WEALTH FROM THE LAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20364, 19 September 1929, Page 12

WEALTH FROM THE LAND.

* - RICH PRODUCTION YEAR.

, RESOURCES OF DOMINION.

CROWING ANNUAL VALUE,

ROOM FOR FUTURE EXPANSION

[by TEI.ECP.ArH.—"I'ECIAr. P.EPOP.TER.] WELLINGTON. Wednesday. "Tfio season of 1922 29 may be re ' eord"d as an excellent one for our farming industries generally, as regards bo'h production and market returns," says the Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, in a preface to the annual report of the Department of Agricultnre, presented to Parliament to-day. "This excellent season is refected in the country's exports for the period, which show material increases in several leading prirnary products, and for the June year a total value of domestic produce only , once before exceeded." Interesting features of the agricultural year are reviewed by Dr. C. J. I'eakcs, Director-General of Agriculture. Taking rnntton, larnb, wool, beef, butter-fat. 'pork, bacon and veal as the products sold by the farmer, carefully-prepared estimates show that between 1907 and 1921 /the value of the3e on a standard price basis doubled from £16,000,000 to £32,000,000. Between 1921 arid the present tirno tho figure ha 3 risen to ' £43,000,000.

Rapid Increase of Production.

'At the rate of progress now being maintained the value of tho Dominion's grassland products is increasing at over double the rate it did in tho first two decades of this century. Tho grassland fanner is to day producing over 40 per cent, more products per acre of occupied land than he did eight or nine years ago. Butter-fat has doubled during that period, with an increase of only 40 per // cent, in tho number of cows and with no increase worth mentioning in tho area devoted to dairying. During tho past two years well over 3,000.000 sheep have been added to the flocks o? the Dominion, and the potentiality of still 1 greater expansion through the fact that breeding ewes aro now increasing by nearly 1,000,000 annually, becomes sufficiently apparent. "To use an everyday expression, 1928- ' 29 has been our 'peak year' for production from grassland," says the report. i "The vast majority of New/Zealand far- . .mors aro fully alive to the great potential production increase that lies ahead of modern grassland farming, in which more and better grass represents one phase and better utilisation by sound livestock husbandry tho other, the sue- / cessful interweaving of those two lundamental principles of grassland manage- , merit 13 destined to make our premier •crop—grass —play an even more importj! ant role in our national prosperity than could have been thought possible a few years ago."

Increase In Recent Years. That this statement ha 3 a solid practical foundation is well exemplified by the performance of the New Zealand grassland farmer during the past ten years. In the five years' period 1920 to 1924 tho average annual value of grassland pro- > ducts on a standard price basis was ' £33,410,000, and during the five years ' 1925-1929 tho average annual value amounted to £39,520,000. Tho most outstanding feature in the process of increasing the'quantity and quality of the grass crop is tho application of artificial fertiliser generalised under tho term "topdressing." The largo increase in acreage top-dressed in 1927 and 1923 has been . fully maintained during tho past 12 months. Largo as is tho area now annually topdressed, it represents only 13 per cent ' of tho sown grasslands of the Dominion, // and it is safe to say that there are not less than 6,000,000 acres of grassland in New Zealand where payable increases duo to top-dres3ing could be secured. At tho rate of top-dressing progress of tho past two years this acreage would bo reached within tho next iteuado, with the fer tilisor tonnage reaching the million mark //' and an annual top-dressing bill of approximately £6,000,000 or more. Record Dairying Season. / The dairy industry has experienced a / record season as regards production. This, however, can be regarded as only a stop toward a further increase, having regard to tho gradually improving methods of dairy fanners and tho better understand- / ing of tho utilisation of fertiliser topdressings to the best advantage, together with tho improvements resulting from ■' herd-testing. It is satisfactory to note that the good standard of quality attained by New Zca- ;< lanti butter has been maintained. As regards cheese, however, there is an undoubted necessity for improvement in more than one direction, although tho most outstanding feature lies in tho .condition known ,as openness. This is the subject of intensive research at the ' dairy institute at Massey College, and 'apart from this the instructional staff of the department has been devoting consistent attention to the manufacturing side in the hope of assisting toward overcoming the trouble. An important feature of (he year lies f in the decision of a large section of the industry to adopt n system of standardising tho but'er-fat content of cheese at , factories. Where tho milk supply as a •whole possesses a high butter-fat content, the standard set is a high one, and "'it is satisfactory to note, at the time of % writing, that cheese manufactured under this system i 3 selling in the overseas I market at prices equal to those ruling for • cur full-cream cheese. In regard to casein, the output was somewhat less /than in the previous year, but tho quality continued good.