NEW GOVERNOR-GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 5 December 1929, Page 3

NEW GOVERNOR-GENERAL

views on farming nl'ccesseul breeding and keeihng Several interesting statements <>n farming questions by Lord Bledisloe, the new Governor-General of New Zealand, were published recently in "The Earmcr and Slock Breeder,'' an English journal devoted Lti agricultural and pasLoral pursuits. At a conference held to discuss grassland cultivation, Lord IMedisloe, who presided, said he thought the best hope lor the British farmer lay in animal husbandry, and the success of (his depended upon studying the consumer's requirements and upon successful breeding and feeding. What they sometimes failed to remember was thai the natural food of tin 1 farm animal was grass or other herbage, and, if it, could lie made to supply not merely the maintenance requirements of live stock, but also to a large extent the required amount of concentrated food, the resulting animal product was likely to he more healthy, wholesome and palatable. A large proportion of the meat sold in Britain—about 50 per cent- came from South America, ami it was often asked why iiritish people preferred to so great an extent Argentine beef, when sueli excellent beef was produced at Home. Was not the reason very largely that tlic Argentine annuals were raised upon natural food willioiiL a large amount of artificial stimulus in the form 01 cakes anil oilier purchased lood which liiu pastures cannot supply? There was no doubt thai the stock which sold best in their fat markets were those that hailed from the north of England and Scotland, where the animals were largely fed on the natural products of ihe country. lL would be the function of their research botanists to combine, as far as possible, in the herbage of the future lcafiness (as contrasted with stemiuiness), nutrition, vitality and palatability. Hewas conlident that the improvement of much of their pasture was worth while, provided that the land was properly drained and that removable weeds and acidity that caused Litem were removed. In ftis judgment the new method of manuring grassland was not a scientific fad j it was not a rich man's hobby, but it was a sound commercial proposition. lite view that farming should be above party politics was expressed by Lord Bledisloe at. a meeting of the. Central and Associated Chambers of Agriculture, held in London. Lord Bledisloe said that, although he had expressed doubts of the advisability of a recent conference on agriculture, convened by the chamber, the actual resolutions passed by the conference could do nothing but good. There would never be assured salvation for agriculture unless and until there was something of a concordat between the political parties, between the classes engaged and interested in agriculture, and between and throughout all the resolutions there was tin obvious trend in that direction. He believed that, following the general election, conditions would he more favourable for the sort of concordat he had in view than for many years. Lord Bledisloe, in addition to numerous other positions in agricultural and pastoral organisations, is this year's president of the Red Poll Cattle Society. Speaking tit the annual meeting of the society, in London, he said he recognised that the Red 1 'oil breed, while being a purely local one forty years ago, was now national and international in importance. Although the Red Poll was permanently an East Anglian breed, it was also permanently a farmer's breed. Being a student of agricultural affairs, both in this country and abroad, lie could say there was no breed (.hat was going to carry conviction in the long run and make profits unless it could be justified from a farmer's standpoint. It was on that ground that he ventured to say there was a much bigger future for the'Red Poll.