The Times WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1944. What is Grass Worth?

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 205, 30 August 1944, Page 4

The Times WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1944. What is Grass Worth?

Truly remarkable weather has been enjoyed for the past six months weather ideal for the promotion of pasture growth, and the production season has now opened under most favourable auspices. Nature, it seems, has given her blessing to man’s designs for increased production. Following a dry and quite warm winter, despite the severity of its frosts, an early and favourable spring has been ushered in. Decidedly this will influence production for the coming season, no matter what Unkindness the weather might display during the next few weeks. It was as well that an easy winter came to the countryside, for due to the over-dry conditions of last summer there was a sorry dearth of hav and crops available for dairy herd feeding. ■Grass, however, is the mainstay of New Zealand farming. This crop seldom receives appreciation, or rather evaluation of its true worth, even by farmers most closely concerned with it. How many citizens realise that grass is worth when utilised in dairying £2 10s per ton. It takes 1.000.000 tons of grass to produce 13.000 tons of butterfat, the overall value of which now exceeds £2,500.000. This season the target set for butterfat will require consumption by our dairy herds of approximately 12,000,000 tons of grass. A million tons a month averaged the year round—and during the peak months almost 1,500,000 tons—of grass will be consumed, equivalent to 50.000 tons a day or 2000 tons an hour. The dairy industry represents a vast factory manufacturing butter from grass. It can thus be realised that the great flocks of sheep together with herds of beef cattle consume yet more grass, indeed to a considerably greater extent than that required for dairying. From grass New Zealand derives its livelihood. Practically the whole of our great export worth comes from this, together with about half of our home-consumed food supply. No other country in the world depends upon grass as does this Dominion. Nowhere else does it grow so plentifully. And in no other land has there been evolved such efficiency in the growing of pastures and their usage as has been developed in New Zealand. The excellent promise that considerably increased supplies of superphosphate will lie available to our pastures, to dairy farming in particular, through the coming season is of high consequence. And not alone to those who will purchase fertiliser will this be valuable, but to the economy of New Zealand which will in turn affect every citizen. The result will not, however, be felt imme diately— not until a year and more hence. Farming is like that. It is a long-term business, and one must always work and plan for a year ahead at least.

Wool and Rayon Complementary

An announcement that the great British rayon manufacturing firm of Courtaulds is prepared to spend £5,000,000 to establish a factory in Australia has cheated deep concern amongst wool interests of the Commonwealth. Thus is furnished yet another example of the cloud that hangs over the future for wool. JJnquestionably the development of synthetic fibres must have considerable effect upon the market for wool. There is, however, an aspect of this which is seldom commented upon—the possibility that wool and rayon may prove complementary. There has never been enough wool to satisfy the world’s needs and there is really no prospect of an output effiial to the need. With the developing living standards in all countries there will be required all the natural textile fibres such as woo), cotton, linen and silk together with an enormous output of rayon and other synthetic fibres. Certain authorities hold that wool will eventually find a widening market through the pioneering work that will be done by cheap artificial wool in countries that have not hitherto used the real article. There is also every prospect of great quantities of wool being required for admixture with artificial to give it strength and warmth. The prospect, therefore, is not as dark as it is sometimes painted. Certainly woolgrowers would be wise to hold their cost of production and improve the quality of their product as far as possible.