PRIZE FARM CONTEST.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 2 June 1928, Page 16

PRIZE FARM CONTEST.

A SOUTHLAND SCHEME.

EXTRACTS PROM JUDGE’S REPORT

An interesting and educative competition has lust been completed in Southland in the form of a “PrdzeEarm Contest,” based on certain conditions, and the judge has recently issued Ms report for the period during which the farms -entered were under review and adjudication. Some details will be of interest to local dairy farmers. The judge said, inter alia: — “Before starting out I found some difficulty in arriving at the manner in which I was to award the points, particularly in the section where half the number of the total goes for economics. To-day economies is a very common \Votd: it is usied by aM sorts of people, bait wlien we come to bedrock, kiow msuny of tko‘s'o who write and tailk about economics can just explain what is covered bv the term and farm economies ever a one year period I found rather hard to get at. English authorities rather agree that the balance sheet is the 'only road to find the points cfoi farm economics, and that might be so if books could be kept so as to show the appreciation or depreciation of the land during the term under review. A man may make a great showing in his bal-ance-sheet for one year, at the expense of Ms land and he may do the opposite in my opinion and be economically sound. , „ ‘ ‘Mr McGillivray procured for me a table showing the amounts allowed to tenant farmers in England for inexbausted manures, some of them lasting for years, so that unless such things as that earn be truly shown on. the balancesheet, we must look further for a correct finding of the economic position. “The Director-General of Agriculture, who is talcing an interest in this competition, introduced me to Mr Fawcett, of the Economic Department, and after a long talk with Mm I am convinced that my opinion' of farm economics is sound. Therefore, although I put down -the points in a lot for this section for my own guidance, I have divided farm economics' into A, B, C and D. (a) Profit for the year as shown by the books and mlamner of book-keeping: 200 points.

(b) Appreciation or depreciation of the property for the term under review: • 100 points.

(c) The proper expenditure of money on work and improvements during the vear. ‘ ‘ The Science, of the Application of Wealth”: 100 points.

(d) Economy practised in every part of the farm work and management, including domestic management: .100 points.

“Note.. —There has been very little depreciation of the farms in IMS' competition, but rather a consideraM'e amount of appreciation in some of them. “I have given no points for extravagant expenditure and there realty has been nonie, but I have given consideraiti'on to keeping in order n’nd beautifying of the surroundings which go to make country life pleasant. Every farm in the competition has been successfully fanned during the year.” It is good ito see that in arriving at his decisions, he hats: linked up the severely practical with .the ideal of keeping the farm in first-class order, anid in beautifying by growing of trees and generally improving surroundings.