AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6437, 17 March 1899, Page 4

AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE.

*- ; ADDRESS BY MR W. REECE. At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association last evening tho retiring President (Mr _V. liet.:e) delivered the following address :-- lu moving tho adoption of the annual report and balance-sheet it affords me much -pleasure to be able to refer to them as very satisfactory. As you will see, your commitee.lias had a busy year, and I hope that its labours will result in some measure of good to the Association and the farinin" interests. Ido not propose to go over the ground covered by the report, but . will briefly refer to a lew matters whicli I consider affect those interests which concern the Association. I suppose the question the farmers would give most to have solved is, what is to be the price of wheat? Well, I am afraid I dare not risk making any prophecy in tlie matter. Takiug the yields in other parts" of the world, which are very bountiful — the English crop, for instance, being thirty-four bushels, the largest for thirty years — I think no very high price can possibly be obtained for this season's wheat. The abnormal price obtained last year was not due at all to usual causes, and it is to be regretted that many of oiu* fanners, not profiting by lessons of old rimes, held over considerable quantities, refusing handsome prices; in fact, becoming speculators, with the usual disastrous results. This fancy price caused very large areas of wheat to' be sown, and we have much to be thankful for tliat the harvest has been an exceptional one. Ido not believe it will ever pay New Zealand fanners to . grow much more grain than is required for our own wants ; occasionally, owing to drought., Australia may take some, but it is not well to consider this as a factor in the question. This naturally brings me to that which undoubtedly is, and will be for some time to come our greatest mainstay, viz. : *. FROZEN MEAT. Tt would now seem, from all accounts, as if New Zealand frozen mutton is last becoming appreciated and called lor by the people of the Old World, and it only remains for farmers to give great attention to tke breeding and fattening of suitable sheep, and especially of lambs, for in this line wo seem most likely, from natural conditions and superior feed, to outshine for any length of time all competitors. Having now gained -a reputation for our meat, we must see to it that we get fair play, and that every 4 effort is made to put an _ud to the frauds being perpetrated upon consumers, by sub- , sfrituting inferibr meat for New Zealand.. This might be attained "by more cohesion among the frozen meat companies, or speoial action token by our Government. Li this connection, I must refer to the opening of the Fairfield Factory, which function I attended as your representative, and must congratulate our friends of the Ashburton district upon the erection of the factory, and the company upon their enterprise. The figures showing the growth of the ex.por.ts of our main rival, the River I'late, are ; interesting. These are from an English souroe, and differ somewhat from colonial figures, aB they are all taken from January to Docember. The general figures of the trado you haye had recently published in the papers. The exports of carcases of mutton and lamb are shown to have been as under for the past five years : — "

I think you will consider that, regardless of making a profit by it, tlie committee is ' justified in deciding to continue the winter . show. These, shows in the past have reallybeen excellent displays of farm, products, Being of immense educational value. Owing to the energetic a. ay in which some of tho Associations are taking up the question 01' the country exhibits, the next snow should 2'rove very interesting. The support of the townspeople can only be expected to any extent when ire have an attractive hall to show in, which difliculty, I bope, will be overcome by tlie Agricultural and Industrial Hull, to which I will refer later on. NOXIOUS WEEDS BILL. I think it is very disappointing that our legislators did not see their way to puss a Noxious Weeds Bill, especially as it has been so loudly called for by this and other I Associations, and by the last Conference. This country, which was once practically freo, in becoming infested with weeds, many of which ara of tho worst description, and render the land almost worthless. I hope the incoming committee will not lose sight of this important question. GOVERNMENT AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. I wish to place on record my great appreciation of tho above Department, wliich I consider has fully carried out all that it promised to do in the first instance. We have arrived at that stage when the farmers require all the scientific information they can obtain, whether ' with regard to the eradication of weeds, manuring the. soil, the selection of seeds, the. freeing of stock from disease, coping with insect Jiests, etc., = . etc., and the work of supplying this infor- , mation the Department is admirably carrying ont. The leaflets which arc issued from timo to time are most 'certainly of great value, being generally illustrated and compiled in a clear and concise form ; a recent one, describing the test, of two hundred samples of agricultural seeds, is a revslation, and all farmers should secure a copy of tho annual reports of the Dejmi- tment. DEPARTMENT OE INDUSTRIES AND COMMERCE. I understand there is also it, Department of Industries avid Commerce, of which I do not remember .tearing anything, but which might take up, with untold benefit, tho question of opening up new markets for oui\ meat und other produce, and also attend to the question of tho frauds perpe- '•■■- .rated against us in the frozen meat trade. RAILWAY RATES. Considerable attention has been given to. i.. the question of railway rates by that very representative, body, the Canterbury RaiL- '■'•' way League, upon which you are repreV rented, and it is the intention of this body to pursue tlieir object until relief is obtained. It may be considered radical to say so, but- from my observation of the methods of other countries, I am led to think that it is not. important for railways of necessity to earn a large percentage up on the amount' of their construction and * -working expenses ; on the contrary, it appears fiir more likely to conduce to genera* prosperity to expect tk* return, in other ways. The cost of transportation. of .rain in America, for instance, is an example of what can be dons. There grain is -carria.l two- thousand miles to the seabriiu-d, and then may be exported with a profit. .-Tn 1567 the' railways carried 5| bushels for the . ' price .if f..ie from Chicago to New York ; in '"• 1897 They carried 17| bushels fer the priceof one, ' I think our farmers Would far mor. appreciate' a reduction ou railway grain rates now- that wheat i- so low than the iv.' ;!•■} ri**ky method of the State eharter■l'HE 'SOCIETY'S JOURNAL. You will, no dtmbl, have noticed the ultevtd style vi' the Journal, and will, I hope, jippreciate it-; ire* issue to -members. I think the (.">•:«>. it tee has succeeded in doing more than is done by any other society *■'*. far as th. quality of the Journal is con-cenn-d, ; ml 1 think we may be p-oud ol it.

In time it is hoped that wS- ' can aflfoi'd to | ! have published prize essays, aud exhaustive scientific reports by experts of shows and trials. My main object in referring to it is to state that I trust that menib&r.. will assist by contributing papers on any subject likely to interest the Association), and if those who would wish te have their views known on any question, but have not the time to put them into form for publication, will send iii their rough notes, the Editor . will attend to all that is requisite. AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL HALL. I wish to draw your attention to the above project, as although it is being brought before the public by convpany, this convpahy* practically represents the interests of the two associations. Tkere can be little doubt as to the desirability of two such important associations having permanent homes worthy of them, but what I wish to impress upon you is the great need of everyone helping by taking up slides in large or small hold" ings its they may see ht. In matters of this kind it frequently happens that people think that others will subscribe sufficiently, and the result is failure. 1, therefore, appeal to all present to do their best to help the hall along by taking shares themselves, and inducing their friends to do likewise without delay, as the time is rapidly passing. '_ would like, also, to record oil behalf of ihis Association our indebtedness to those gentlemen who came forward so generously to assist by tailing up proprietary shares. AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. . I tliink you will agree with the committee in its efforts to give more encouragement to the makers* of machinery than hitherto. We have amongst us manufacturers of whom any country might well feel proud, and whilst shows may be of value to them without any reward in the way of prizes, the implement man is just, as proud of his factory and its product, as tho horse breeder may be of his pet stock, and it is to the farmers' interests to encourage this pride. Successful farming is now dependant upon the intelligent' use of seeds, soils, fertilisers, 'machinery and implements, and low cost transportation., The farmer who kee_>s up with, modern science improve* his farm, and treats his| land as an instrument of production, while) he who wonks his land as a mine soon be-! conies poor and ruins liis land. Referring to this, the "American Epitomist" says:— "lt is the wanton waste of the virgin fertility of the soil that we would warn our readers against ; more particularly the young and inexperienced who are opening up new farming. We must profit by the experienc. of those who are struggling to build up that which carelessness and ignorance hay. torn down, for if we follow in the footsteps of fche soil robber, we shall indeed find the school of experience a dear school," TEXT BOOK. I think. the time has now araved when there should be a Text Book, of New Zealand Agriculture, and I trust the incoming committee will either, undertake the work or lend all its assistance to anyone- doing so. To show what can be done in this way, the Text Book published by the Royal Agricultural •Society of England,. "The Elements of Agriculture," is now in its tw enty-fiith thousand. IRRIGATION. Owing, to the more profuse rainfall during tlie last season, the neoes-rity of irrigation ha.« not been, so pressed upon the notice of farmers as in former yenr§, but tlie Water Supply Act, which your cortimjttee'took considerable interest in getting amended, now gives extended powers to public bodies, so that whenever the movement in favour of. irrigation becomes more general and its bene tits more appreciated, no delay need be experienced ih taking steps to carry out tho work. ' ORCHARDS. Now that so much- assistance ia being given by tho G ovemmont in the way of information' regarding fruit culture, it is to be hoped that all fanners- will take steps to put their orchar.s in- order; or, .if without fruit trees, will immediately take steps to plant them. The great loss arising from th Q neglect of fruit culture has recently created great interest in England, and a recent book " The Wasted Orchards of Eng-l.-md," should be read to appreciate tlie 2'osition. I cannot understand why so many farmers neglect what is a necessity to every homo in the country — a- good garden and orchard. FUTURE OP THE' SOCIETY. This ' will depend entirely upon the interest taken by the members in its work, which must, of necessity, year by year, be extended, as any institution, .will soon come to grief if it becomes inac^ve-. We must not be satisfied with onr '■ shows alone, which, while* an Excellent means to an end, are not alone sufficient excuse for the .Society's existence. Our marching orders are to advance everything in connection with- agricultural and pastoral interests, and we must, therefore,* foster- nnd inquire into every improved method of farming, every application of science to agriculture, and do all, in fact, in the interests of the farming community that an enlightened body in any part of the world sets out to do; ' PROSPECTS'. From the general appearance of thing.., unless something.- unforseen ocaurs in the way of foreign political' complications, that prosperity of which we- have' for the last two years begun to see signs should include our colony in its reach. Our- people have learned, by the lessons of the past, to save money, and the low ■ rates of interest, due to a- great extent to the difficulty in finding undeniable securities; are a great boon to a very large number, . including the farming community, for while a speculative spirit may be fastened to some extent this will be more than counterbalanced by the influence of capital prudently invested in. , tho. creation of new enterprise.. In conclusion, I wish to tender my thanks to the committee and officers of the Assoj ciution for the unvarying support they have given me during my year of office, and I j ask that the same may be ac-sorded to my I SUQCfLSO'-. (

Year N\Z. Australia Eiycr Plate 1894 2,031,000 917,489 1,414,381 1895 2,409,577 968,901 1,615,242 1896 2,211,895 1,691,406 1,790,562 1897 2,726,008 1,403,119 2,105,841 1898 2,784,122 1,226,352 2,400,040 WINTER SHOW.