Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1929. THE FARMERS' TOUR.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 49, Issue 198, 7 June 1929, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1929. THE FARMERS' TOUR.

Though the Ashburton County has not novelty in receiving parties of farmers from other districts the welcome extended to the visitors from Taranaki today was not the less hearty on that account. If there was any apparent lack in the expression of kindly feeling toward them it was due entirely to the fact that the brevity, of their stay necessitated' adherence to a strict timetable if their experience was to be of the utmost benefit that could be derived in the time at their disposal. The spirit with which the local farmers met their guests was that of good fellowship toward men in the same walk of life, quickened by yivid recollections of the pleasure so many of them obtained on similar excursions to other districts, Westland, Southland and Marlborough and Nelson. Another factor was the realisation of the educational value of such tours and a determination that this County should not be behind others in conveying practical les'sons of progressive agriculture. The idea of holding farmers' tours was born of the realisation that the great need of the Dominion is increased production and that to ensure this the farmer must avail himself of every opportunity for enlarging his knowledge of conditions and methods, not only in his own locality, but also, •_ if possible, throughout the Dominion and even abroad. Necessarily the number who are able to investigate conditions overseas is limited, for as a rule it is only when a man has retired from active farming life that he has leisure or funds to permit of travel., In these inferprovincial tours, however, the working farmer has afforded him an opportunity of making acquaintance with other parts of the country, and the success of the excursions in every instance shows that he is eager to avail himself of that opportunity. Though organised visits are necessarily somewhat hurried, they are in some respects of greater value than the average personal visits. In the first place, the traveller is enabled to inspect farms where the most up-to-date methods are employed and is afforded information of a more authoritative nature than the casual visitor often obtains. Then, again, discussion on the spot with men from his own district must bring' out aspects that one man, however observant, might overlook. For it is not the mere inspection of an up-to-date method that is of value, but intelligent critical examination of the applicability of its principles to one's own circumstances. There is, further, a benefit to the hosts, who may gain- knowledge from the interchange of views with their fellows from other parts of the Dominion. Apart from the individual benefit, however, there is a community aspect, for gatherings such as that under review cannot fail to bring about a clearer conception of the aims and ideas of the other party, so that there should follow a wider sympathy with, and a closer cooperation in, any movement for the betterment of the industry as a whole. Every farmer in the County will join in the hope that our visitors of to-day may return home with pleasurable and instructive experiences, such as Ashburton men enjoyed on the tours they have made.