The Township Of Mayfield is situated five miles from the Valetta railway station, and is seventy-two miles by road from Ashburton. There is a daily coach service to Valetta, a post and telegraph office, a daily mail, a public school, with fifty scholars on the roll, a Presbyterian church, and a Wesleyan church. The business places include an accommodation house, a large general store, a blacksmith's shop, and also the premises of a coach builder and painter. A company named the Mayfield Saleywards Company, Limited, was formed in February, 1902, and has acquired a ten-acre block, in the township, and built yards, with accommodation for 4,000 sheep; sales are held monthly. The company has, also an up-to-date sheep dip, seventy feet long. The surrounding country is almost entirely devoted to sheepfarming, and oat and turnip crops do well on the land. The output of fat sheep and lambs increases every year, and the district is rapidly coming to the front as one of the best in Canterbury for grazing and fattening sheep. Owing to the nearness of the hills, there is an abundant rainfall; but although Mayfield is over 1,000 feet above sea level, snow seldom lies more than two days at a time. Amongst the earliest settlers were Mr J. Toner, Mr W. Rutherford, Mr. McKenzie, Mr. James Dellow, Mr. J. Coskerie, Mr. D. Morrow, Mr. E. G. Beckett, Mr J. L. Christensen, and Mr G. J. Rainey.

Burgess, John, Engineer and Threshing Machine Proprietor, Mayfield. Mr. Burgess was born at Templeton and educated at Dunsandel, and at the Boys' High School, Christchurch. After spending some time on his father's farm he was employed by Messrs P. and D. Duncan in Christchurch, and later on was with Mr. D. Reese, the well known builder in that city. On leaving Mr. Reese he followed agriculture for about five years. In 1894 he bought a steam chaffcutting plant, and began page 860 contracting at Mayfield, where he has met with success, and now has an ever increasing business. His plant consists of two powerful traction engines, by Avehng and Porter and C. Burrell respectively, one five foot combine, by Clayton and Shuttleworth, one fourteen inch Empire chaffcutter by Andrews and Beaven, and also two thirteen inch, by Messrs Reid and Gray. He has also all the necessary appliances for haulage, including waggons with a carrying capacity of six tons. Mr. Burgess includes water race cutting in his business, and has a water race plough, which cuts a water race, in one operation, to any width not exceeding three feet. In his workshop he has a good plant for fitting and doing all necessary repairs. The motive power for the shop is derived from vertical steam engine, which drives a powerful double-geared drilling machine, a six foot engineers' lathe by Milne, circular saws and emery wheels. During the season Mr. Burgess employs fifteen men, and at extra busy times, more. He has done a considerable amount of work in cutting water races for the Ashburton County Council. In the haulage of wool and grain he does the principal trade in the district, and has added contract by steam ploughing to his business. Mr. Burgess was married in Ashburton, and has four sons and four daughters.

Good, John George, Storekeeper, Mayfield. Mr. Good is the eldest son of the late Mr. Joseph Good, of Greenstreet. He was born on the late Mr. J. R. C. C. Grammond's farm, Tinwald, and was educated in the Ashburton district. At his father's death, in 1890, he took over his father's farm at Greenstreet, where he resided for five years. He was then for a while in Ashburton, and in 1899 he bought Mr. Tweedie's farm of 335 acres at Anama, where he farmed for three years. He then bought his present business from Mr W. T. Doake, who had carried it on for many years. Mr. Good has built new premises, including a slaughterhouse and yards, in the centre of the township. The stock in the store includes groceries, ironmongery, glassware, crockery, drapery, clothing, etc. Mr. Good is proprietor of the mail coach which runs daily from Mayfield and Valetta, and twice a week to Ruapuna, and he has the contract for carrying the mails. He takes an active interest in local affairs, and is a member of the Mayfield school committee. Mr. Good was married at Greenstreet, in 1889, to the second daughter of the late Mr. Corpus, of Croydon, Surrey, Eng land, and they have a family of five daughters.

Cairndale Estate (William Oakley, Proprietor), Mayfield. Mr. Oakley is the youngest son of Mr. Alfred Oakley, who is well known in the Brookside and Rakaia districts. He was born at Riccarton, and received his education at Brookside. After being associated in farming with his brother for a few years, he married Miss Lewis, of “Riccarton,” and started on his own account in 1885, at Overdale, where he bought a farm of 500 acres. In 1890 he moved with his family of three sons and four daughters to Mayfield, where he bought, from the Rev. Dr. Elmslie, 1000 acres of land, known as the Cairndale estate. Mr. Oakley has always taken an active interest in public affairs. He has served as chairman of the Overdale and the Chertsey school committees for several years, and is a member of the Mayfield school committee, and chairman of directors of the Mayfield Saleyards Company Limited. Mr. Oakley is a very successful farmer.

Mitchell, photo.
Mr. W. Oakley.

Dellow, James, Blacksmith and Farmer, Mayfield. Mr. Dellow was born in Middlesex in 1857, and came to New Zealand with his parents in 1859, in the ship “Regina.” The family settled at Harewood Road and Templeton, and his father purchased land at the last mentioned place; he himself learned his trade partly at Yaldhurst, and finished his apprenticeship with Messrs P. and D. Duncan, of Christchurch. Mr. Dellow began business at Mayfield in a small way on the 18th of July, 1881, and since then his trade has gone on increasing. It has been found that the implements in use in other parts of the colony are all too light for the stony land about Mayfield, and ploughs of exceptional strength had to be designed with heavy coulters and steel shares. Notwithstanding this, there are constant breakages, and Mr. Dellow's chief business consists in repairing the damaged implements. With the experience thus gained he has made harrows much more adapted for the Mayfield land than those made elsewhere. These harrows are in great demand, and their manufacture now forms a special branch of Mr. Dellow's business. It has been found necessary in the Mayfield district that ploughwheels should have wrought iron tiers around them, and Mr. Dellow has developed a special branch of trade in this connection. Horseshoeing is another important item in his business, and owners bring their horses from distance of fourteen miles. In addition to blacksmithing, Mr. Dellow farms 283 acres, which he uses chiefly for grazing purposes. He bought a stud flock of English Leicesters from Mr. John Ballantyne, of Staple estate, Rua puna. These sheep were the progeny of a flock imported by Mr. Ballantyne from Mr. T. H. Hutchison, of Manor House, Catterick, England, and of studs owned by other first-class New Zealand breeders. Though a blacksmith, Mr. Dellow has had a practical knowledge of sheep since he was ten years of age, and he makes a specialty of his stud flock. Mr. Dellow has long acted as postmaster at Mayfield, and he has for many years been chairman of the school committee, the library committee, and the cemetery trustees, and a member of the Rangitata Road Board since May, 1899. He is a local preacher in the Wesleyan church, and a supporter of the Presbyterian and other churches; and he organised the first singing class in the district, and has conducted it with great success for over fifteen years. He is a brother of the late Rev. J. Dellow, so well and favourably known in Canterbury, page 861 and in many parts of the North Island. Mr. Dellow married Miss Boulton, in 1883, and has three sons and two daughters. Two of the sons, having passed the sixth standard at school, were apprenticed to the blacksmithing trade with their father.

Mr. J. Dellow's English Leicesters.

Mr. and Mrs J. Dellow and Family.

Gale, Charles, Sheepfarmer, Mayfield. Mr. Gale was born in Somersetshire, England, where he served an apprenticeship as a blacksmith. In 1862 he arrived in Victoria by the ship “City of Melbourne,” and shortly after-wards went to the Ovens goldfields, where he spent two years. He then crossed the brother into New South Wales, in which he resided twelve months. While in Victoria he was engaged in boiler-making at Fitzroy, and at Newcastle, New South Wales, he was employed by a large mining company, and was also working at Wallsend. Thereafter he sailed for New Zealand, and landed at Auckland in 1865. After spending two months in Auckland he removed to the West Coast, and shortly afterwards came on the Canterbury, where he was engaged in farming at Lincoln, and afterwards for four years at Greendale. Some time after settling in the Ashburton district he took up a farm at Longbeach, and farmed it until 1884, when he bought 150 acres of land of good quality at Mayfield. Mr. Gale has since acquired a further area of 300 acres, part of which originally belonged to the Valetta run. The farm is well watered, and situated on the Hinds river, close to the Mayfield township.

Mitchell, photo.
Mr. and Mrs C. Gale.

Mayfield Estate. This estate is the property of Mr. George Murdoch. Originally it was part of Shepherd's Bush and Cracroft runs, but now it consists of 4500 acres of freehold land. The estate is devoted to grazing, and growing turnips and other root crops, for which the land is well adapted, and a large number of fat sheep and lambs are annually available for the export trade. The breeds in favour on “Mayfield” are English and Border Leicester rams and halfbred and crossbred ewes. All surplus stock is sold fat from the estate. The property is divided into twenty-nine paddocks, with good substantial fences, and the homestead has a good dwellinghouse and the necessary outbuildings.

Mr. J. Dunett was appointed Manager of the Mayfield estate in 1894, when the property was owned by the National Bank of New Zealand. He was born in Caithnessshire, Scotland, in 1860, and was brought up to pastoral life under one of the best farmers in his native county—Mr. John Miller, of “Scrobster.” Mr. Dunett came to New Zealand in 1886, in the s.s. “Doric,” and obtained an engagement on Raincliff station under Mr. T. B. Bain, and was subsequently on Sherwood Downs. He was married, in 1896, to Miss Fraser, and has two daughters.

See page 862.
Mr. G. Burgess and Grandson.

Trethewey, John, Farmer, Valetta Road, Mayfield. Mr. Trethewey was born and brought up on his father's farm at Tregaise, Roche, Cornwall, England. He was engaged in mining for a few years before leaving for New Zealand. Shortly after his arrival at Lyttelton, in October, 1879, he proceeded to page 862 Longbeach, where he was employed by the late Mr. John Grigg for two years. On leaving Longbeach he went to Ruapuna, and was engaged in agriculture there for about five years. In 1886 he bought sixty-five acres of his present holding, which now consists of 203 acres freehold, and 780 acres leasehold. The land is devoted chiefly to the fattening of sheep, for which it is admirably adapted, and carries three to the acre. A portion of the land is generally under crop, and it yields about forty bushels of oats to the acre. Mr. Trethewey was married at Leeston, and has five daughters.

Mitchell, photo.
Mr. J. Trethewey.

Mr. George Burgess, formerly of Mayfield, arrived in New Zealand from Scotland, by the ship “Chariot of Fame,” in 1862. He settled at Templeton, where he farmed for a number of years, and also had farms at Dunsandel and Mayfield. While he resided at Mayfield he was a member of the Rangitata Road Board. Mr. Burgess now lives in retirement in Christchurch. He has four sons, three of whom are engineers and threshing machine owners, at Mayfield and Dunsandel, respectively.