AN EDITOR FARMER.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7731, 26 February 1909, Page 4

AN EDITOR FARMER.

I ''Home Counties," the well-known English writer on agriculture, has an interesting interview m the current issue of The World's Work on the farmin"- experiences of a managing editor, Mr Emist Parke, of the Morning Leader. . For nine years Mr Parke has been fariniii-r mm Warwickshire, the extent of his holding being now two farms ot 237 and 250 acres respectively. He had littl.' knowledge of the land when ho wei't'in for farming, yet he has made a fsiii- success of it. The. soil m his first farm was rather poor clay, and he had much trouble to repair the drams and trim the hedges. Then he made roads and bought stock, and had spent at the end of eighteen months over £800 on a leased place. On a turnover of nearly £1400 m a bad harvest year 1906-1907, his profits amounted to £174 10s 9d. He carried out a number of experiment** m different manures, and found an average improvement of 1 ton Hcwt of hay per acre during e:>ch of the seven years lie has held the farm. As a method of training ior I arming Mr Parke has no faith m young men who go as pupils with gentlemen farmers, where the inducements of hunting mid KhooUng are lield out to_ them a« consideration to be received m return for the payment of a handsome premium. That kind of farming may do for the man of means who has money to burn, but it would be worse than useless for the young man who is looking forward to 'making a living on the land. The hunting and shooting life is the worse possible preparation for any one who proposes to farm cither on a small or on a large scale. If a man is to make money at farming be must treat it as a business, and not as an agreeable way of indulging tastes for outdoor sport's and country pursuits.