FARMS AND FARMERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 May 1939, Page 9

FARMS AND FARMERS

ITEMS OF INTEREST

(By

"Rouseabout”)

FARMISG INDUSTRY.

ATTITUDE OF GOVERNMENT

The decision of the Governnicnl to set up a Royal Commission, to make a, Llioiough investigation of the sheep farming industry of New Zealand, has been welcomed by farmers throughout the country. Mr W. W. Mulholland, Dominion president of the Now Zealand Farmers’ Union, stated, in an interview, that he was very pleased that the Government had thus decided to honour its promise to the farmers, and Mr 11. D. Acland, president of the New Zealand Sheepfarmers’ Federation, said, “It is very gratifying that the Government has been able to see its way to grant us the enquiry we asked for. Sheepfarmers throughout the country will be pleased.’’ However, in the remarks of both Air Mulholland and Mr Acland there was a note of doubt as to the ultimate value cf the Commission’s investigation, a natural doubt considering that up to tlie present, the Labour Government has been more concerned with trying to foster the secondary industries, and with promoting public works, on a. scale that has depleted the amount of labour available for the farms, ami has tended to force wages tor farm workers above an economic level. Not by any stretch of imagination can the present Government bo called a farmers’ Government. Hardly any of the Ministers have had farming experience, and the Parliamentary Labour Party, as a whole, owes its power to urban rather than rural votes. This fact is reflected in the policy of the Government, which is designed to conciliate the city workers. It is a short-sighted policy, because, a,s Government spokesmen themselves have admitted, the success of this attempt to industrialise the Dominion depends on a much larger population than the country possesses at present, and no one seems to know where this extra population is to come from. Meantimes our legislators tend to overlook the tact that New Zealand is, and must remain so for many years yet, a primary producing country, and, in consequence, our chief industry, tanning, is more or less neglected'. This point was referred to by Mr Mulholland, recently, at a meeting in Palmerston North, when dealing with the Government’s claim that it was establishing factories and so creating a tremendous increase in New Zealand manufactures. He said that the assumption behind these statements was that primary industries were of secondary importance in New Zealand. He felt that the farming community had to stress very strongly that this was not correct. It should bo pointed ou.t forcibly that if there was diminution in the value of farm production then factories would not be able to produce as much as they did last year. Unless the farmer was able to carry on, the talk about increasing manufacturing in New Zealand was all so much “hooey.” Mr Mulholland said some of the Ministers recognised the position, but the rank and file of the Labour Parly did not.

The importance of agriculture was also stressed in a recent address by Professor E. R, Hudson, director of Canterbury Agricultural College. He de'clared that agriculture’s major problems to-day were more economic and social than scientific. The difficulties of agriculture throughout the world were largely caused by the fact that there were too many people in industry. Agriculture in New Zealand as in other countries, remained the most important work of mankind, although it might not be, as at present, tho industry employing the most people. The aim was an efficient agriculture, and to guard the heritage of agriculture for the future.

To put all this in another way and in shorter form, people must eat to live. Put in this way it, of course, seems ridiculous to harp on the theme, but the fact remains that many city people are so far divorced from the soil that they never give a thought to the question of how, where, or by whom their food is produced, nor do they seem to reflect that the prosperity of a country like New Zealand very largely depends on the farming industry. However, this decision to set up a Royal Commission suggests that the Government no longer shares the apathy of so many of its supporters towards the agricultural and pastoral interests of the country, but it remains to be seen whether the report of the Commission will achieve something useful, or merely a restingplace in a pigeon-hole.

VALUE OF LIME.

SOME FACTS TO NOTE

Tho latest agricultural bulletin issued under the auspices of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce deals with the question of liming the land. The bulletin was drawn up at the Canterbury Agricultural College Lincoln. Here is a summary of the facts presented:— Adequate liming is a basic step in building up and maintaining the lertility of considerable areas of farming land. The quantity of lime applied to a soil depends upon the properties of tho soil, its management and the crop to be grown- Soils which are deficient in lime should be given a heavy initial dressing of from 1 to 1» tons for heavy soils and J to 1 ton for light soils. This should be followed by light annual maintenance dressings or heavy applications spaced at longer intervals. The most generally suitable form is the ground limestone rock. Guaranteed standards of quality and fineness of grinding are desirable.

Ob. cultivated land lime is most effectively applied during the final stages in the preparation of a seed bed lor a lime loving crop. On established pasture lime may lie applied; at any convenient period of Ibe year. - Harmers could help to ensure theni-t; selves of prompt deliveries from the; works by ordering supplies through-/ out the year. Lime tends to encourage clovers which build up the soil fertility. Pastures giown on well limed land are . richer in both lime, and phosphate, j! To obtain the greatest value from j fertilisers, the lime content of the; soil should be adequate, . and conversely the greatest benefit, from lime is received when the soil is well fertilised.

DAIRY INDUSTRY ACT.

FARMERS’ OBLIGATIONS

I Following are some extracts from ; an article in the “New Zealand Journal of Agriculture,” dealing with the obligations of the dairy fanner under the. Dairy Industry Act: — Section 2 (a.) and (b) dolines "dairy” as meaning any place where milk is collected, separated, etc., any farm, milking yard, paddock, shed etc., and any other place where cows from which the milk-supply of a dairy is obtained are depastured and kept. Il will thus be seen that the word “dairy” has a very wide application and covers the whole of the premises cf a dairy factory or any farm supplying it. Sections (> and 7 deal with inspection of dairies; and the powers of the inspector to deal with defects arc as 10l low: —

Where an Inspector linds that ; dairy is in an unclean or unwholesome condition he may require such delects to bo remedied, etc., and may forbid the removal of any dairy produce for such time as he thinks lit-

Section 8 provides that where an Inspector considers that any dairj produce is unlit for human consumption, he shall by notice in writing given to the owner condemn such daiiy-pi oduce. It will be noted that most of the sections here quoted give the Inspector a certain amount of discretion in dealing with them, and it seldom happens that the powers which they provide have to be used. For instance, it is seldom necessary to exercise the power to prevent the removal of any produce from the dairy as provided by section 7. Section I) provides that diseased stock must be kept separate from healthy stock, that milk and cream from diseased stock must not be sold cr used lor food, and that pel sons suffering from contagious or infectious disease must be kept isolated.

Dealing with the suroundings of the dairy, section 12, as amended in 1926, provides that no person shal keep house, or allow pigs to wander or be brought within 50 yards of any dairy or the open water-supply thereof; that any fowlhouse, manure-heap, cesspool, or closet must be 30 feet away from any dairy or yard; and that open drainage from stock or pigs must not flow within 50 yards of a dairy or yard or of the open watersupply thereof. Section 15 provides that no person shall sell or supply to a dairy or to any person for any purpose milk or cream which is tainted, or which is drawn from a cow which is suspected or known to be diseased or that has calved within four days before tin day on which it was drawn. It will be noted that sections 9, 12, and 15 are mandatory and prescribe tho things which must not be done. In these instances the Inspector has no discretion allowed him.

The section most frequently broken is section 12, and the attention of dairy-farmers is especially- drawn tc prohibitions regarding the housing and wandering of pigs near a dairy and the disposal of drainage from these and other farm stock. In section 15 the responsibility for the sale and delivery of tainted milk or cream to a manufacturing dairy or person is clearly placed on the suppjlier, but it could be argued that the manager of a factory at which it is accepted is liable by implication.

FISH MEALS.

HIGH STOCK-FOOD VALUE

An interesting summary of investigations concerning the value of iish meals for livestock, and particularly pigs, appeared in a recent issue of the Candaian journal, Scientific Agriculture. This covers trials conducted in almost every important country and includes a report df original experiments conducted by S. A. Hilton, over 15 years, at Nappan, Nova Scotia.

Extracts of particular interest to farmers include the following: — “Fish meal is rich in both proteins and minerals, and is composed almost entirely of the materials required for growth. Rarely, if ever, do iish meals, properly manufactured, contain less than 55 per cent, protein. As a rule, white lish contain 6(1 to over 70 per cent. This fish meal, as shown by Orr and others, is highly digestible, the pig being able to utilise more than 90 per cent, of the intake.

"The ‘quality’ of protein, or aminoacid content, is even more important. Fish meal is recognised as being particularly high in the amino-acids essential for growth and reproduction. The beneficial result secured from lish meal may, to a large degree, be attributed to its mineral content. ’Phis is borne out by results secured at Nappan, where mineral deliciency crippling has seldom occurred when the ration contained 1 per cent, of lish meal.”

In another part of the paper it is stated that 15 per cent, of fish meal is included in the standard proteinmineral supplement to grain rations given to pigs at the Advanced. Registry ’Pest Stations in Canada, and in a single test made in 19J7, white fish meal was found to be superor in feed cost and late of gain to the more complicated protein-mineral supplement of the test stations.

A point that emerged from the Nappan trials was that cull potatoes could be marketed with considerable profit through the bacon pig if fed together with white fish meal, carcases of good quality being produced. S3IALL IAR.MERS’ LOT’.

STRUGGLE FOR BARE LIVING

LONDON

How some small farmers in England have to struggle to gain a bare living was revealed this week at. Norwich, Suffolk, when Lionel Tuson Piled his petition in bankruptcy, declaring ;js lie did so that his heart fell lighter than it iiad done f"r many years. Farmer Tuson, after years, lias given up the struggle to keep his farm going any longer. He started when he was eighteen. He is now working as a labourer for the East Suffolk Catchment Board-

"1.1; was too much for me,” said Mr | Tnson. T worked hard enough, but i there's nothing in farming tor most of 'us these days—only bad” prices for what wo grow, i'll be getting out of the farm at Michaelmas and I never want to see a farm again.”

April 22

Mr Tuson had a quarter share in ' his little farm of GO acres. The bank have taken that over now. “1 used to employ two men,” went on. Farmer Tuson. "J. found I could not afford to keep them. As creditors began to press me for money I sold i my farm implements, one by one to j pay them. ' j “I get a regular wage now r , and Ij am happy to be fre of farming in the; condition it is to-day." J

(. HANGED OUTLOOK. ['low the. outlook towards farming had I'ompl'icly changed in the- past years was commented on by Profcw;cr P- IL Hudson, director of Lincoln College, in an address at Christchurch. Twenty-live years ago, he said, it was the thing to go on the land, tc- appease an acute land hunger. To-day the trend w-as to get away from the farm. The same process could be noted all over the world, and throughout history. At the- time- the Doomsday Book was compiled, 7(> per cent, of England’s population worked on the land. Now only 1,200.000 out of a total population of 40,000,000 were so employed