In 1835 CE, 26-year-old Charles Darwin (1809-1882 CE) spent nine days in the Bay of Islands after arriving on the HMS Beagle, which had been circumnavigating the globe since December 1831 CE. The cattle caused some tension with Maori as they disturbed sacred ( tapu) land. Most seeds were imported from England, and it is probably in these seeds that the troublesome Scottish Thistle was introduced into New Zealand. In the orchard, pears, rhubarb, figs, peaches, plums, quinces, gooseberries, apricots, and apples were planted. Vegetable gardens were laid out and schools were built. By 1837 CE, 30,520 pounds (approximately 14,000 kg) of flour had been produced for both the mission and Maori. But by December 1834 CE, the mission had constructed the first water-powered mill to be built in New Zealand. Sickles were used to harvest the wheat, and threshing was done by the flail (an ancient manual tool with a long wooden handle and a shorter free-swinging stick that separates the grains from the husk).Ĭaterpillars, rats, and mice caused the loss of stored grain and the climate often proved too wet for the successful growth of wheat. Wheat was an essential crop because flour had to be imported from New South Wales, Australia at considerable cost to the mission. By 1835 CE, 35 acres (14 hectares) had been prepared and planted with wheat. Instead, the missionaries cleared the tangled bush by hand with bean or weed hooks, hoes, ploughshares, and harrows. The missionaries chose not to follow the Maori practice of using ash from the burning of trees and scrub as fertiliser. Maori practised shifting cultivation, which meant that land was cleared by burning, crops were then planted and the site was abandoned a few years later as Maori moved on. By December 1834 CE, the mission had constructed the first water-powered mill to be built in New Zealand.
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