THE FARMERS' COLUMN.

Bruce Herald, Volume XI, Issue 1079, 17 January 1879, Page 7

THE FARMERS' COLUMN.

BEST SYSTEII OF FAEMING TOE SMALL FAR2IS. | We take the following extracts from a a paper on " Mixed Husbandry," read by Mr Lunam, land steward, at Newcastle. They are worthy of perusal by many settlers in New Zealand, as they advocate the cultivation of a variety of small crops, i which is but little practised here ; —

- But mixed tmsbdndry is necessary to realise the full amount of profit which the farm properly managed, will yield in accordance with the state of the markets. Eveiy year the variety of farm produce is varying — some portions of it will be high, some low ; and thus the farmer always catches good, prices for some of the produce ; whereas if he ia wholly dependant upon one kind of crop or stock, he may be disappointed. A little sold of everything makes a muckle, and if one thing does not pay, another will. Let there be as great a variety of crops as possible, but all of real marketable value ; and this in skilful hands will increase rotation of cropping, which will be #ood for the land. Keep down the weeds, and take out of the manure all the ingredients, so that none of them may be dormant in the earth. It will tend we believe, on medium-sized farms and on Bmall ones, more than any other system, to increase the purse. I have seen the lai'ge flowing river, with its broad sheet of water emptying itself into the ocean ; and how did it become so large? Trace it to its source and you will find that small — perhaps a spring ; and the question arises, how came it to be so large ? — namely by the tributaries poured into it. It is large from many sources. So we hold that tributaries from mixed husbandry swell the whole, and make the little a muckle. Let there be a proper system of pig feeding, cattle feeding, dairy farming, with a sufficiency of crops grown to support all, and some for the marke/L The result will be success and prosperity. Some may say all this appears very well upon paper, but it is a difficult thing to carry it out. To such we say that very great discovery in science and art appeared first upon paper. The steamengine appeared first in its plan upon paper ; the great discovery of the telegraph, which now tends to the concentration of the whole earth, appeared first on paper, and so must all improvements in farming appear on paper. A proper plan, a good system, is more than half success. A good th/ng well begun is more, than half finished ; so with the system of farming. But a mixed system of husbandry is necessary to make a man a good farmer. His mind should be trained well in every department of agriculture, and when he begins to cultivate a variety of crops, he will get as much knowledge as pussible about each species of crop, and that will aid him to read, inquire, and investigate until he has succeeded, and in his success he will carry on his investigation j , in order to improve, knowing that there is no end to discoveries and improvements. This training is most useful to his own mind, adds happiness to him in his industry, and comfbit in his prosperity. If the mind is only fixed upon the one kind of farming, the training that it would otherwise have will be neglected ; but if he cultivates a variety of farm produce, the nrind will be Upon the stretch to make the best of it. Mixed husbandry is necessary to suit the variety of soils on the same farm. There is frequently a great variety of soil and subsoil ; one part is better adapted to one kind of crop than another, and thus, by the skilful adaptation of crop to soil and soil to crop, there is more abundant supply. In the study of nature we find nothing but variety, and mankind is so formed that they live upon variety, and are made happy by variety. The eye is adapted to variety, and feasted with variety ; we live upon varieties, and the earth is made to yield this variety. In advocating mixed husbandry, we are only accommodating ourselves to nature, end endeavoui'ing to produce that variety which nature has taught us to produce, and without which mankind could not live or be happy. Variety is a necessity of our nature, and there is a beautiful adaptation of the earth to this variety. As we studv to be 'like nature and imitate nature so do we become beautiful, profitable and industrious; for nature is not only clothed with beauty, but if is both profitable and industrious. Mixed husbandry is nature's itnif-ation, excites to industry, and, as we shall try to show, is really profitableIt is a good maxim to learn well in all departments of business the arithmetic of profit and loss, and we agriculturalists should ever keep this rule before us, as it ought to be the aim of every farmer to make everything pay. Farming for amusement and ox*natnent may pay those who engage in it a rich return of health, knowledge, and pleasure, but not in money It is money that most farmers want, and the question is, will mixed husbandry yield that ? On this subject ihere are, uo doubt, a great variety of sentiments, and almost every man forms his own opinion from his own experience ; but an opinion to be correct and influential must be founded on intelligent experience. In trying to show the necessity for this sys- j tern of farming, we have hinted that it pays — everything necessary pays— -and if it be admitted to be a necessity on most farms, then it must pay better than any other system. Will it nay to bring stock to perfection, or turn them out in good condition to the fairs? Then such caunot be done on medium quality of land without feeding material grown on the farm. Will it pay to have a variety of produce in the market, even though that should be small 1 Then the judicious system of cropping produces that. Much of the disappointment to farmers arises from the necessity of being compelled to sell their stock in a poor condition ; and this is» owing &■$ much to their injudicious method of feeding as to the want of capital. If there be a bad system of tillage on the farm, there will be a lack of feeding materials, and the stock is either starved or half fed, and the result is always small prices. It may be objected to the mixed system of husbandry that labourers cannot now be obtained ; but if machinery were introduced more largely and a good pair of horses could be kept

at work during the entire year, under a skilful man, a large amount of cropping could be carried oat with comparatively few labourers. The scarcity of labor necessitates the introduction of machinery and in a very short time farmers will save as much from hand labor as would purchase the necessary machines. Thus by machinery in part, and doing as much as possible by horse work, enough of cropping could be done on most farms for all purposes ot feeding, rearing, and some to sell. By skilful management much labor might be saved which is now on many farms expended for nought. Seasonable work seldom if ever expends labor, and one reason why tillage will not pay many is in consequence of the unseasonableness of it. I have seen the ploughing commenced on a farm of considerable dimensions when it was nearly the time to sow, and thus every species of crop was shunted back to meet the farmer's convenience ; bad crops, as might be expected were the result, and the farmer was always saying tillage would not pay. Another reason why it does not pay, many have the system of employing laborers instead of keeping a few constant men at work, giving them comfortable little houses and gardens, so that they may take a deeper interest in their employer's work ; a number of workers are engaged to pat in and take out the . crops at high wages, and then dismissed. The system is bad, and always disappoints. A writer on mixed husbandry asks the question — Will it pay to raise from 30 to 60 tons of turnips to the acre 1 Why, even to sell an acre of 40 tons at lOd per cwt, would amount to the sum o£ £33, and all the other crops, if properly grown, would pay in proportion ; but used for stall feeding and rearing stock, they pay much more as the manure is valuable for the land. The consumption of a large proportion of crops upon the farm is always wise, as it leaves the manure behind ; the land requires to be stall-fed as we 1 as the cattle io order to pay, and the cleaner it is kept with good feeding the better tbe pay. Unskilful husbandry will not pay, but we affirm without fear of contradiction, and our opinion is founded upon the experience of most competent men, that mixed husbandry, unlesa on very rich pasture, is the best farmii.g in order to pay both farmer and laborer. It would be unwise to say what proportion of the farm should be tilled, as that depends very much upon the nature of the soil, drainage, markets, &c. ; but in the adoption of the system I advocate farmers must be guided by experience. I know the popular notion in agriculture at the present time is, till little and graze all, but grazing all on small or medium-sized farms would not pay. The necessities of agriculture as a branch of industry, the clear tendencies of economised Bcience, atid the growing education of many farmers will lead them to see that mixed husbandry is not only profitable, but required. Instead of driving away the people from the country, we want to establish branches of industry to entice them to staj ; and instead of having merely one resource out of which to draw the revenue, the farmer, we consider, will be richer and more independent to have many resources. Whatever tends to in~ dustry tenda to wealth and comfort, and this system, if properly carried out, will have the effect.