The farm is at Lockwood, 8 miles from Palmerston North and lies in the Taonui Basin, an area of the tianawatu swamp. country which is still subject to flooding both from the Manawatu and Oroua rivers. The 320 acres was originally flaw swamp and 16 years ago the area was without subdivisional fences or drains, I being a wilderness of stumps, blackberry, rushes and willow-heed, with patches of grass consisting of tall fescue, swamp poes, and meadow foxtail, with some ryegrass on the drier areas. The country was completely devoid of clovers and had the repltation of not being able to fatten cattle.
