NEW ZEALAND FARMING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15504, 10 January 1914, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND FARMING.

PROSPECTS FOR YEAR. | RECORD PRODUCTION. INCREASED EXPORTS. [by OUB SPECIAL COMMISSIONER.] Ihe prospects for farmers in New Zealand daring the coming year, and in fact during tne coming years, are satisfactory in the extreme. All classes of agricultural products are selling at good prices, and the demand in the world's markets is rapidly becoming go enormous and so insistent that as time goes by it seems probable that farmers instead of having to meekly accept, as in the past, any prices which the Ouyer liked to offer wilt be able to nx his own prices. j The chief thing which the farmer has | to do in New Zealand is to increase the production of his holding. He need not j fear causing a glut in food supplies anywhere, because he could double his present : output and then not keep pace with the growth »of consumption in his old-estab-lished markets without taking into consideration the demand from new markets. The New Year opens well far as natural conditions apply. There has been such an abundant rainfall up to the very end of the old year that the soil should contain enough moisture to carry grass and crops well through the hottest period of the New Year. Dairy cattle came well through the winter, and the factory returns from all parts of the Dominion go to show that the output of butter and cheese will be greater this season, 'provid-' ing no serious summer drought occurs, than has ever been known before.. The sheep flocks wintered well, and except in one or, two districts there was a record increase of lambs, and the lambs, generally .speaking, have nome on well. No doubt the showery weather in the late spring has delayed shearing.somewhat, Ibttt this can-, not be considered a very serious drawback, - because it is highly probable that prices for wool will harden a bit for tie late sales. The demand for frozen mutton and lamb has never been so great as it is at present, and the abundance of feed has given a record supply of this class of product One of the troubles at the present time is that there is practically not enough stock in the country to make use of the food available. It is highly probable that' New Zealand this year will break all past records in agricultural exports, and that" tie total amount of our "export* of all classes will amount to over £25,000,000. Of this amount fully £20,000,000 will come from the farmers' efforts, so that it is plain that the real prosperity of the Dominion rests upon those who work the laud. The American Markets, The year 1914 will be noted in the future history of New Zealand as marking the real opening of the American markets to thp products of our „ farms. Few people can really imagine what the breakingdown of American tariff barriers means to' this country. The various States lying adjacent to New York on the Atlantic'seaboard are densely populated with the wealthiest people in the world. There are millions of people within easy reach of the greatest American seaport who can pay more for New Zealand Wter and more for New Zealand meat than is paid for it in the British markets, and still pay less for it than they are paying now. It would be well for New Zealand if our politicians, or those who are responsible for the government of this country, would realise the vast possibilities which lie before New Zealand agriculture, so that we could in this year of our Lord 1914 begin to direct the energies of the State toward its real development. There are many thoughtless people who believe that this country has just about reached the limits of agricultural production. . As a matter of fact this country is only just beginning its real farming industries, We can double and treble and quadruple the output from our land and still only be working it in a primitive manner. . Assisting Agriculture. The State has yet to begin its real task of assisting agriculture. We plume ourselves on what the Government has done for dairying, fruit farming, and other branches of agriculture, but it will have to do much more than ever it has dona in the past. It must so revolutionise its land laws that every man who watte land in order to work it can obtain it easily. Crown lands, native lands, public and private lands now lying idle must be made readily available for anyone with or without capital who have the desire and the skill to make them productive. To hold land out of use must be looked upon as a crime, to use land at a low productive capacity mu;-t be looked upon as a disgrace. The main force of our Educational Department should be directed to the training of our youth in practical agriculture and agricultural science. The worst farms of the future should.be equal to the best of to-day, tor the best farms of the future' will" be almost beyond the i comprehension of the present day agriculturist. Agriculture must be acknowledged as the greatest and most important of all our industries, the source of national wealth, the arbiter of prosperity, Before refrigeration opened the markets of the world to New Zealand farm products our statesmen saw the necessity of widening tho markets of New Zealand by encouraging manufacturing industries, so as to provide a consuming population, but now that we have the millions of Europe ; and America willing to buy agricultural products from us we could turn the whole energies of the nation into farming work,, and still find it profitable. We must change from the manufacturing ideal to the farming ideal in politics, a change which will be of infinite benefit to our i national prosperity and our national. physique.