PROBLEMS OF THE FARMER.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20086, 15 November 1930, Page 15

PROBLEMS OF THE FARMER.

VALUE OF RESEARCH WORK. ADVANCEMENT OF PRIMARY i.. _ . ' f PRODUCTION. GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH. Their Excellencies Lord and Lady Btedisloe were the 'guests- at luncheon of the president (Mr 'L. R1 C. Macfarlane) and committee of the Canterbury A'. : and- P. : Association' on the Show Grounds, Addirigton, yesterday. His- Excellency, 'in. acknowledging • the welcome. extended to Lady Bledisloe and himself,, spoke at some-length, and most interestingly on farming topics, and dealt, am.ongst. other subjects) with the .problems", confronting thefarmer, and the necessity for scientific research in" order Ho ; further the "development of the country's primary industries. • " .: :■

The toast of "Tlic ' King" was loyally 1 'honoured. Mr Macfarlaue said that on behalf ef the Canterbury A. and P. Association he had very much pleasure in WeieoMirig;, ■ oil the • occasion of their first visit to the? skew, their Excellencies, Lord and-Lady. . Bled.isloe,. -ti© welcomed his Excellency in his du&l capacity a* representative of the King, and , also as a practical* agriculturist, whoj they hoped, would b© of much assistance to them in finding a solution to tlieir problems. He "would be proiid to - show. ..Lord Bledisloe rounu the exhibits, CAtiferbuiT people were .. very proud of their show, and thought it, the -finest in New and many- -others acknowledged that the sheep were the "best all fid exhibit to . bo found any\yhere; in the' 1 world. They reoojpiisecl, however, that it was ,no uso being "toq satisfied ' with'• their ■stock.. ' They had to .go to other countries to get certaiii breeds in order to'. keep, their stock up to the high standard it had reached, j They would. like Lord Bledisloe. who was in :touch with farmers /in ' other parts of. the world, to tell ... theih of the high quality of tho stock of Isew Zealand. Although tHey" in New Zealand were . to, import stock, they hoped to export , more than they imported. - -He took th© opportunity to thank the; exhibitors for -coming for-? vaidi .and supporting the iMsociation, despite the hard .and. trying times. The stock on exhibition was in good condition, and he was very proudofthe opportunity to show it to their Kx- - cellencies. ■ (Applause.) ... . Governor-General's Speech. ... Lord Bledisloe 'was revived withi plause oh rising to owher Excellency- 7 and himself, .lie .said he " thanked them for the cardial welcome extended to Lady Bledisloe ana himself on the occasion of their Jirsfc visit to the Agricultural >nd Pastoral Association's admirable show. . "Nothing -hae filled me with' greater admiration since I came to - %his country," Tiis= Excellency continued, "than the extreme enlightenment which attended the early activities rftbelßSt pioneers in this Canterbury 1 notice that within two years #tpr the establishment of the p a n.3 Settlement in the early fifties: M last century, not *>nly was there- a great deal df edticationM' the lasting adv^ntsteo-of and- of Island, hut" the stbckf owners- of «htf. I and .show I am, right-in saym & *hat tune there have been held in church or in Canterbury, f province. ! over sixty-five or sixty-six agricultural shows... trict has, quite obviously, th® 1 wav to the economic , salvation,xfrf *he Siig industry by establishing really good stock of every description m this part' of the Dominion. ■ • -• Present Conditions- '' You- president has to tho 53 1 s. as. Old dbuiitry are far ' worse have- to less 7 ho r ofmeht tiianv the , farmers, of . ffl 1 ? land i leakr&elingly. lwi a farmef. on l ar Sf XJre* and •" a' commercial' farmer. If • isrpne justitotion more than anoth^ for such a show as this, it- is necessariiy its value -to the: breeders of . W. but its value to. the ordinary . commercial . farmers, that point of view y°«* show be judged, ind from that ppmt <m vfe# y& sto - r i: ,c - v' '■ '6004 fKoj* Plants. -''l remetober \maay years ago, w,hen I -was a -student at England's oldest agricultural college, thafc _J™ «f\hat were impressed upon me—factors that Sg : th^ ; past forty'years have been fibrnfc out "by my The first was-that w is ,worth , the J l **?' "£ the 8?«;ond was that a bad lust as to-keep as a - good an> mal. Therefore, from a commercial farmery's-;,.point" of view, andma country which , depends prfeponderatfely on the pastoral industry and on its live stock, we ought always £or breeding purposes the best ma,le an* mals, and also tha> gopd stoqk should, not be confined to those Who win prizes at the Shows, but should "be Characteristic of farming" generally: in tho country. It is-equally .true, that, it dpes not pay to -feed, with ferior plants. You Have in New Zealand some of the finest pastures in, -th® world, and also some of -the most reliable and scientific woi;k being directed to the improvement, of your pastures. I believe that no more valuable work is being done in the country to-day, but - one thing is becoming more r and more apparent that if -you |° use artificial, fertilisers you should do so on. good ■ plcLnt xnatGris.!.

Markets for- Cocksfoot and Ryegrass.) "You -are all looking out. to-day for now markets,, in order.. to further the development of your pastoral ana agricultural industries. There is ' one aaiket that lies right to your hand if you are prepared to grasp it, not only in the. Old Country, but in many of the-, 'old" countries, arid' that is for the provision of" th£f"t>e6t- possible herbage pis ifs. If you . only. Taiae,: forthe.jmrrccses of seed ,in Europe, the best possible - Akaroa cftc'fi'?foot ...and Hawke p Bay ryegrass, then Jll'ere is a-very good market right to- your hands.; Bufcyou Will havfe to> see .'-.that;. the ly. certificated,. a_is«l that -.nothing ~ is ph ssed fpi export ; exceprtfitft' which Ms passed, v m >wie