FARMING ABROAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 267, 10 November 1937, Page 8

FARMING ABROAD.

IMPORTANT TRENDS. NEW ZEALANDER OVERSEAS. CONDITIONS IN BRITAIN. "Generally speaking New Zealand, by comparison with other countries, is well to the forefront in the use of fertilisers on grass lands," observed Mr. G. H. Holford, B.Sc., a director in New Zealand of the Fertiliser Advisory Service, who returned to Auckland yesterday by the Wangartella after six months abroad studying agricultural questions in the United States, Great Britain and European countries. Through personal contacts with high executive officials abroad Mr. Holford was enabled to obtain a clear insight into many important questions of the moment. Although, between the years 1932 and 1930 primary production in England had increased by 20 per oent there appeared to be no marked trend towards a sustained increase, he said. Great Britain produced enough food for the week-ends but the remainder had to be imported. In the Old Country, he added, the development of arable lands had been retarded over a long period except in the acreage under wheat, which had been increased owing to the recent aJlowance of a subsidy. ."Two million acres of arable land have gone out of crops since the war. and during the past 10 years 80,000 labourers have left the land." Oil the other hand, a steady increase in the a.iuount of dairying had been noted until last year, when there was a slight decrease, but with sheep the position was exactly the reverse.

'1 hose facts, Mr. Holford said, were of importance to New Zealand, owing to its vital association with primary industries. Although Ci-reat Britain was about the same size as the Dominion, and although only 7 per cent of her population was engaged in farming pursuits. she last year produced primary goods to the value of some £200,000,000, which was more than three times the total value of New Zealand's primary exports. In Great Britain the movement was towards live stock farming, depending more on grasslands than arable crops. Once a considerable percentage of sheep was folded on arable crops, but to-day there was a marked increase of grass feeding. ] Regarding the dairy industry. Mr. Holford ai.id that after steady increases in the past few years production was now static, although the consumption | had increased. Consumption of liquid milk stood at the 2,000,000 gallon mark, but the surplus was around 300,000,000 I gallons, and even were consumption to | increase considerably it would still be much lower than in the United States. It had recently been estimated, he said, that were individual consumption in England to be brought to the same level as i:i America twice the present production would be necessary. "While the British farmer receives about 1/ a. gallon for his milk he receives a higher price in terms of butterfat than if it were converted into butter and cheese," lie said. The request of the farmers at Home for higher prices from the Milk Marketing Boards had been refused, but the Government had undertaken to spend the sum of £000.000 on a survey of disease in cattle with a view to purifying the stock. After stating 'that he had it on good authority that dairy supplies from the Baltic States and* Russia would decrease in inverse proportion to the raising in the standard of living in those countries, Mr. Holford said he had been assured that there was an increase in the demand for New Zealand products in England. Recent market reports indicated that prices were good owin<* to the greater spending power of the British public. The most noticeable feature in Den- ' mark was the drive to eliminate disease in dairy herds. Germany, on the other hand, was making valfant strides to attain self sufficiency and was concentrating on oil-producing crops such as rape to fill a great need. The lack of oils was noticed in the butters, which were all blended.