Samuel Buck - North Cape

Kangaroo Island Farms.

No. XII. MR S. BUCK'S PROPERTY, NORTH CAPE.

At this time of the year a ride through the country brings with it many pleasurable reflections. On K.I the feed is springing up abundantly and, in places, most luxuriantly, and as one gazes into some of the paddocks adjoining the roadside, with their carpets of green and gold (i.e. green feed and dandelion) the prospect, in view of the charge levelled against the Island that 'it won't grow grass' is most encouraging. On a recent visit to Mr S. Buck's, North Cape, we passed several scenes of this description, notably that of Highgrove Farm, where the feed at this time of the year is so dense in its growth that, we venture to say, in itself it would be quite sufficient to give a ' knock-out' blow to adverse critics of the Island. The mellilotus, in particular, has made marvellous headway, and the sleek cattle, horses (over 40 odd by the way of those last named) and sheep, browsing in the paddocks, would make an advertisement such as would for ever silence those detractors who have (like that well-known animal — the ass) been lifting up their voices from time to time in condemnation of a district of which they really know absolutely nothing at all. And this only goes to show what can be done when the land is thoroughly cleared and sweetened.

Arrived at Mr S. Buck's farm one can see further and most valuable evidence of the Island's resources. Feed is here making splendid headway in the cleared country and, in spite of the recent heavy rains and floods which washed some of the crop clean away, there is every indication that the coming harvest will be anything but a failure, Mr. Buck, who is an old and well known resident of K.I., holds 1395 acres of land, mostly suitable for agricultural purposes.

This year he has a very promising looking wheat crop of some 60 acres, of the Comeback and Early Walker varieties, which is on the hillside, near the homestead, and we question if there is anything better to be seen on the mainland at this time of the year. This was sown early in the season. Below this again there is a tract of 56 acres of Silver King wheat (late-sown) ; in fact it was sown as late as August.

Ten acres of this was washed away by the heavy rains and consequent rush of water from the hillside ; the balance was sown after the flood. It is stooling well and gives every promise of developing into a healthy crop under future favorable conditions. Beyond this again there are two strips of, respectively, 25 acres and 20 acres of Calcutta Cape oats, and another lot of 23 acres of self-sown which looks well , and will make excellent bullock hay. The oats all afford indications of good things to come. A strip of 8 acres of Comeback wheat sown in a secluded gully further along the hillside also gives evidence of healthy growth. In this same spot Mr Buck last year took off 56 large bags of barley from 5 acres.

Altogether, in spite of the drawbacks experienced this year Mr Buck has no reason to feel dissatisfied with the result of his labors in the direction of cultivation. That his property is a valuable one may be seen by the following figures :— Last year from 61 acres of barley he secured a return of 303 bags. He took 315 bags of grain off another 65 acres and 39 ton of hay from 15 acres of oats. And these figures are m face of the fact that, in proportion as the rest of the State has been flourishing through a succession of favorable seasons, K.I. has been treated to a series of excessively wet ones. In times past Mr Buck has grown up to 11 bags of barley on his farm.

The trouble with most of our older residents is that they have been so accustomed to hear the Island spoken of in a slighting manner that they have, in a sense, gone back ' in to their shells,' as is the manner of certain folk and far from ' boosting' the place in any way they are inclined to under-value it for fear of erring on the wrong side. This feeling, however, will gradually wear away, and, in common with the more outwardly optimistic newcomers, they will join forces in giving the land the value that it is entitled to.

Richard Chapman sold the farm “North Cape” to Heinich Theodore Noske on 29th June 1920 and when Noske died in 1959, “North Cape" was left to his daughter, Ivy May Naylon, of Queensland. North Cape but was managed by Gottfried Havelberg [son-in-law], then owned by L. N. [Bob] Patterson, then his son, Bevan Patterson, and lastly Rodney Bell [Colin Bell’s son]. It has now been sold. - Geoff Chapman