LONGBEACH.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIV, Issue 3034, 25 July 1893, Page 3

LONGBEACH.

••Xho .Deist Farm m. tlxe World."

AN ENGLISH CRIIICS OPINION.

FBESS CORRESPONDENT'S TELEGKAM

Melbourne, July 19. MrW, J. Harris, who was for many years engaged m the foreign grain trade, and who represented Poole m the House of Commons m the last Pailiamenb, contributes to the " Argus " of Saturday last

ah article entitled ' The Best Farm m World." The article, which has evidently appeared concurrently m some English papers, was written during his recent visit to Hew Zealand and Australia. Mr Harris characterises the best (arm m the world as Mr John Grigg's, Longbeach, near Ashburton m Canterbury, and declares that "it is the best managed loo." The article, which minutely describes the larm, is nearly three columns m length, anc the following are some of its concluding rema ks: — " If all the farms m New Zealand were as gcod as Longbeach, and if all the farmeis were as clever as Mr Grlgjj, they might well indeed be alarmed for the future, but fortunately for them, I have Leen only describing what I believe to be " the beat farm m the world." There are

probably not 2,000,000 acres of land m tbe whole ot New Zealand the quality of which is equal to Lnngbeach. Some small acreage m, however, superior, and I have heard of enormous yields of wheat and oats. At Edendale, further touth, I saw a paddock of 200 acres where the oat ci op had just been threshed, »nd ifc yielded 98 bushels per acre. The land there is not suitable for wheat, but m the neighborhood of Oamaru as much as 80 bushels of wheat is not infrequently grown m. favored spots. I heard of one field of oats containing 176 acres which had this year threshed out 100 bubhels to the acre, and my informant was not the man to exaggerate; m fact, he was a pessimist. I may repeat what he said for the comfort of British farmers : " These yields," said he, "are all published, but the failures are not published. There are a great many more acres threshed which only yield 20 bushels of wheat or 30 bushels of oats than there are which yield ten bushels more."

In fact the ordinary farrainc" m New Zealand, is behind our English farming The work is roughly done, very little weeding is ever attempted by the ordinary farmer, and the crop of thistles and sorrel is sometimes as prolific as the crop of corn. There would require to be 100 farms as large as Longbeach, and 100 men as practical and clever as Mr John Grigg before much impression is made on the English prices of corn from this quarter. Even Mr Grigg told me that mutton'and dairy produce were both paying him better than wheat at the present, and that he intended to reduce his wheat acreage m the coming year. If every other farmer m the world does the same what will be the result ? The contraction of our wheat acreage m Great Britain vary, under such circumstances, bring about very unlocked for consequences, and the prices now current, at which the " Economist " professes to rejoice, may prove to be a curse to the consumers. The farming land m New Zealand is not as yet one-half developed. The frozen mutton trade has stimulated that sort of farming, but that very fact ha* lather contracted the increase which would otherwise have taken plaon m the Corn acreage. If the prices of wheat were to rise m England so as to allow the price of 4s per bushel to be paid m New Zealand (spy about 40s a quarter m England) the farmer would quickly respeni, and the country could with ease expon ten times what it does at prehent. The supply of mutton may easily overtake the demand. The climate of New Zealand is undoubtedly the most favourable m the world for the production of meat. The summer is like au English summer, and the winter is like an English autumn. The grass may be said to grow all the year round. They do not suffer from drought or locusts, and the pest of caterSillars complained of years ag® is rapidly isappearing owing to the increase of small birds. To winter » big ox m England costb (m value of food alone) from £5 to £7, whereas m New Zealand it costs nothing beyond what the land bears. Ordinary farm-yard manure is hardly ever saved.

At Longbeach, however, it was conhidered worth carting to the nearest grass paddock. It makes corn grow too rank, and it is a much more expensive application for root crops than the artifical manures which are generally though not always used. I saw lots of very excellent crops of turnips grown without any dressing at all. If any interference be made with the laum faire system of political economy which English people still believe m it should be m the direotion of removing some of our ruined farmers and'their poor laborers to New Zealand, but &U who go must remember that the high wages mean hard work. A handy, steady work nan can m five years save sufficient to take a small section from the Government on deferred pay

ment, building his house, and become a landlord. It is unwise to buy land on arrival. To serve an apprenticeship first, teaches the emigrant where he is likely to succeed and where to fail.