AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 15, 18 July 1905, Page 2

AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE.

THE OPENING DAY. INTERESTING ADDRESSES. The seventh Conference of delegates of Agricultural and Pastoral Associations and kindred bodies was opened at 11 o'clock this morning in the Museum Buildings. There was a large attendance, some twenty-five bodies being represented. In addition to the delegates, whose names were published in yesterday's Post, there were a number of experts and representative gentlemen present by invitation, including Dr. Levinge, Professor WV Lowrie (Dire6tor Canterbury. Agricultural College), Messrs. J. D. Ritchie (Secretary Agricultural Department), J. A. Gilruth (Chief Gbvernrnent Veterinarian), E. Clifton B C Aston, Jas. Stuckey, H. Overton, W. C. Buchanan, M.H.R., J. G. Wilson, M. M. Kirkbride, M.H.R., and T. W. Kirk (Government Biologist). TheMinister of Lands was also present. ' , THE RETIRING CHAIRMAN. . In the absence of the President (Mr. John Roberts, C.M.G., who is at present in England), Mr. P. Pattullo opened the conference at the request of the executive. Mr. Pattullo reviewed the work done by the executive since the meeting of the previous conference, in 1902, and reference was made to the death of Mr. George Roberts, a member of the executive. During the fifteen years he (the speaker) had been connected with agriculture in New Zealand considerable changes had taken place in agricultural and pastorai matters, and it was interesting to consider the progress made. Though the export of cheese had not greatly ■ increased (from a value of £132,039 in 1896 to £180,874 in 1905), the export of butter had come on apace, having risen from a value of £241,152 to £1,514,156 during the same period, the development of the North Island being mainly responsible for this. The improvement in point of quality of both butter and cheese had also been most gratifying, and he' thought the work done by the dairy officials of the Department of Agriculture was deserving of -much praise. Whilst he thought that the handling of our produce had been improved, there was still much room for improvement by our dairy farmers in the selection and care of their herds. Only profitable cows should be kept, and the poor ones weeded out. It had been said that too high /alnes had been paid for dairy lands, especially ih some parts" of the Korth Island, but whilst this might be so, the prospects of the business were good in the main, and the dairying industry seemed likely to go on increasing until it equalled, if it did not surpass m results, the frozen meat export trade. The pastoral industry had been, marked during the past two years by a steady increase in the value of both meat and wool, and store sheep were running into extraordinary prices. Until last autumn 25s to 30s was a common price for -good breeding ewes in the South Island. The outcry was raised against over-exporting, and no doubt we were doing so to some extent, but he felt that this would come right, -the country adapting itself to altered circumstances. It did not seem probable that present values for sheep would be maintained, but if he was right in supposing that fat lambs were to remain at a fair price, then sheep-breeding would be profitable in New Zealand even if the Argentine and Australia increased their supplies of mutton. And whilst the dairy farmer, and pastoralist had been having good times, the man who went in for mixed farming had no cause for complaint. Grain values, though not high, had been at a reasonable level. Mr. Pattullo had been interested in noticing how the style of farming was altering, and how our system was gradually getling nearer and nearer that adopted in the Old Country, the land being, more carefully worked and some sort of rotation being observed. Farmers are being forced to conserve the fertility of their soil, and it is certain that farming in New Zealand in the near future is to be more complex than in the past, with dearer land and heavier expensesi For this the farmer must educate himself, and our young farmers must be kept up_ to date by means of experimental stations and a thorough course of practical instruction. Concluding, Mr. Pattullo referred to the good work done by the ex-Secretary of the conferences (Mr. Murphy, of Christchurch), and eulogised his successor (Mr. Hall, of Auckland), and reference was also made to the passing* away of Messrs. T. Brydone, of Otago, and Duncan MacLaren, of South Canterbury. I THE NEW PRESIDENT. On the motion of Mr. Pattullo, Mr. J. "" G. Wilson, of Bulls, was elected President of the Conference, and following the custom of the past, the new President made a speech. ' The President-elect (Mr. J. G. Wilson) said that he had been present at all the conferences yet held, but looked forward to the present one as the best, and after some -preliminary remarks dealt at some length with the question of what science has done for the farmer. As a rule the farmer had a complete contempt for scientific experiments, atid rarely, if ever, stopped to think how much he owed him. He instanced the introduction of the swede and the turnip ' and others of the IJrassica tribe as winter feeding for stock tis a step that revolutionised farming in Great Britain. At the time of the introduction of thia innovation the farmers had more or less exhausted their land, and had little ine.ans of manuring it, but the turnip soon enabled them to feed large quantities of cattle with straw and turnips, and they were thus able to convert their straw into manure, and with care renew their exhausted land. Mr. Wilson also referred to the introduction of the various grasses which have so assisted tho farmer in England, and to the introduction of scientific implements. Whereas these improvements were largely due to men whose names have not been preserved, the histories of the improvements in stock have been recorded. It was difficult to estimate the monetary value of the work of the Brothers Colling, Bakewell, and Ellman in cattle and sheep breeding,' and these men had employed the scientific principle of natural selection. .It was science that stepped in Ld the aid of impoverished farms and suggested bonesi Then Liebig found a more soluble manure by_ treating the bones with sulphuric acid, and when bones began to give out the scientific man found the value of phosphatic rock treated under certain condiljpns. Then science recognised the value of guano, and attacked th 6 alkaline pliiins in South America. The President-elect then dealt with the modern' reaping inventions and the improvements since the old handtyinfj days. It was Appleby who invented the knotter, yet he did not, probably, gain much by his invention. It was soience that stepped in to enable us ta dispose of our surplus stock by means of refrigeration — which had cot only saved the colony from boiling-dowm prices, but enable every portion of the animal killed to be utilised. Soluble phosphates and dry chemical manures were also instanced by the speaker. A few years ago Prof6Ssor Crookes had startled the world by predicting the exhaustion of our wheat lands in 60 years, but science had found a way to utilise tho nitrogen

lof the air. Othev aids from science dealt with by Mr. WiUdn wore the selection and cultivation of grain for beeds, the milk separator, tho Ikbcock test and the freezing chambov-, without which we would have boon minus tho million nnd a half sterling which was realised by our butter export last yuav. Ho concluded by hoping that the mooting would assist in pushing forward vurnl education in the schools, find he combatted the apparent bplM that tho farmer was the only man who required no . special education. GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS. The President made a series of announcements. Tho Governor invited delegates to take tea with him at Government Hofcse come afternoon during the course of the Conference, The Agricultural Department intimated Hint it would again contribute towards tho co«t of printing the report of tho proeecdln|jß of 'tlio Conference. On the motion oi Mr. Buchanan, M.H.R., a Coinmltleo, uoiislHlintf of Messrs. E. Campbell (Wnnganui), V. Pattullo (Otago), D. D. M'tfftriimo (Canterbury), and tho movor, wu* Dot up to investigate, g6t at fnctrt, and report to tho Conference on tho quoHtlon of shipping produce to the Wont CWt of England. Later proceedings will bo found rocord> ed on page 6.