quality of its oxen and sheep, and the superior excellence of its cheese and butter.
That long, wide stretch of land, forty years ago reckoned an irreclaimable swamp, fit only to be gazed on and moaned over, is now one of the grandest sights, as an agricultural and pastoral district, anywhere to be witnessed. 'Tis a transformation indeed, not yet altogether completed, however, as owners, either impecunious or absentee, have left specimens of what was the original swamp in a modified degree, for improvements have been effected by the labour and expenditure of neighbours, of which the drones gain the benefit. The labour, skill, and cash expended, have been enormous, but the return has, in most instancs, justified the outlay.
A good view of the Plain can be easily had from the top of any of the surrounding hills, Saddle Hill or (Maori) Pikawara, by way of preference, from which a bird's-eye-view can be had from north to south and east to west. To those who want more than a superficial view, it will be necessary to descend into the Plain itself and traverse its different road and rail lines. Already, in going up to the Taieri wilds, we have skirted the North Taieri District and seen the splendid farms of Messrs. Andrew, Shaw, Gow, Gibson, Oughton, Thompson, Gawn, and many others; and then on another journey to the river, along the east district, the celebrated farm of the Grange might have been observed, whose owner's name, Nimmo, stands prominent in more than one department, as well as those of Cullen, Allan, Dowrie, Callander, Stevenson Brown, and many more in close succession; whilst on the other hand lie farms showing the results of the labours of Smith, Cooper, Todd, Kirkland, Law, McKay, Sutherland, Blackie, Prain, and Charters, some of whom are still to the fore, and in their quiet contemplative moments laugh at the difficulties which their youthful successors have to surmount in comparison with those of over a quarter of a century ago, which they themselves encountered and overcame.
There is undoubtedly a great contrast between the comfortable, yea elegant houses of these and other farmers basking in the sun, surrounded with arbours, gardens, and orchards, and the old time sod or clay whare or weather-board "but and ben," which constituted the whole family apartments; between the
