Early farming
After the land was partly cleared some form of farming could begin.
Rye, cockfoot and clover were planted in March and April after picking up had been complete. In the first years grass growth was excellent due to the ash from the burn. After that plagues of caterpillars arrived. They ate the grass and left the thistles. In another two or three years new growth of scrub appeared as did bracken fern. Thus scrub cutting had to continue to maintain the pasture. The pioneers managed to make improvements and farm. Chock and log fences were put up, log houses replaced tents, water supplies were secured, windbreaks, orchards and gardens were planted.
Once the property had been made into a farm settlers were able to make a meagre living from the sale of dairy produce. They ran cows on their small areas, hand milked them, set the milk out in pans, hand strained and skimmed it. Their butter was hand made in churns. It took two hours work for a churn of butter. The butter was either wrapped for sale fresh or salted and potted in casks. It went out along shockingly muddy and rough tracks by pack horse or sledge to distant rail heads and ports. Frequently it was held up so long at the coast that it was liquid and unsaleable by the time it reached Melbourne.
Charles Daley, p 98-99.
Mary Ann Beamish making butter with her daughter Elizabeth. This butter was taken to Warragul to be sold. (From Lyn Skillern)
