VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19677, 1 July 1927, Page 17

VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS

FARMING IN NEW ZEALAND, " HIS FAVOURITE COUNTRY." [from our own correspondent. 0 .LONDON, May 18. Mr. A. G. Ramshay, of East Appleton, Catterick, the well-known Wensleydale sheepbreeder, who returned recently from a world tour, spoke on farming in the Dominions to farmers at Northallerton. He said that New Zealand remained his favourite country, A young man willing to work there need never want. The prospective farmer, however, needed plenty of capital, because land was increasing in value. Farmers who had settled thirty years ago were now the wealthy men. Only by settling in the backwoods, working hard and waiting long, could a man come into his own now.

In 1890 sheep wore making Is 6d to 2s per head, and three years later they went up to 10s and 15s per head. Since then the New Zealand sheepfarmer had not looked back. They specialised in Romney Marsh, and, although they denied it, their success had come by crossing with Merino, Lincoln, Leicester and South Down. Crossing and re-crossing, they had produced . a sheep of good carcase, and flie fleece was almost perfect. The fat lamb trade was one of tho chief agricultural industries. They had made progress by trying to produce sheep of small joints which would sell on the London market.