DANISH AGRICULTURAL METHODS.

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 16, 13 October 1927, Page 15

DANISH AGRICULTURAL METHODS.

A NATION OF SMALL HOLDERS INCREASING - PRODUCTIVITY OF SOIL CO-OPERATIVE MARKETING Details of the co-operative marketing scheme which had contributed to the success of small scale ownership of farms in Denmark was given by Dr. H. G. Heine, a former student of Victoria College, who recently returned to Wellington after spending several years in Europe studying economic conditions, in an address to members of the Economic Society last night. Denmark, said Dr. Heine, was a country with an area about a sixth of that of New Zealand, with a population nearly two and a half times as large as the Dominion’s and an annual increase of population of about 1 per cent., a country with too mineral resources to speak of, yet a countiy which had increased its productivity to such an extent that it had become the modern byword for a prosperous nation. , The geographical conditions of the country were such as to lavour a-riculture rather lhan industry. Small areas of land were continually being brought into cultivation. ’.rhe. Danes had increased their produotivity by persuading their rural population to improve their farming and marketing technique. Other countries could boast far greater names than Denmark in the field of agricultural research, but Denmark camo first as far as the application of sound agricultural principles was concerned. She had, speaking figuratively, succeeded in putting the heads of her rural population under the plough. Small Holdings. Denmark bad always, mainly for political and historical reasons, been a nation of small holders and peasants. U 1 the farms, 97 per cent, were less than 150 acres in area and 65 per cent, were less than 37 acres in area, while .11 per cent, of all farms were freefiolil. The main advantage of such small ami medium-sized farms was that the owners were practically independent ot hired labour. The compensating disadvantages were the frequent lack ot knowledge and lack of capital of these small holders. Denmark s achievement seemed to lie in the fact that she had been able lo eliminate the disadvantages of sniall scale ownership, while retaining its advantage. lho peoiole’s high schools, with their short courses for the adult sons and daughters of farmers trained these in general intelligence and character, and thus overcame one of the weak points ot the small larmor—lack of mental training. The second weakness—lack of capital and marketing facilities —was overcome by the co-opcrativo movement. Both were movements which had grown up among the people themselves; they were not imposed from above by the State. ie State in Denmark had, on the whole, assumed only such functions as clearly must be carried out by the State, it they were to be carried out at all. It had tn tho main taken charge of agricultural research. It maintained the university with its chair of agriculture. It maintained the agricultural department uud various agricultural laboratories. It had subsidised various breeding societies, and had withdrawn its support when it seemed no longer necessary. It was for political and social reasons spending resources widely on tho small holdings movement, and here its activity had met with severe criticism. But, on the whole, it had acted as an auxiliary of agricultural improvement rather than as an initiator. Business Stability. The People’s High School movement had done much to foster certain traits of character favourable to co-operation, above all initiative and "co-operative loynlty.” The Danish farmer could, as a rule, be depended upon to keep his pledge to sell all bis bacon or eggs to his co-operative for a fixed number of years, to that fact the business stabiity'of many of the Danish co-opera-tives could be traced. Co-operation had gone on developing on specialised decentralised lines. One .co-operative for each uecial function was the rule. The egg co-operative would concern itself only with eggs, the dairy only w*ith milk products, and so on, so that one farmer might belong to a dozen different cooperatives. The scope of Danish rural co-operation was very wide, and ranged from distributive supply stores and manure and feeding stuff's purchase co-operatives to credit associations, breeding societies, herd testing societies, co-operative dairies, co-op-erative bacon factories, and egg collecting societies. Latest Experiments. ■The people’s high schools and the Danish co-operative movement had attracted international interest for decades. The latest Danish experiments had been in the direction of small holdiugs. i“ e relevant Danish Land Acts of 1919 ««> built up on the principles that each holding should ba large enough to support the small holder and his family entirely, and that the small holder should be independent of the ups and downs of l anf * values. To ensure the latter, the small holder did not purchase his section, but only paid a half annual quit rent of -i per cent, on tho value of the land, the land beine revalued ut frequent intervals. On tho whole, the small holdings appeared to have been fairly successful, although the fact that approved small holders virtually received a heavy State subsidy had given rise to much criticism. The success of small holdings could, in general, bo traced to the high intelligence and character of the holders, to co-operative marketing, and to lho excellent soil of most of tho Danish small holdings. Rural Proletariat? A possible danger to Danish Small boldintis, concluded Dr. Heine, would, houever, seem to lie in the lact that they were dependent for their results on a special tvpo of agriculture, namely, the of butter, bacon, and eggs. Should the export of these ceaso to be profitable, tho small holders might degenerate into a rural proletariat. A heavy fall in the price of these products would not. however, spell calamity lo the small holders alone, but to the whole of Danish agriculture. Danish apriculturo had been specialised to u remarkably fine point, but all this dclv? cate adjustment in farmin«r and marketin<r had taken place on the assumption that tho British demand for Danish dairy products would continue in iho future. Should Britain's demand ioi> dairy products come lo be satisfied bv her colonies, a decline in Danish agriculture would seem to be inevitable.