FARM EXCHANGE TOUR

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28799, 21 January 1959, Page 7

FARM EXCHANGE TOUR

Queensland Girl’s Visit

A Queensland girl, Miss June Lee, who is a member of a Junior Farmers Club in her home state, has been staying at Mr J. Horn’s property, Horrelville, during the last week on an exchange tour of New Zealand which she was awarded by the Junior Farmers’ Club movement.

Some of Miss Lee’s main impressions gained during an extensive tour of farming and country areas are the high carrying capacity of the land, due to the regular rainfall throughout the year, the extent to which small seed raising is carried out; and the outstanding scenic attractions of the country, particularly in the Southern Lakes district, and Milford Sound.

Miss Lee gained the trip through her knowledge of a wide variety of subjects in which Junior Farmers’ Club candidates were questioned. She is the only girl member on the tour.

Miss Lee, whose father owns a 300-acre dairy farm carrying 60 Jersey cows, 100 miles north of Brisbane in' southern Queensland, arrived in New Zealand at the beginning of her trip early in December. She is the guest of Miss Frances Hom, a member of the Oxford Country Girls* Club, during her stay in the district. Miss Lee will be conducted over Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, today, and will leave at the week-end for a sight-seeing trip to South Westland, including the glacier regions. She will stay in the Taranaki district before leaving in March for home, where she will give lectures -on her tour to various Junior Farmers’ Clubs in her portion of the State. Miss Lee has been particularly impressed with the sheep-raising properties in the South Island, and with the carrying capacity generally of the land—particularly in southern districts—which was much greater than in Australia She had noticed a greater incidence of young people remaining on the land here compared to Australia, where “many of the young people tend to flock to the cftles and towns ” •

Small Seeds Export to Australia Of considerable interest to Miss Lee has been the harvesting of small seeds which is at present in full swing in the particularly clover and ryegrass varieties.

Virtually all ryegrass and clover seed in her own state was imported from New Zealand, she said, largely because they, succumbed to disease in Queensland and harvesting of the crops could not be carried out. “I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay in New Zealand; wherever I. have .been.. I have been' very well treated, and the hospitality of everyone has been absolutely wonderful,” Miss Lee said.