THE LAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 10, 13 January 1926, Page 14

THE LAND.

FARMING IN THE KING COUNTRY

GREATER PRODUCTION-MORE FINANCE.

VALUE OF FERTILISERS.

(By ANCHORITE.)

The most Important industry in the Northern King Country to-day is dairy farming, and its general expansion and prosperity in Tecent years has been quite remarkable. The signs of renewed agricultural activities as one goes through this territory at the present time, is practical testimony to the fact that the dairy farmer is the backbone of the community. The purchasing powers of the older established dairyman has been revived by recent satisfactory returne for their produce, thus enabling them to purchase liberally manure supplies for topdressing purposes —the best investment in connection with this industry. To the progressive herdsman, the average cow is not good enough. Developments of recent years, when carefully reviewed, are full of encouraging features, but the greatest need in the dairying business of to-day is to increase, not only the number of dairy cows, but the amount of production per cow. The further greater prosperity of the industry will he largely measured by the success of dairy farmers in developing herds of cattle of greater producing ability —which are depastured on generously top-dressed paddocks. Assistance for Beginners. Whilst the -well-established man on the dairy farm can see the light of prosperity and contentment ahead, there are large numbers of struggling beginners whose contemplated activities are halted through the lack of capital or finance. The reaction from the inflated price level of the recent boom period, coupled with . its aftermaths, has naturally shown itself in a fall of country land valuations, and in a consequent inability to procure State Advances to an amount anything approaching the proportion on values of the boom period), when many .of these new men bought their- farms. The consequence of this situation, if relief '■ is. not forthcoming, is inevitable. Although many of these men have families to assiet them to increase the productivity of their farms, their work Avould be futile without finance for seeds, manures, fencing materials, and the -numerous other commodities required on the pioneer's farm. Stagnation frequently Tesults from this want of finance, and many of these class of men are merely living from hand ■. to mouth, hoping for better tilings. In the past, stock and station ■agencies gave credit to the small farmers, incidentally to their main function', of supplying farmer's requisites, but 'there is not much of this class of assistance to, be obtained now. Auctioneering firms have done excellent work in past years in assisting the struggling farmers, and no doubt act now as bankers to many farmers in the matter of temporary accommodation. Short dated assistance is, however, of little use. in any scheme of land development. Tlie Prime Minister, in his recent message to the people of the Dominion, stressed the grave importance of' increased production, for -export purposes. If the Government, of which he is the head, can finance to give the eager and industrious pioneer settlers a solid measure of financial support to develop their farms, then increased production would naturally follow.' • , Need for Manuring. Take,' for instance, the case of a farmer who has fair pastures for v his herds but cannot finance the matter of manures for top-dressing. Were he financed (to even only top-dress his pastures), hisi production would be almost,; , if not wholly doubled in due course by this operation alone. This has been the experience of dairymen throughout the whole Dominion, and as the Prime Minister stated, in a recent speech, this Tesult of adequate topdressing was reached over some 200,----000 acres of dairying lands in the Matamata :'and Morrinsville districts during the pact few years. The ."/gratifying tresults obtained" in the above-mentioned districts, may be easily/reached, or passed, here, by similar methods. The lands of this territory are naturally far more fertile than the Matamata lands %ere when ! in- their .virgin state, and would, and do, respond more read-' iiy to manurial treatment. In. this opinion the writer., is fortified by a conversation entered into with Mr. John McCaw (who managed the original ' great estate of Matamata for a number of years and farmed it "with .unusual' skill and enterprise), when he admitted quite freely that the lands in the Northern .King Country were infinitely more iertile and responsive than the best parts of Matamata, the great, grain and sheep station of years ago (once owned by Mr. J. J. Firth and pioneered from the wilderness by Mr. John .McCaw), the homestead of which stood near,where the: town of Matamata now stands.. Successes Point the Way. When Mr. McCaw expressed this opinion to the writer (some two years ago), there were present two very old pioneer settlers 6f x the Waikato, who endorsed his remarks. On the older established dairy farms of this region, where money has been obtained for top-dressing regularly each year, telling testimony is in abundant • evidence in the green forage and pastures, and the outstanding appearance of the cattle (and the consequent increased production generally, on the treated farms). It would, therefore, seem to he bad business for any Government to retard production, by withholding from those men on the dairy farms, the money advances they so urgently require to make their lands produce more. There are many good men here', who might win a high place as farmers, and skilful breeders of high producing stock', -who will be regulated to the shades of obscurity and oblivion if financial assistance cannot be found for them, with which to expand, and to intensely cultivate their properties. Successful dairymen must not only have green succulent forage crops throughout the dry summer months, I but every month in the year must be provided for as well. A palatable and eaeily digestible supplement to the pastures is required in the dry periods while hay, ensilage and similar feedings required at other times.

The small man, who has only his farm, without capital, cannot make these urgent provisions, and consequently he drops automatically out of the line of export producers. These are the class that should be financially assisted at the moment, if the slogan of "More Production" is to be respected as it should be, and the desired results achieved.

THE HAURAKI PLAINS.

A PROSPEROUS YEAR.

THE PERIOD REVIEWED.

INCREASED BUTTER OUTPUT.

There can be no doubt that the year just ended lias been one of prosperity for the Hauraki Plains settlers. There are several -ways of proving such a contention. The truest and surest is perhaps indicated by the amount of money a settler has made out of his farm. One farmer with three average-sized farms produced figures to show that he had made £1000 off one, £900 off another, and £850 oil" the other. He states that he is well satisfied. Another reliable indication is the out-O put of the butter and cheese factories. All the factories, both co-operative and • privately owned, report substantially! increased outputs. To those who know the Plains, this is not surprising. The land has astonishing recuperative | powers. Two years ago a devastating I flood scoured the country, and dairy farmers were hard hit by the resultant damage. There has been a remarkably favourable rainfall this season, and this is said to be the chief reason for the recovery of the pastures. The winter j and spring have been perfect from a' dairying viewpoint, and the ever increas-! ing number of stopbanks being erected by the Land Drainage Department inspire a confident feeling that the Plains cannot again be readily flooded. Portions of the country are more or i less waterlogged during the middle I winter months, but cattle are not affected. It has been a popular custom for years to remove stock to the grasscovered slopes of the adjacent hills. The cattle thus enter on the milking season | in great fettle. j Settlers in some districts are showing • a strong tendency to consider the possi- j bilities of flax growing. Several com- ■ panics have been promoted, and two new mills were established. Native flax is being protected and conserved, instead of being wantonly destroyed as in past years. There has not been much new roading the Hauraki Plains County Council concentrating more on the maintenance of existing roads. The wisdom of this policy is especially noticeable on the roads between Turua and Ngatea, portions of which have recently been bitumenised, the red metal from a volcanic cone in the Hauraki Gulf being freely i used. A water supply scheme, from Waitakaruru to the Ngatea district, was promised for the 1923-24 summer, but has not yet eventuated. The artesian water in this locality is impregnated with soda, and this necessitates the new source of supply, which will involve the laying of a pipe line. Drainage has been successfully attended to by the Hauraki and Horahia 'boards, which, towards the end of the year got at loggerneads over the question of amalgamation, and a commission may be appointed to settle the question. The Ngatea' High School, opened in 1924, requires additional accommodation, and the new post office fully ustifies ' its erection. Underground cables have been substituted f;or aerial wires at Turua and Ngatea. Kaihere will pro-, bably have a new post office in the near future, when settlers can peaceably agree on the question of a site. The most interesting future prospect is a £70,000 roading and bridging scheme projected by the Hauraki Plains County Council. This is expected to commence some time this year. Summed up, with anything like a reasonable rainfall, the Plains this year should enjoy an even greater measure of 'popularity with dairymen than in' any year since •1922; *- .