NOBILITY OP FARMING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20626, 26 July 1930, Page 19

NOBILITY OP FARMING.

LORD BLEDISLOE'S APPEAL.

THE GREATEST INDUSTRY

MUCH EXCELLENT ADVICE

The address which the Govw»ior-Gen-cral gave to the students of Lincoln College, Canterbury, is well worth being broadcast throughout the length and breadth of Now Zealand, because it contained such admirable advice and such fine stimulation

" There is no occupation in the world more worthy of pursuit than farming," he said, " and New Zealand has a great agricultural and pastoral future—greater perhaps than any other part of the Empire. This is due partly to her climate, partly to tho potentialities of tho soil, and partly to the willingness to imbibe new knowledge, so far as the farming community can be conviced that it is of economic value."

No sensible person can deny tho first statement. Farming is indeed a noble pursuit and worthy to be followed by the most enterprising and intellectual of our people, and yet as an occupation it has been thrust into the background of New Zealand industries. It is'amazing and infinitely regrettable that this should he the case, and yet there are simple enough explanations for this condition of affairs. One factor, no doubt, is that in spite of the great advances ot agriculture in New Zealand we aro still between the crudities of the old pioneer days and the more scientific side of the new era. The father? nte sour grapes and the children s teeth have been set on edge.

Pessimistic Farmers.

It is remarkable that some of the most pessimistic diatribes against farming come from farmers themselves. We hear far too much of the hardships and tribulations of the settler than of tho charm and peace and healthfulness of country life. Too much working from early dawn to lato at night, in slushy cowyards, and too little of the fascinating work of making splendid pastures and breeding high yielding stock. The failures of men who have gone on to t}ie land with little capital and less experience have been advertised widely and persistently, whilst wo hear scarcely anything of the wonderful successes made, of the beautiful homes created and the productive farms won from the wilderness. But the real and principal forces which have militated against the advancement of farming to its true position, have been insidious rather than direct, and have depended really inoro upon what was not done rather than upon deliberate action.

For numerous reasons New Zealanders have sought the cities rather than the rural districts; they have preferred trading or the professions rather than farming; they have sought the quick and easy road to wealth rather than the slow building up of farms. } et, in spite of all these forces, fanning has advanced in New Zealand and is likely to advance still more strikingly as years go by, bocause the cities have' reached iheir full growth so far as distribution of population is concerned and have, in fact, developed beyond tho true balanco of national interests.

Simple and Natural Lite. The Dominion now contains more than enough traders and artisans; there is a surplus of men and women trained for the professions, and the rising generation will find it very hard to find occupation of any kind in the country, so that increasing numbers of young men must, by force of circumstances, be compelled to on in their living from the land. This will ho a distinct benefit to the nation, for it will tend to lessen the desire for extravagance and expensive pleasures and it will make our people more steadfast, and more simple and natural in their method of living.

Lord Bledisloe gave somo very valuable advice to our teachers and research workers on agriculture. He told them that if they wanted to convince farmers thev must speak to them in terms of pounds, shillings and pence, also they should not talk technical and scientific jargon to the ordinary farmer. This advice unfortunately is much needed in New Zealand; and our young soil chemists, our veterinarians, our pathologists, biologists and botanists should take it to heart for they ore much too prone to hide their knowledge and their ignorance under a cloud of purely technical terms, to use continental measurements when English measurements would be infinitely moie useful and effective. Some of our research workers are particularly prone to these faults and address the farmer m much the same fashion as if they were seeking to impress a scientific congress.

Need for Simple Language. Fortunately though, really great agricultural scientists, the men whoso findin«s really count and whoso words carry weight can, and usually do, give us the fruit's of their knowledge in simple and lucid English and in plain figures, easily understandable. When this becomes common the practical farmer will more readily understand and appreciate the scientific worker, and it is probable that the scientific worker will also bo moie capable of appreciating the farmer, a result very much to be desired. It will bo a great benefit to New Zealand, when New Zealaiiders recognise the two facts made public in Lord Bledisloe/s speech:—(l) " 1 here is no occupation in the world more worthy of pursuit than farming." (2) " New Zealand has a great agricultural and pastoral future —greater perhaps than any other part of the Empire." With these truths ever before thorn as a slogan and with practical men find scientists working shoulder to shoulder, the wealth and population ot New Zealand could : e made to increase in leaps and hounds; the dread of unemployment would disappear and there would be opened up profitable careers for all the young men and women in the country who are able and willing to do honest work.