The Church School Farm in New Zealand

THE CHURCH SCHOOL FARM IN NEW ZEA- LAND. BY ELDER JOHN W. REEVE. On April 1, 1908, a deal was perfected whereby the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came into possession of a 130acre tract of land at Korongata, H. B., New Zealand. This land was purchased for the purpose of erecting thereon a college for Maori boys. It is the intention of the Church authorities to give the Maori boy a practical education in the leading topics of the age, particularly emphasizing agriculture and its branches. About the first of December notices were sent from mission In the Harvest Field.

382 IMPR 0 VEMENT ERA . headquarters to several elders in surrounding districts, to report at the Church farm, ready for work. A crop of grain which had been planted by way of experiment, on the recently purchased farm, was now ready to be harvested. The crop proved to more than come up to the expectations of the elders in charge, and was commented upon by a great many people of the surrounding country, as being one of the best looking crops ever seen in the district. Some were very much surprised to see that the "Mormons" knew how to manage a farm. A binder was obtained from one of the Maori Saints and the work commenced . After five days of hard work the grain was cut and shocked. We again called upon our Saints for the use of their dump carts, in which to haul our grain to the stacks. Six days were spent in carrying the grain from the field in these old time carts, so much in use in English colonies. Allow me to say that these eleven days of work were frequently interrupted by long intermissions. We would just get things working nicely when a rain or wind storm would come up and we would have to discontinue our work for days at a time.

THE CHURCH SCHOOL FARM IN NEW ZEALAND. 383 We also had to stop for two days on account of a death in the near by village. Thus you see our work dragged along for a period of about four weeks. Although working under these difficulties, we now have the satisfaction of seeing thirteen majestic stacks of grain standing on our farm ready to be threshed.

384 IMPROVEMENT ERA The harvesting of the first crop on this farm is an affair that will be long remembered by the elders who had the privilege of being the pioneers of the Church School Farm of New Zealand. The following persons, President R. K. Hardy, Elders A. H. Davis, 0. F. Call, E. A. Burt, J. J. Godfrey, W. C. Harper, C. L- Nelson, A. H. Bowles, 0. S. Brown, J. W. Reeve, J. H. Jenkins, A. E. Anderson, and native Elders Rangi Kawea, Miki Winieta, and Ratima Pakai, were the ones who took part in this notable event. Korongata, H. B. , New Zealand, January 1G, 1909.