A Farm of His Own

In the second year of Francis’s life at ‘Brandon’, New Zealand, a great change came about. The letter of disappointment which had, overnight, turned him into a mature man had almost faded from his memory. He no longer counted the months and days but threw himself wholeheartedly into the development of his farm.

The long days of hard work did him no harm. He was tall but thin and wiry, and rarely did he suffer so much as a cold. He still had the help of Koro, although not as regularly as before, but that mattered little now. The satisfaction he felt with each accomplishment made him want to toil even harder. Swampy land was cleared, trees cut, and sheds built. The wheat was growing and approaching maturity. It was a very good crop, considering this was virgin soil, and the yield would be high.

One of the best investments had been Danny, who turned out to be not only a good worker but also a good companion. Francis took great care to ensure he was well fed and well groomed. Usually once a month, he would make the trip to town with butter and vegetables to sell to the store. But this was not his only purpose for the trip. It was becoming increasingly important for him to meet farmers and businessmen, to gauge possibilities—such as the wheat growing had been—and to buy stock and implements that had become more and more necessary for his work.

At the back of his mind, Francis had always held a rather definite plan for a large orchard from which he could market produce, as well as a nursery of fruit trees. The enclosure and cultivation of about half an acre had been one of his first accomplishments, and it was already producing a little for his own use. He knew it would not be long before berry fruits, such as raspberries, would be in quantity for marketing. Even the apple seeds and fruit stones he had saved from fruit eaten on the voyage out had been planted, and many were already healthy-looking trees.

Markets were continually opening up. His last trip into town with ten pounds of freshly made butter had revealed an alarming demand, with the butter fetching five shillings a pound. At the first opportunity, he would buy another cow. Trading had begun, and he continually planned to extend it.