THE WEEK

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25300, 27 September 1947, Page 6

THE WEEK

CONTROL OF NASSELLA The North Canterbury Nassella Tus sock board, at its meeting this week was for the first time in a position tc get on with its programme of con trol, because at last Government as. sistance is forthcoming. The aci under which the board was createc gives the board wide powers, but n should not be necessary to use then if landowners in the area affected wiL co-operate. Many occupiers are already, and have for some time been attending to their tussock, but the report of the inspector made it quite clear that* a number are not attempting control at all, or are doing some work, conscious that they are onb half doing the job. The board can dr much to help farmers who want tc rid themselves of nassella. and identification of the pest will not be the least of the services that can be given A rather unfortunate feature oi this week’s meeting was that the Kowa: council seemed to be unconvinced oi the need for over-all control of nassella. Kowai claims to have little nassella, but the weed is spreading everywhere, and contributions to the board’s finances should be looked at as an insurance premium. It would be impossible to handle nassella piecemeal. Imust be tackled, as the board recommends, so that outlying areas are made incapable of infecting clear areas, mainly to the south-east o: them. The job will be a huge one but, given co-operation from all quar ters, there is a very fair prospect o: controlling it entirely, and even o eliminating it.

HIGH PRODUCING HERD

The Friesian heard belonging to H J. Macartney of Tai Tapu, which was recently announced as having topped the Dominion in the Group Herd Test, has had a notable career over .many years now. The 1946-47 season was the ninth in succession that the herd made an average of better than 4001 b of fat. Last season was the Second- time the herd bettered 5001 b. Both these performances are believed to be unparalleled since Group Herd Testing began. The 23 mature cows in the herd of 35 last season averaged 5481 b of fat. the 11 three-year-old heifer? averaged 4481 b of fat, and a single two -year-old gave 3771 b. The highest producer in the herd was a 10-year-old which gave 9321 b in 288 days. A six-year-old daughter of this cow was second highest producer, with 6991 b of fat, and her youngest daughter, a three-year-old heifer, gave 4781 b. A granddaughter, also a three-year-old, produced 4921 b

WOOL PROSPECTS

In May last year when the United Kingdom-Dominion Wool Disposals was formed to ensure reasonable price Stability by controlling the sale of wool in the public auctions which were resumed later, it was calculated that about 13 years would be required to liquidate the 101 Million bale surplus, says the “Financial Times.’’ That surplus is already down to about 41 million bales, but the' absorption of 6 millions on top of current production has clearly failed to dull the appetite of consuming countries. The United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Italy have been the principal European buyers, but the most extensive purchases have been made by America. Wool Disposals’ remaining stocks now Contain a.limited quantity of the finer wools and considerable proportions of interior Qualities, so that the ability of the organisation to supplement offerings of the better grades from new clips is much restricted. This Situation is a bull point for Merino Wools on which the buying emphasis has been most marked since the resumption of public sales. >.

THE WHEAT ACREAGE

Mr Geo. Gardner writes:—Attention is being focused oh the wheat acreage, a major problem, drifting rudderless, no one knows where. So there’s no great harm in my talking on the subject to Mt Reed, or at him—your readers Can guess which: His grievance at thy Use of your space, duly noted. His real grievance, I see, is that he has barged into something about which he doesn’t know overmuch! and his blind swipes of futility ate eafclly anticipated by the straight lefts of one who has been through the mill. So Mr Reed knOWs all about farmer£’ balsnce-shfcets! ,Oh! Does he even know the difference between grdss and net? The short-view in this may do for some—the shorter the better—but on a farm, the long view isn’t long enough for the! Should all these items be omitted?—devitalisation of land, depreciation of all its belongings, which in far too many cases are simply not replaceable, but ate ah increasing liability, like unto compound interest. Then the gratis, and quite often excessive labour, and concern in management, oi the farmer, and his wife, to say nothing of the help of children. The heritage of these, for very obvious reasons, peculiarly the right of sons and daughters of the farm, where does it go? Into the maw of that most ghoulish of all cannibals, the Gestapo LeVeller. Then the slipping of farm values in N.Z. Why? Because they have to foot legislative schemes, which are more Of a first mortgage than any thing one can sign themselves up to in Hereford street. What amount connected with these schemes goes straight down the drain, is hot fot me to say. Mr Reed may. if it pleases him, put on the other column, his make-believe credits, which really are only tokens, confined to N.Z. and which are always faced with the dread danger of repudiation. If we had a World Bank, that was a World Bank, there might be stability. This Golden Age for farmers, that Mr Reed talks about, is Only a Pipe Dream —Childish Prattle,

Next! Mr Reed refers in an oblique manner at me personally; A double entendre, with neither wit nor analogy as backing. “However, if Mr Gardner is so dissatisfied With farming, etc., etc.’* Reply: Mr Gardner hasn’t got a farm, and hasn’t owned one for 27 years! Idleness? Never on your life, for none of his existence has beeh passed as a drifter. And those last 27 years have been among the busiest he has ever experienced. Production you want? Put him in charge of 100 acres or of 100.000—immaterial which—and he still will give the next man all he wants in the way of production. Only one condition—incentive. But into the seventies anything can happen, into the eighties almost certain it will happen. However I am lookipg forward to seeing a great grahdson following that ancient, high, and honourable calling—a farmer. Then a short reference to the returned serviceman. Does it never strike Mr Reed that some who voluntarily, yes voluntarily, went overseas, never returned, lost their lifte. as , well as their chahce to make good the civilian way Just ponder that over. One word about those that did return! There’s a headache for some one bin authority, trying to place men on the land Who don’t know anything about it. One rightly, should be associated with it from his youth—pveh then it is hot all plain sailing. And what returned man in his senses will take it on when he can get a bigger return in the city, or with the Government, working infinitely less hours, without saddling himself with the incubus of borrowed money on farm, on live and dead stock, and overhead generally—no light affair nowadays! Feeding the hungry people of Britain. that saved the World, is easily said! What about doing something to further that end? Rather, far too many take a fiendish delight in banging ddWh in bottlenecks, every obstacle they can, as an obstruction, from the N.Z. farmers’ gate to Britain, and back again from Britain to the aforesaid gate.