EXPEDIENTS THAT PAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 183, 28 April 1908, Page 2

EXPEDIENTS THAT PAY.

-A WORKABLE SCHEME. HOW IT WOULD LOOK IN PRACTICE.- . A groat amount of interest, appears to haye been taken in the question; discussed in yesterday's Dominion "of "Experiments'' That Pay." .. .. ■ ' At first it is, perhaps, well to emphasise' tho fact that no such policy could lie'carried out successfully as portions of the. present work of the experiment farms. The areas of land used for, this suggested new. departure would (as stated by the Minister in The Dominion of February 11) have to bo severely fenced off and- treated as Quite distinct establishments. :To attempt- to show, on'the present experiment farms, by moans of ; the ordinary staffs, that anything paid; would be, of course] to court absolute failure from tho very beginning. The ordinary' l experiment farms are for quite other purposes.They'art .to test certain practical and scientific .points, and their success is gauged- by -, the,amouut of information they afford, 'not ' by tho profit or loss! The new/policy foreshadows quite' a different, sort'' of establishment—one that caiiuot take the 'place of the present stations, "but can' still •' afford valuable information. ' That,; at'least-,' is','' wq, think, _ai-reasonable view to' .takeV and wo believe it. is, the-view, of the Minister, so far as he has considered, the matter.,. Experts "with whom, w'c -have talked' on-the' Question appear to regard it. favourably, and it may not- be out of place to refer ,'to the probable ..details-of; th - scheme-as they- present themselves-to. tho expert "mind: •'. • Tho object of the " profit farm " would be to show-what money'could be made in a .certain industry by a certain mods' of treatment. The mode of treatment would/haive to be laid down by tho divisional heads and their specialists', . whoso'-.teachings were ,to be put on trial. The - operations, must be carried out hy a specially-appointed manager and staff in each case. • Tho manager must occupy toward the 1 divisional , officer'exactly tjie'same position:as a-manager would occupy toward a private individual who Had' investea: his >monCy in the 'industry, except 'that he' would; have fuller instructions as' to ! the lines of- work to be followed. : '! ■ . Lejk us take an example.'. . Suppose 'the test ..were to be 'with fruit; Twenty: acres, 6ay, ! .' must be 'set apart' exclusively for. the work-.' Tho land must'! be valued,"and ..in-, torest.; charged against' it. ' A - certain sum of money rnust be , given' to :'it- to represent the . capital'which al'private orchardist or a private capitalist or-syndicate would possess,' !ind from this'the land must-:-be got . into cultivation, drained; sheltered, fenced; planted, and maintained till "tho income 'begins. The manager's., salary also Would cpmo. out , of .this sum, A ,'record of- interesting observations could be kept, just as a private orchardist, would—or should—keep it, arid it would. no .doubt be of great value when jiublished. Some, trees would be-much at-' .tacked'.'by-diseases, and be hard to nurse *to - while , others would; bound forward to. ' maturity without,;; any - infantile-' troubles.: Thore -would be interesting ■ comparisons' to be -made > as ; : : to' the; aje' vmen'"profit began' with' different.' varieties; : as to the returns' per;,acre from..the,different kinds of fruit and their .different, varieties; to' small crops- that would provide income while the Orchard -was. not bearing—an interesting .point to all .These things ,have: b.een found , oni already,';-at one/ time' and-.-another,, on; the existing experiment 'farms;: but the lessons have been'forgotten, or they ' .have-;l>een found, out on : a, small,-scale, •or ■they have' been .presented, -to the public .;mingled- with .other - matters .in wjiich their,- • yaluojias .n6^(been ; QU.t.' L'.But -oyery fact of value would be. presented tp the: .publio; in ;a : ;'setting. that' w.ould . Allrtho facts would-be.grouped'.in one.-bind-. .ing,. and the report's, when complete; would form o av guide to fruitgrowers'of a'yalue'that has:, not been approached by any book yet published:, There, could be a small-Caurimg ! plant to-show to what extent that outlet for crnjjs could bo made profitable. . ■ 'ThejTthere would be side lines. . Tho-offi-cer .directing the fruit farm would want- to' run poultry, in his orchard; or.grow graces, .orV.keen .cows rvi Ivdjoinins:'nadddeks j "and 'he,'.would, like any .private: owner, apnly- to. ; 'the Government 'specialists'.in'these "matters for, I ,any .information ;he required. But they, of,course; .would not interfere beyond what i •was asked of. them,' because- these, things; are' side fssties: 'the main test is fruit,, end"there must bo only Ono i ".boss.":- Every' result would possess a. strange, now interest to '"'the, readers of the' Departmental' literature, because it, would be permeated all through with ;the delicibus;jingle of sordid cash ~ ; ...Then take the case of'the..poiiltrv-: industry. ' Here the .chief thing'to be tested'would He; whether. fowls paid, l i and how they' 5 paid ' ' best.- ■; . There ■ would r be; the same" prelimin- : 'firies, the same value in comparison,.,: thesame cultivation of auxiliary crops, the same : .voluniinousness of renorts,: the; same appeals for.iadvice to. experts in; otlter.branches; . sucii; for. instance,; as; the: dairying /division/ were desired to keep cows to. supply milk for the or. the fruitgrowing division, if: an orchard woro deemed a desirable adjunct. But the authority the head of the poultry, division would still remain unmolested. The viticulture 1 division could be', called upon to show what money the luscious grape can yield, and -how.quickly., V ;Tlio dairying division-might desire to show tho dairy-farn£ ers that under their methods 'butter can be put in good; order .'on the London market, without borax, without pasteurisation,-with-' ' out anything but cleanliness /and: salt and - ■ frost. : -' There is no limit to the extent to which, the scheme could ;be carried,- and: the question of available -funds: should 'not arise,- because these, things . would - be > self-supporting How far the Minister will g6 in the matter is a question that only the, future, can answer.' 1 It is obviously a, policy that i ; one caiv only grow into. ■N« doubt the foreignwould provide all the scope necessary ti prevent, undesiied competition :a<raiu»i, ,iocai outerprise.