A SCOTCHMAN ON TOUR

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 66, 28 February 1911, Page 7

A SCOTCHMAN ON TOUR

MR. JAMES DUNLOP VISITS HAWKE’S BAY. AND IS MUCH IMPRESSED WITH THE COUNTRY. THE FINEST IN THE DOMINION. Mr. James Dunlop, one of the Scottish Agricultural Commissioners to Austra/ia, who is at present visiting New Zealand, arrived in Hastings yesterday morning, as the guest of the Hawke s Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society. During the forenoon Mr. Dunlop was shown over the town by His Wor-

ship the Mayor (Mr. J. A. Miller), and Mr. C. Douglas, secretary of the A. and P. Society, by whom he was entertained at lunch at the Carlton Club Hotel. In lhe afternoon, the visitor was taken for a motor tour of the district by Mr. T. H. Lowry.’ Vice-president of the A. and P. Society, and subs *quently returned by the mail train to Napier, where he was the guest of Mr. Star rock, borough engineer. The visitor is one of the best authorities on agricultural matters in

Scotland. He is a director of the

; Scottish Chamber of Agriculture, | and was a member of the Scotttsa • Agricultural Commission to Denj mark (1908). Mr. Dunlop is also

lecturer and demonstrator on live stock to'the West of Scotland Agricultural College. He is a successful breeder of Ayrshire cattle and Border Leicester sheep, and has won many trophies with his cattle, sheep and horses. He has exported stock to every continent in the world, where they have taken leading honours, the championship Ayrshire bull at the recent Commonwealth exhibition being one of his breeding. He is hon. secretary of the Fenwick Farmers' Society, and of the two Milk Record Societies. Mr. Dunlop was the organiser of the first farmers' co-operative creamery in Scotland and an initiator of the milk record movement for developing the deep milking properties of Ayrshire cattle.

Asked by a “Tribune” reporter to give some of th** impressions he gathered during his short visit, Mr. Dunlop said:—“You have some magnificent country round Hawke’s Bay—perhaps some of the finest I have seen sinee I landed in the Dominion. This fact impressed itself on me during my trip through the country with Mr. T. H. Lowry this afternoon. We motored firstly to the

Hon. J. D. Ormond’s Station, at Karamu, where we were taken in hand by Mr. Archibald, the manager. who showed us over the farm and stock. Here I saw some very fine land, and it appeared to me to be carrying more stock to the acre, and to have a denser growth of grass than I have seen anywhere. I also saw some beautiful commercial cattle and a very fine imported bull. The stud flocks of Border Leicester anti Lincoln sheen struck me as being particularly good, the Border Leicesters especially showing a great deal of breeding and character. Some fine stamps of draught horses were brought under my notice, the thoroughbreds being an exceptionally fine lot.

Mr. R. D. D. McLean’s Station.

“We next proceeded to” The reporter suggested “Maraekakaho.”

i “Yes, Maraekakaho. that’s it.” j | Mr. Dunlop went on, “Some of > these Maori names are puzzling to i a stranger. Here we were shown i over the station by Mr. Overton. ‘lt is one of the finest stations I ! have ever seen. The sheep were ; mustered in the yards for dipping * at the time of our visit, and a very j healthy lot they were. I saw a mob 'of 1600 fine lambs starting on the 1 road for the freezers, and the pre-1 vious draft of these sent away, I was told, averaged 361 b, and there f was not a second-class sheen in : the lot. Me went through the large f stud of Cyldesdale mares and foals. ' Many of the latter were very prom- | | ising, and a pleasing feature was i their strong bodies and sound feet. ’ I The mares all showed great sub- ' stance —the younger ones especially so. We were also shown a nuni- ‘ ber of yearling shorthorn bulls, and II was greatly impressed with the I size attained under the natural I conditions under which they had j been reared. This station is an ■ ideal one —everything is in very | fine order, and I was struck with > Mr. Overton’s splendid organisa- | tion and management. Mr. Overton very kindly entertained us at afternoon tea and my outing was both enjoyable and interesting. Mr. ! Lowry, being a judge of all classes of stock, made him an invaluable guide, and he was also a genial companion.” I Mr. Dunlop further stated that , during his run in the country he I saw some splendid paddocks of I lucerne, and from the vigorous

growth he was surprised that more of it was not gone in for. The Heavy Products. “I saw some of the products of the district at the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Association,” added Mr. Dunlop, and I was particularly surprised at the great weight which the rye-grass seed attained. You see. I am a large grower of this seed myself, and I seldom get over 281 h to the bushel, whilst here I saw as much as 421 b. That such weight can be ontained speaks volumes for the producing powers of the land in Hawke’s Bay.” Having expressed his gratitude to the Mayor and the Agricultural and Pastoral Society for their hospitality. Mr. Dunlop boarded the train for Napier.