FARM AND STATION.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15603, 30 May 1916, Page 10

FARM AND STATION.

SUFFOLK SHEEP

(By Korari.)

In a letter to his agents in Christchurch Mr Gilbert Anderson gives some interesting information regarding Suffolk sheep. They continue to hold a strong position at the Smithfield Club's show, and not only won the championship this year, but during the twentyone years the carcase competitions have been held, Suffoiks have won no less than eight championships and three reserve championships in the competition open to all breeus and crosses, in the crossbred clusses Suffolk crosses have been six times reserve for the championship. In other words, approximately half the champion awards 111 competition with all other breeds havo been won by Suffolk and Suffolk crosses. The fact becomes ot greater interest when it is stated that more than half the remainder of the champion awards went to one of the longwool breeds. An •inuiy.iis oi the v innings in the crossbred classes shows that Suffolk nuns crossed with this .'other breed carried off fully one-fourth of the class prizes, whilst at least onefourth of the remainder were won by Suffoiks cros.sed with at least nine different breeds. This year Suffoiks won two-thirds of the awards in the shortwool classcs, and Suffolk crosses more than half the awards in the crossbred •classes. There was a keen demand for Suffoiks at the Suffolk Sheep Breeders' Society's sale in August last year, when 1447 shearling ewes averaged £0 2s, as against £3 15s 6d for 1238 in 1914. The top price was £10. for a pen of twenty. The average for 209 ram lambs was £16 10s 4d. and the top price 90 guineas. At the Society's September sale 259 ram lambs averaged £7 16s 6d. with a top price of 26 guineas. The average for ram lambs for the two sales was nearly £3 better than in 1914. The Suffolk is at the rop of the tree in England as a mutton breed, and the future of th e importations into Now Zealand is full, of interest. LAND SETTLEMENT IN ENGLAND. In last week's issue of the •Weoh.'y Press" an outline v. as given of a scheme of industrialised farms for England, recommended by Mr C. S. Orwin. director of the Institute for Research in Agricultural Economics. Oxford. The president of the Beard of Agriculture, Lord Selborne. is evidently not in favour of a general scheme of the kind. In a recent address in which reference was made to the recommendations in | the Report of the Departmental Com—

mittce on Land Settlement for sailors and soldiers, ho said the report, which was now under the consideration o. 1 the Government, raised two great questions--at once—what was going to be the agricultural policy of the country after tin. war, and how to deal with that vast and new population of deniobiliseu men when the war was happily concluded ? On the question of ownership and tenancy the political parties were unhappily divided. The party to which he belonged was wholly in favour of ownership; the party with whom they were associated had. on the whole, pinned their faith to the principle oi tenancy. If the paragraphs in this report and in tho report ol the Association were meant to apply generally to tho question, then he must confess that he profoundly differed from the view expressed in both eases in favour of tenancy. But if the paragraphs— as he believed was the case—did not attempt to deal with tho general question, but with probable conditions of settlement of discharged sailors and soldiers in certain colonies at the termination of the war, that was a wholly different proposition, and it meant no defalcation in his allegiance, to the principle of ownership as a principle to be followed in a general agricultural policy. The establishment of three pioneer colonies in tho lirst place must be looked at as an experiment. If H proved succejsbil no d.vibt tlioy would become models for imitation. Among the applicants there must be some men without agricultural experience who must have training. Many would prove to be. unfitted for the .life they had chosen, and there would have to be an .assorting. While tins continued u was essential that tho Stato should keep the land in its own hands, free from outside control. But this policy if adopted, could only be regarded i.part of a much larger policy, which be called the rebuilding of the countryside. A suggestion had been made that if tho land was to produce the greatest possible amount of food it could only do so by the application to its cultivation of the best brains and the greatest amount of capital, and it 'was urged that the only method ot doing tms was by adopting the principle of limited liability over large ureas under skilful, welt-paid management. this might be true from the point of view of the political econo just, but he could not conceive a more .ppallitig social calamity than tho land of England industrialised to that e*. tent. .but he tnougnt tho introduction of a certain number of such undertakings' mignt be of fie gieatc-st possible advantage to agriculture in England, providing examples for farmers of every class. But the dream co the realisation of which ho looked forward for both social and economic j reasons was the multiplication on a ' largo scale of small owners of the land liiev farmed.

WOMEN FARMERS OF FRANCE. A number ol HmgusiL ladies recently paid a vistb to i' vo *>i.uuy tuo conuiuons 01 lauu iut> as now camea o'U oy ivoiuuii, WxiO uio xi-UUH Lillilnig tuO ii£,iicuiiiiimi pioauouon 01 wo »»ixue wie laiuicis uua tneir sous aio at tjie war. .All account 01 tueir visit, was given on taeir 1 owm by iViiss uiuuy! t-oit and aus iioyce. As a&i icuiiuial piospenly m x-iauce' owes a .good deal U) tuo industry and tnrut 01 tne women, tueie' is lime comparison between I'ranue and England witn respect to tne position women occupy ill rural affairs, and uniorwuiaieiy contrast nas oeen sioaudy becoming more pronounced. But tne recent mission was not, concerned so niucn witn normal as with emergency methods. The ladies mentioned and their companions, who included Miss la Moike, of tne Board of irado. were deputed to make deiinite enquiries into the way in which work on the* land was being earlied on in the absence of all men of military age, with a view to making known in England the nature and extent of the duties undertaken by mothers, wives, and sisters of the men who are defending their country. It must be known by this time, even if it is not fully recognised (says The , Field") that the maintenance of J agricultural- production on the other side of the Channel is due chiefly and primarily to women. They have the assistance of men over military age and boys too young to join the Colours, the value of which it may .be frankly admitted is of the greatest significance, but there appears to be scarcely any kind of farm work that the Frenchwomen arc afraid or incompetent to tackle. Unfortunately the deputation experienced weather of the most adverse description, which hindered their tiave'ls and restricted the scope of ocular demonstration, but they nevertheless obtained valuable information, confirmed by practical evidence, concerning the" splendid services of tho wives and daughters of France in keeping all branches of the landed in* <iustry"going almost as if no war existed. The deputation visited a portion of the devastated area and also districts into which tbe enemy had not penetrated, and everywhere women were doing their part nobly to themselves and'their country. Both speakers appealed eloquently for some such effort on the part of the women of England. Neither suggested that the French standard of efficiency could be expected, for they were under no delusion as to the importance of training and experience. but they rightly contended that past" neglect of thn<?<-~ matters should not at a time like this prevent an attempt beinrr made to relieve all men necessary for the war. Miss Pott gave an exceedingly instructive and Wellreasoned description of their experiences in France, and Mrs Boyce, equally impressed by what she saw there, made a sincere and moving appeal for organised effort among the women of to grapple seriously with the momentous affairs of life. The ladies were to address oilier meetings in different parts of England.