 0 0
Calf, Cheese, Butter, &c.... 10 0 0

£236 0 0

Crops of "3rd Year."

Same as the "2nd year"

£236 0 0

Value of Produce

559 0 0

---

ASSETS.

IX.

Buildings, Stock, Implements, and portion of Outfit.. £210 0 0
Deduct 25l. per cent, for Risk and Deterioration.. 52 10 0

157 10 0

Seed and Household Wheat and Potatoes on hand--the produce of the "3rd year" --34 0 0

X. -- Value of 50-acre farm, cleared and fenced at 51. 10s. per acre....275 0 0

£1025 10 0

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EMIGRANT'S OUTFIT.

Remarks.

I. This sum, spent economically, would suffice to procure all necessary things. Every article brought to a young Settlement like this, should be of plain and simple fashion, but of the best quality. For an emigrant who came to farm on this scale, the proper things to bring would be as follows: --

First. A stock of plain strong clothing, with a good supply of stout boots. It is difficult to give the approved female costume; fashions are fickle, even in Taranaki; but a gentleman's good common dress is a flannel under-waistcoat, strong blue shirt, No. 7 Coker canvass or stout duck trousers, a sailor's blue frock, or shooting coat, and a native-made kie-kie hat. By adding a waistcoat in cold weather, and changing the hat for a blue cap, this dress, cheap, fashionable, and becoming, is almost perfect for every month. Some warmer clothing should, however, be provided, for although there is no winter, considerable changes of temperature occur in the colder months.

Of furniture, &c, there should be taken out hair mattresses, blankets, and two iron bedsteads, fitted with musquito curtains; a few camp chairs, a camp oven, a set of three-legged iron pots, common cooking and domestic utensils, strong earthenware, table-linen, and some perforated zinc, for a meat-safe; a 3l. medicine chest, and a box of books,

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including "Tegg's Hand-Book for Emigrants," and the "British Husbandry."

Secondly. For the house and buildings. --Boiled linseed oil, and a cask of white lead; three and four inch spikes; proper weather-board and shingle nails, fittings for doors and windows, sashes, ready glazed, and a box of glass.

Thirdly. --Miscellaneous. --A small chest of the most useful carpenter's tools, including some one and a half to two-inch socket chisels, and screw augers, with a couple of mortising axes. Blocks and tackle for hoisting up a heavy pig, a pair of steelyards, butter scales and weights, and a set of imperial measures; steel wedges and a beetle, two or three American axes, with spare handles, three or four bill-hooks, and a grindstone. Broad iron wheel for a barrow, a crosscut saw, two or three short, strong scythes, for cutting fern-stalks, with a set of sharpening stones; two or three mattocks and strong slat axes, for grubbing up tutu stumps; forks; half a dozen flails, shovels, a set of corn sieves, 11 a winnowing sheet and tarpaulin, one of Meredith's ploughs, hooks, harrow-teeth, cart wheels and axle, --all as described in the remarks on "Agricultural Implements," at page 108. A bushel of the best seed wheat, barley, and oats, with grass, turnip, and other useful seeds. These should be well dried,

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and then effectually tinned up, or swung in the cabin and kept aired and free from damp.

By far the best things for packing in are good strong thirty-six gallon casks, having the address on each end; and it is necessary to have every cask containing perishable articles, tinned inside. Casks make bad stowage, but are much stronger than boxes; they can be rolled away by a man, when a box of the same weight would almost require a cart; and may stand in water, yet receive no injury. They answer admirably for beer, water, or pork casks--cut in two, for brewing or washing tubs, and are very useful for holding corn and seeds.

II. Particulars as to the passage will be found at page 71. These ships are frequently laid on to call at New Plymouth first; but the emigrant should procure a distinct agreement to that effect; as the detention at other settlements might occupy as much time as the whole voyage.

III. In the course of two or three weeks after his arrival, the settler will have chosen his section, which should contain from five to ten acres of bush; and, if possible, join some unsold sections. Great care should be taken to select the best situation for the homestead: an excellent one is that on a gentle eminence backed by a few acres of timber; which, by proper management, will afford a near supply of firewood, shade, and shelter, a fine background, and a piece of bush soil for garden, orchard, or paddock. The section chosen, the settler should at

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once engage some neighbour to clear two or three acres for turnips, which can be sown nearly as late as Christmas. A piece of light bush would be the best for this purpose. He should then employ a carpenter to build his house (this is a matter of taste-- a dwelling could be erected for much less), and contract for the mere felling of an acre or two of timber, and the clearing of twenty acres of fern land, ready for the plough. These arrangements made, and the house in course of erection, he should engage some good labourer to assist him in making a stockyard, sheds, &c. The house and these little jobs could be finished by the end of December; when the settler would of course leave the town, move on to the section, purchase oxen, and commence ploughing.

IV. By giving the cattle a few hours' run on the section before and after work, and buying some oat straw with a few potatoes, the cost of first feeding them would be trifling. The turnips would soon come in, and by laying down a couple of acres of bush land in grass, there would soon be abundant keep.

V. Of the fifty acres, it is assumed that forty would be devoted to the growth of crops for sale, and that ten would be taken up by broken land, homestead, garden, and grass and roots for the cattle. By the 1st of January, the settler would be comfortably established on his section; when, of the twenty acres he had previously had cleared, he

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should at once begin to plough and thoroughly work the ten for barley and oats, and then the ten for potatoes. The cultivation of these twenty acres should be carried on with despatch, so as to give the land all possible exposure before sowing time-- about the middle of October.

This work accomplished, it may be said that the regular business of the farm would commence; and the remaining twenty acres might be gradually brought under cultivation, for cropping the second year. The division of this farm into the crops as shown in the calculation is arbitrary: those would be grown which might appear the most likely to pay best; but it would be unwise to try any wheat, as a crop, the first year; for, as it is sown early in May, and as the land could not be prepared before March, the soil would be much too sour.

VI. If the settler knew a little of carpentry, he could erect these buildings himself at leisure times. So useful is this knowledge, that any young emigrant farmer would do well in devoting a few months before leaving his English home to learn the use of the common tools. To myself, the knowledge so acquired has been a source of considerable pleasure and advantage.

VII. This allowance is ample, for after the first year, the farm would produce pork, bacon, poultry, eggs, flour, butter, milk, and all vegetables in profusion: in fact, all necessary articles of consumption, except groceries. New clothing would

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not be required, as the outfit should last four or five years.

VIII. The yield of the twenty acres is taken at this rate, because the land would not be in such fine order for the first, as it would be for the second and following crops. An average of nearly thirty-five bushels per acre would perhaps be obtained; for this farm ought to be cultivated in the best style. Plenty of labour is allowed--no operation need be hurried--and that system of farming would be adopted which the experience of several years had indicated as the best. Considering the average price of Taranaki flour in the Auckland and Wellington markets, it would perhaps be right to allow rather more than 4s. per bushel for wheat; but here, as in all other parts of the calculation, care has been taken to keep on the safe side.

It has been questioned by some, whether the natives will not eventually grow wheat cheaper than Europeans. However desirable this might be in a social or political point of view, the question is here to be considered only as affecting the direct interests of the "Taranaki farmer." Those who deem it possible for the native to undersell, argue that, as time appears of no value to him, he sets little or no price on his labour, and living in a state of nature has no expenses; so that 2s. 6d., or any price which he may obtain for a bushel of wheat, is to him all profit. Such reasoning must, I think, appear quite fallacious. The natives just

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emerging from barbarism have begun, partially, to grow wheat for their own use, the surplus of which, partly from its inferior quality, is occasionally sold for 1s. or 2s. per bushel less than the European grown. But if we assume, that the natives are so to advance in civilization as to cultivate wheat as a general crop for the markets, we must also then assume, on their part, regular habits of industry, a knowledge of the value of labour, an approximation to European habits and manner of living, the sure result of which great changes would naturally be that they would rate the value of wheat, or of any article they might produce, by the European scale. If the New Zealanders remain but one step removed from savages, they will not grow enough to affect the price. When they become civilized, they will expect the wages of civilization. Moreover, there are branches of industry in which the natives would be more successful than in this, for the economical cultivation of wheat requires numerous implements and expensive machinery.

IX. Buildings, stock, and implements, amount to only 180l.; but as part of the outfit, such as articles for the house, ploughs, tools, &c, are real assets, 30l. are added. Judging from experience, a very small per-centage would cover risk, nor would the actual deterioration be great. The deduction of 25l. per cent, is made chiefly because timber and mechanical labour--the principal ex-

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pense in the buildings--would probably be lower at the expiration of the "three years," and thus reduce the value of the property.

X. As we assume that this farm would be substantially fenced both externally and internally, and kept in high cultivation, it ought to be in the finest order at the expiration of the "three years," and 275l. is a less sum than it would actually be worth. If, three years hence, the Settlement is in that condition which even present circumstances justify us in expecting, the real value of such a farm would probably be upwards of 300l. 12

The foregoing calculation, which has been carefully sifted, shows a profit of more than 80l. per annum on a money-capital of 400l.; and as the great comparative labour of first "breaking-up" the land and reducing it to cultivation, occurs but once, this farm ought to show even a more profitable result for any following term of "three years." The settler must, however, never forget, that money is not a more necessary part of his capital than, industry and economy. At the expiration of the

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"three years" there would be such an excess of labour at command, that it would be necessary to increase the farm to 100 acres; hence the advisability of choosing the first section contiguous to some other unsold.

The following statement will show in another way the rate of profit now obtainable from growing wheat. From 1844 to 1846, inclusive, the import of fine flour into Wellington alone was 1,475 tons, and the average price was 16l. 17s. 9 1/4d. per ton of 2,000 lbs.: 13 it is generally rather higher in Auckland. The greater portion of this quantity was supplied by New South Wales, where there has been no great failure in the crops for some years past; 16l. 17s. 9 1/4d. may, therefore, be considered as the average price at which the flour of that country can be sold in the New Zealand markets. But the occurrence of an "Australian drought" might raise this average to 20l. per ton. Taranaki flour, owing to the rude construction and inefficient machinery of the small grist-mills, which have hitherto ground it for exportation, is usually quoted at from 30s. to 40s. per ton lower than the Sydney; a difference which will probably cease, after the completion of a powerful mill now in course of erection. At present, however, the value of the best Taranaki flour in the Auckland and Wellington markets must be rated at about 35s. per ton less than the Sydney, namely at 15l. From

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the bad manner in which wheat is ground here, it requires forty-five bushels, each weighing 60 lbs., to produce a ton of fine flour, and it would take 1 1/2 acre of fern land to produce the forty-five bushels. As the seconds flour and the bran will nearly pay for grinding, none of these items appear in the calculation, an allowance being made for the slight difference.

Average Value of 2 tons, or 4000 lbs., of Taranaki Fine Flour, in the Auckland and Wellington Markets, at 15l.... £30 0 0

Cost of Producing the 1st Ton.

Cost of Producing the 2nd Crop.

Same expense as the 1st, less 5l., the difference between preparing the land for the 1st Crop and the 2nd .....10 6 6

25 13 0

Nett Profit on the 1 1/2 acre in "3 years"... £4 7 0

This calculation assumes only two crops to be taken in three years. Thus, say in 1848 the land

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would be cleared and worked, --the first crop taken in 1849, the second in 1850; the nest year the land would be fallowed, and then cropped as before. It is not, of course, contended that this would be the best method of farming; the statement merely shows the profit obtainable from growing wheat on what may perhaps be called the "lazy system," supposing a capitalist producer paid for every item at the present cost of things. It appears, then, that the profit on the acre and half for the first term of three years, is 4l. 7s.; but as the expense of clearing and breaking up the land would enter into the cost of producing only the first two crops, the profit on the acre and a half for any following term of three years, would be about 91. 7s., or 2l. 1s. 6d. per acre annually.

Hitherto, the absurd custom has been for farmers to ship their own flour; but to conduct the trade with proper economy, there are wanted parties who, acting as corn merchants and exporting millers, would buy the wheat, and ship flour in their own vessels. In considering this statement, it will be seen that probabilities are favourable to an increase of profit. For instance: on the completion of a better mill, it may be expected that Taranaki flour will eventually realize the same price as the Sydney. Land cropped in the manner above described would probably yield nearer forty than thirty bushels per acre. The great expense of 1s. per bushel for thrashing and dressing will be materially reduced when

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more machines are obtained. Owing to the scarcity and badness of coasting vessels, the present freight is so exorbitant as to equal that from Sydney to Wellington, although one is a passage of three, the other of fourteen days.

Dairy farming, as a distinct and separate business, has not yet been tried; but there is every reason to suppose that it would answer well, especially if combined with the curing of hams and bacon. Good firkin butter ranges from 7d. to 10d. per lb. in the colonial markets; cheese, bacon, and hams, from 4d. to 6d.

These would be remunerative prices. It has been shown that bush land is well adapted to dairy farms, which certainly possess an advantage over arable farms, in being less dependent on good roads; for whilst internal carting and carriage of produce to market are trifling considerations on the first, they form an important part of the labour necessary on the latter.

Markets.

As it is probable that the chief exports of this district will long continue to be agricultural, it may he necessary to consider what are likely to prove its principal markets. For all practical purposes, it is sufficient to know that an excellent home market is found in Auckland and Wellington. The imports of these towns are even now larger than this Settlement can at present supply; and, from the character of the

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country around them, neither place will raise agricultural produce so cheaply as it can be supplied from the fertile plains of Taranaki; whilst the gradual formation of new Settlements, or the extension of old ones (the result of that great emigration movement which will eventually be made to these fine islands) will continue to open new home markets.

As all young colonies must at first import food, and as the growth and progress of this one has been so lamentably crippled, New South Wales, herself a large importer, has hitherto almost supplied it with flour. This, however, will not be the case much longer; and when the immense agricultural resources of New Zealand are fairly developed, and it becomes what it will te, the--"Granary of the South Pacific," -- New South Wales herself will probably be an excellent market for some of its grain exports.

As an agricultural country, the superiority of the one is as strongly marked as the inferiority of the other. By the Sydney "Official Book" of statistics, from 1835 to 1844 (including the Port Philip district), the average annual yield of wheat for the ten years was not fourteen bushels per acre. The annual consumption is taken at eight bushels per head, and the year 1836 was the only one in the ten which produced a surplus crop; the average annual deficiency of the other nine years being upwards of 250,000 bushels, to be imported. The average yield

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of barley and oats appears to be about sixteen bushels; maize is much the best crop, yet the yield was only twenty-five bushels per acre; whilst potatoes gave only three tons and a half. It is necessary to bear in mind that these returns are for an old colony, where it must be supposed that the experience of more than half a century has indicated the best system of cultivation, and where there is plenty of capital and labour to carry that system into effect. Destructive storms, floods, and droughts, have occasionally raised grain to such extravagant prices in New South Wales, that, in 1806, wheat was 15s. per bushel, and 1l. was given for a bushel of seed maize; whilst in 1840, flour ranged from 50l. to 60l. per ton.

If, with the certainty of good home markets for some years to come, and the probability of others in New South Wales, 14 it be considered necessary to look still further, we find that New Zealand is conveniently situated for supplying several places which may become excellent markets, such as the British possessions in China, the French in Bourbon and Tahiti, the Mauritius, the Cape Colony, and some of the numerous islands in the South Pacific, which English enterprise and "steam communication" may soon enliven with the busy hum of commerce.

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RESOURCES AND PROBABLE EXPORTS OF THE SETTLEMENT, OTHER THAN "AGRICULTURAL."

Ironsand.

The scarcity of capital and the paralyzing effects of the early misgovernment of New Zealand, are strongly marked by the little progress hitherto made in developing the natural resources of the country. Rich ironsand is plentiful here; but, at the expiration of seven years, a few rude experiments, tending to prove its great value, have satisfied the slight curiosity of the Settlers, who almost appear to think that nature ordained them only to till the earth and raise food for their more speculative and enterprising brethren in the sister Settlements.

A small sample of this sand sent to a Sydney foundry was at first disregarded, as ironsand from some part of Australia, previously tested, had been found comparatively worthless. However, on trying the Taranaki sample, it yielded so great a per-centage of iron of a quality equal to the best Swedish, that it at once attracted attention, and a larger quantity has since been forwarded to afford a conclusive trial. A sample was also sent to England and submitted to an analytical chemist, who made the following-report upon it: --"No. 5 is magnetic iron-ore, in the form of fine sand from the sea-shore. It consists of the peroxide and protoxide of iron mixed, containing about 71 per cent, of iron. It is free from the admixture of other substances, and, if

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obtainable in large quantities, is likely to be in considerable demand, as it is the most valuable of iron-ores. The celebrated Swedish iron, in such high repute for the making of steel, is obtained from a mineral of precisely the same character." The sand covers the beach for several miles; a simple washing is the only process necessary to prepare it for the furnace; and, from the smallness and purity of the particles, it is remarkably easy to flux. An imperial pint of the washed sand, when dry, weighs four pounds, and on applying a magnet it becomes quite incrusted.

For working the ore on a large scale in the Settlement, and exporting bar iron and steel, coal would probably be necessary. Massacre Bay coal could be delivered here for about 30s. per ton, and coal is found at Manakau, forty miles distant. Indications of it have also lately been discovered in the Omata Block, whilst from the abundance of hard timber and the gradual clearing of forest land for the purposes of cultivation, charcoal of excellent quality could be obtained at a low price. It may also be remarked, that the cost of those expensive mining operations generally needed in raising the metallic ores would, in this case, be entirely saved; for two men could collect and prepare for the smelting furnace from 3 to 4 tons of ore per day.

The "Phormium Tenax" or Flax Plant.

A person practically acquainted with the flax

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trade on coming to New Zealand, travelling through the Taranaki district, remarking the quantity and luxuriance of the plant, and testing the strength of the green leaf, would probably consider the feeble efforts hitherto made to invent that machinery which should render flax a "staple export" of the country, to be a reproach to the mechanical skill and enterprise of the age. The great consumption of hemp and flax in England renders them articles of national importance; and as the supply, drawn chiefly from the Baltic, might be so diminished by an European war as to raise these necessaries to an exorbitant price, it appears to me that Government, or even the New Zealand Company, would be justified in sending out a kind of "flax commission" to New Zealand. The commission should consist of a scientific man, versed in botany and chemistry, one or two intelligent persons acquainted with the best modes of preparing flax, and two or three practical machinists, selected for their inventive ingenuity. It would determine whether the reported inferiority of the "Phormium tenax" for manufacturing purposes has arisen from any imperfection natural to the plant, or from the rude, careless, and slovenly manner in which it has generally been prepared. The latter is by no means improbable. A Sydney merchant would station an agent, frequently an old whaler, sealer, or other roving spirit, on some part of the New Zealand coast, to collect flax by barter with the natives. Such agents being generally quite

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ignorant of the quality of flax, the natives would soon learn to swell the bulk, by still more imperfectly freeing the fibre from the fleshy part of the leaf; would use not the best of the numerous sorts, but that which might be nearest, and, to supply a demand, cut the leaves indiscriminately at all seasons. The very inferior article so obtained, would generally be still further deteriorated by great carelessness in the packing and shipping. From the disordered state of the country since its colonisation, very little attention has been paid to any of its natural resources; but the excellent rope, cordage, sacks, &c, now made at Auckland and Wellington, of New Zealand flax, prove that the article, even in the first stage of its improvement, does possess some good manufacturing qualities.

There are nearly a dozen varieties of the Phormium tenax indigenous to New Zealand, but that most prized by the natives, the "Hateraukawa," of which they make the finest kaitaka mats, is confined almost to the Taranaki district. And, in considering the practicability of cultivating and preparing this sort as a regular export, it should be borne in mind that, of all branches of industry, this would probably be the one in which "native labour" would be the easiest obtainable, and the most effective; for the natives already understand the cultivation of the plant. Moreover, it would be grown on bush land, in the clearing of which they excel Europeans.

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Tobacco.

The tobacco plant grows luxuriantly on bush land; and there appears to be no reason why it should not eventually be raised for a crop, as in New South Wales. Its cultivation, like that of flax, would be a branch of industry well suited to the natives; and there is already a surprisingly large and increasing consumption of tobacco among both races. As, however, the duty levied on it (1s. per lb.) forms one of the principal items in the customs' revenue, the Local Government might be disposed either to prohibit its cultivation or to excise it. The difficulty of the latter course in such a country as New Zealand is very obvious, especially among the native population. The wiser course would be to encourage its free cultivation and manufacture, and to meet the consequent deficiency in revenue by a higher rate of duty on spirits, and on articles of luxury which could not be produced in the country.

Hops.

About two acres of hops have been grown as an experiment. They answered remarkably well as to yield; but the sort introduced was one of inferior quality. With an apparently favourable soil and climate, this district, in other respects, is well suited to the growth of hops; for, from the undulating character of the country -- its numerous wooded dells--the exact aspect and degree of shelter most

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congenial to any tender plant may be obtained on almost every section. The native women and children would make capital hop-pickers, and poles are cheap and plentiful.

Brewing.

Brewing has hitherto been chiefly confined to the wants of the Settlement. The climate is well adapted to both malting and brewing, the nights are always cool, and soft, pure water is everywhere abundant. Hops may be extensively grown; but, if not, they would be the only import necessary. With so many natural advantages, it is not improbable that malt liquors will eventually become a considerable export. In fact, Seacome's ale is already in repute in the Northern Settlements.

Provision Trade.

This trade--the supplying of beef and pork for shipping--may become a business of considerable importance in New Plymouth. Cattle thrive and multiply so fast in New Zealand, and are so freely imported from New South Wales, that in a few years they will be as cheap in the one country as in the other; and whilst the rich and succulent pasturage of New Zealand is favourable to the production of fine well fed beef, its climate is far better than that of Australia for the curing process. The acquisition of portions of the district, described at page 105, would open a tract for cattle runs perhaps

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superior to any in either island, when the rapid increase of stock would naturally lead to the introduction of the curing business.

The pork trade, comprising the curing of hams and bacon, has been commenced on a small scale, and might at once be considerably extended. The natives rear great numbers of pigs, which are bought for about 1 1/4d. per lb. Salt is imported for 4l. per ton; and the forest produces abundance of wood well adapted for casks.

Some idea may be formed of the extent to which the provision trade might be carried in New Zealand, when we consider that, already, upwards of 40,000 tons of shipping annually enter its ports; and that, as a country possessing such natural advantages for the prosecution of the business, it will probably find a market in the large and rapidly increasing mercantile marine of Australia.

Whaling.

Shore whaling is carried on here by two parties with four boats, employing about thirty men. The season commences in June, when the black whale comes in shore to calve, and ends in October. The catch by one party in 1846 was five whales, yielding about forty tuns of oil and forty hundredweight of whalebone. Last season, as usual, several whales were seen; but, owing chiefly to the warm rivalry existing between the two parties, the fishery was unsuccessful. Two fine boats, constructed of white

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pine and Rata, have been built in the Settlement; and the oil of this season's fishery will be shipped partly in casks of home manufacture, made from the "Mai," a wood which appears well suited to the purpose.

Tanning.

This business has been commenced on a small scale with considerable success, and a portion of the leather used is now manufactured in the Settlement. The gentleman who introduced this branch of industry--Mr. Gledhill--states that the bark of the Rimu, a very common tree, possesses tanning qualities far superior to any of the Australian barks.

Fruit.

Nearly all the varieties common in England have been introduced; they grow luxuriantly and promise well, but are yet too young for full bearing. Some fine apples and gooseberries have been gathered, and strawberries and peaches are becoming plentiful. Near the banks of the Waiwakaiho, in a deserted native clearing, half hidden and smothered by the dense vegetation around, were formerly to be seen two large peach trees, the stem of one being three feet in circumference. They had sprung up from stones dropped or planted by the natives; and, although growing wild and quite neglected, bore a profusion of fine fruit.

The Cape gooseberry is almost a weed, springing up wherever seed is carried by the birds, and pro-

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ducing abundance of fruit nine months in the year. This plant appears too common to receive any cultivation; but it yields finer berries if partly chopped down or thinned every year. The Cape gooseberry is not a pleasant dessert fruit; although, from its remarkable juiciness and richness of flavour, it makes an agreeable wine or liqueur, and excellent jam and jelly.

The vine grows luxuriantly, and about four hundredweight of a common white grape have been, obtained from cuttings of four years' growth. This will not, however, be a wine district. In sheltered spots, with a little care, it may be easy to produce grapes of the early sorts; but the climate does not possess that steady continuance of heat necessary to ripen the fruit for wine. At the same time it should be remarked, that a few miles in the interior, away from the influence of sea-breezes, the climate is warmer than immediately on the coast; and there, such fruits as the fig, olive, loquat, orange, and lemon, would probably ripen, if planted in hot and sheltered situations.

Timber.

A great deal has been said on what are called the "fancy woods of New Zealand," and their fitness to become one of its chief exports. Fancy woods, properly so called, have not yet been discovered. Curls and knots of grain, more or less handsome, are occasionally found in every sort of tree, but

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these are probably not more beautiful in any variety indigenous to New Zealand, than in the oak, elm, or walnut; whilst for furniture woods, existing in such plenty as to become an export, the country has nothing to compare with rosewood, mahogany, or even cedar.

As, however, most of the woods of Australia are hard and difficult to work, the pine timber of New Zealand may eventually become a regular back freight to that country, although this Settlement will be one of the last to make such shipments--not from any scarcity of the article, for red and white pine are here both plentiful and of superior quality, but because there are no streams in the district of sufficient capacity to float down large timber to saw-mills, which might otherwise be erected on their banks.

As before observed, so little attention has been paid to anything save farming, that it is impossible to speak with certainty as to the existence of valuable gums and dies. It can only be said that, as the district possesses a large forest with a variety of trees, something may be discovered when proper researches are made.