FARMING PROSPERITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20722, 15 November 1930, Page 13

FARMING PROSPERITY.

STOCK AND PASTURES. I CATERING FOR MARKETS. LORD BLEDISLOE'S OPINIONS. ADDRESS GIVEN TO FARMERS. j n y TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] CHRISTCHURCH. Friday. "When I was a student many years B go at England's oldest agricultural college, two factors were impressed upon factors that, during the past 40 years, have been borne out by my own experience,'' said the Governor-General, Lord Bledisloe, at the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association luncheon to-day. "The first was that, in 6tock breeding, the sire is worth half the flock or herd. The second was that a bad animal costs just as much to keep BS a good animal.

"Therefore, from a commercial farmer's point of view, and in a country which depends mostly on tho pastoral industry and on its live stock, wo ought always to employ for breeding purposes the best niale animals. Also, good stock should not bo confined to thoso who win prizes at the shows, but should be characteristic oi farming generally. It is equally true that it does not pay to feed with topdressing inferior plants. » New Zealand Pastures. "You have in New Zealand some of tho finest pastures in the world, and also some of the most reliable and scientific work being directed to the improvement of your pastures. I believo that no more .valuable work is being dono in the country to-day, but ono thing is becoming more and moro apparent, that if you are going to use artificial fertilisers you should do so on good plant material. "You are all looking to-day for nexv markets in order to further the development of your pastoral and agricultural industries. Thero is one market that lies right to your hand, if you are prepared to grasp it, not only in the Old Country but also in many of the old countries, and that is for the provision of the best possible herbage plants. "If you only raise for the purposes of seed in Europe the best possible Akaroa cocksfoot and Hawke's Bay ryegrass, then there is a very good market right to your hands. But you will have to see that the seed is strictly certificated and that nothing is passed for export except ; that which has passed tho most severe tests. Commercial Profit. " Subject only to that, I am quite sure that there is plenty of commercial profit to be derived by New Zealanders from tho production of grass and clover seeds for European requirements. l am conscious that, with the exact knowledge which they are deriving from the low-temperaturo research work at Cambridge University, your fruitgrowers ■will ba in the position of being able to put on the markets of the Old Country as sound a fruit as any fruitgrower in the ■world as long as they grow their fruit carefullv and send only the best. " In 'the next fortnight there is coming to this country a man most in fruit research, Mr. R. 1- Hatton, of East Maling/fruit research station, one of the best national fruit research stations in England. I want to ask you to listen with interest to what Mr. Hatton has to f;iy ir* the matter of improving the fruit .crop. Example o! Hastings. " I attended the Royal Show in -Hawke's Bay and I am bound to say tthat I have" never seen any better kept •orchards than those in the Hastings district. If the fruitgrowers in other districts keep their orchards as well, I believe that your fruit industry will Bteadily develop and bring considerable prosperity to the fruitgrowers. " I venture to hope that you will not make the mistake we have made in the Old Country; that is, to allow your research work to overlap, but will carefully co-ordinate it under the expert supervision of the Government. There is an immense scope for research work of a high economic value, but there is no scope for jealousy and rivalry between your scientific workers. Wo made that mistake in the Old Do not make the same mistake here."