BRITISH FARMING

Dominion, Volume 38, Issue 68, 14 December 1944, Page 7

BRITISH FARMING

New Zealand Officials’ Suggestions

LONDON, December 12. Three New Zealand Government agricultural officers, Messrs. G. A. Holmes, A. Johnson, and G. S. Robinson, are returning home after nearly three years of helping to increase Britain’s production of home-grown food. Mr. (Holmes, speaking at a Press conference today, said that British farmers had experienced grave shortages of labour and vital supplies, but had been compensated during the war by the certainty of fair prices for their products. “There have been great improvements in farming, but I do not think British farmers and agriculturalists think big enough,” he said. “For instance, there would bo work for" 1.000,000 men after the war in providing the farms of Britain with water. There is a high standard of agricultural research and education, but there are inadequate arrangements for conveying the information from tbe researchers to the farmers. “Also, marketing is disorderly. It would bankrupt the majority of New Zealand farmers who do not receive such high prices for their products.” Good Live Stock. Mr. Johnson said that the top grades of live stock in Britain were extremely good. There was no middle class commercial stock, with the result that many farmers were working uneconomically on poorer classes of stock. “There is need throughout Britain for greater specialization,” he said. “Farmers should decide on the most suitable product and concentrate on it. shaping the whole of their farm’s economy to that end, as is done in New Zealand and Australia.” Mr. Johnson said that dehorning ot cattle would cut the costs of winter feeding by enabling more cattle to be fed in each shed. Rugging cattle would permit outdoor feeding throughout the winter. The selection of breeds of sheep most suitable for different types of country would result in more wool and better lambs. . Mr. Robinson said that British grasslands were of fairly good fertility, despite five years of war production. He thought Britain could have the finest grasslands in ■ the world if the best methods of pasture management were practised more extensively.