QUALITY OF STOCK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21414, 11 February 1933, Page 17

QUALITY OF STOCK

SMALL FARM SCHEME IMPORTANCE OF BREED BY H.B.T. A large area of land in New Zealand at, present devoted to grazing sheep could be much more profitably employed in small areas as dairy farms. This appears also to bo the opinion of tjioso who have framed the legislation which is designed to encourage farming on areas which will carry from 20 to 25 cows, and perhaps a few sheep. A fortune cannot bo made by milking 20 cows, but it is possiblo that a man with a family of one or two who are willing to help with the milking and feeding of calves, pigs, poultry and other stock, could enjoy a standard of living far superior to that of many employees who aro receiving what is to-day looked upon as a good wage. Apart from this, farm life is healthier, more interesting and consequently happier than the routine which is the lot of most employees in towns and cities, and, perhaps, because there is always the lure of higher prices and possibly a bigger farm with independence in the future, farming, even in a small way, is the ambition of a very large number of men. Value of Sidelines It is all very easy to say that a fairly comfortablo living can bo made from 20 cows with butter-fat at, say, 9d a pound, but when one goes into figures, taking average production a cow, and makes reasonable allowance for working expenses, losses, maintenance of herd and pastures, and rental, an extremely small sum remains on the credit side of the ledger. Possibly 30s to 35s a week will be all the profit which the dairy cows will show, even with land valued on to-dny's productive basis. If this were all the living the small farmer could look forward to I am afraid there would not be many applicants for small farms under the Government's proposed scheme; but one must remember that free house, vegetables, eggs, butter, milk and perhaps meat may constitute a very considerable part of a family's " living," and may amount to as much as £1 a week. Other sidelines, such as pigs, poultry, and perhaps grass seed, can, and should, be developed along with dairying, and if the foundation stock is good, the bulk of the feed grown on the farm, and a study made of breeding and attention, a considerable profit, equal to possibly another £1 a week, could be made from these. This would bring the family's real net income to about £3 10s a week with average stock and prices for produce somewhere about to-day's figures. Lower Living Costs

Ifc must be remembered, also, that a country life does not demand the same expenditure on clothing, tram fares and odd meals that is inevitable when one's living is earned in town. Altogether it appears that the small dairy-farmer, with sidelines, would be enjoying an equally good living as the regular employee in town. There are further possibilities, however, for the man who aspires to be better than the " average." Average cows may produce 2001b. of butter-fat in a season. Good cows would produce 2501b. or even 3001b. a head. An increase of 20 to 40 per cent in butter-fat returns from the same number of cows, grazed and milked at the same expense, means all the difference between a " bare " living and a " good " living. Applying the same principle of first quality foundation stock to pigs, poultry and grass seed also, gives the small farmer the reasonable prospect of earning the equivalent of £7 or £8 a week, and at. the same time of engaging in pleasant and nationally valuable productive work. Quality of Stock The 'difference between a bare living and comparative affluence on a small farm depends primarily upon the quality of the stock, and thereafter upon feeding and treatment. It can bo seen, therefore, that to be successful, this small farm scheme should not end at providing suitable land at a fair rental for the prospective settler, but should go further in making it obligatory for him to purchase stock, which, from their breeding records, give prospect of producing above the Dominion average. Testing associations, calf - marking schemes, pig-breeding records, egg-laying competitions and certified grass-seed recordings are only of value as wo apply the lessons learned to our practical farming. But, when applied, they make even farming in these clays a sound business. There will possibly be hundreds or even thousands of men taking up small dairy farms under the proposed scheme within tba year. Their success on the land is of great importance to everyone in New Zealand, and success depends so largely on a good beginning, which means good stock, that I feel this feature should receive all possible publicity.