“BEST ORGANISED”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27041, 28 March 1949, Page 6

“BEST ORGANISED”

SOUTHLAND FARMING EXPERT’S COMPLIMENT STUDY OF PROBLEMS Special Correspondent WELLINGTON. Mar. 27. Southland farming was the “ best organised, neatest and tidiest” he had ever seen in any part of the world, said Dr<f®. S. Archibald, Director of Experimental Farms for Canada, to-day. Dr Archibald said that this comment was based on comparison with farms in Holland, Denmark, Scotland, England and other countries. He said that even though Southland's climate was not as favourable as in such areas as the Waikato, southern farmers were doing a marvellous job. Moreover, they were not only working their good flat lands well —they were doing a good job on their hills also. “I was most impressed with the good Scottish farms down there,” Dr Archibald added. Scottish farmers were always said to be good. Referring to the Waikato, Dr Archibald said there was only one place he had seen where more milk fat per acre was produced. That was in the irrigated Murray River area of South Australia. Wairarapa also was a fine example of land being used to the best advantage, with good breeding practice and good management. “ I was entranced with your livestock, your Jersey cattle of good quality and high production, and your wonderful Romney and Corriedale sheep,” Dr Archibald went on. “ I have planned to take some Romneys and Corriedales back with me.” Dr Archibald said he had had a wonderful opportunity of seeing New Zealand’s soil problems, which were rather different from those in Canada, which was free of frost for only six months of the year. New Zealand was handling her good soils better than Canada and her hill soils about as badly—with overgrazing, no fertiliser and no reseeding. New Zealand’s experimental and demonstrational work, he thought, was very good. He had seen the work at various universities. They were doing some fine research work which would be of definite value to Canada.

Even though the species of grasses, clovers and wheats were not the same in Canada, they all fitted into the breeding picture for the improvement of Canadian crops. New Zealand’s demonstration stations on soil reclamation on 5 hillsides which were slipping, due to over-grazing and overburning, were examples of what Canada must follow. The station at Blenheim was an instance. The work there had resulted in a complete transformation in a short period of years. Dr Archibald said he thought that catchment boards were the nucleus of a very fine organisation to deal with problems in the hills as much as they had dealt with them in the valleys. These would be a fine example for other parts of the Empire to follow. “ Mr E. G. Holt, of the United States Soil Survey, has travelled in New Zealand with me,” Dr Archibald said. “ He was much impressed with the severity of your problems and the way they are being approached.” Dr Archibald said he could not express his gratitude too much for the opportunities he had been given to see soil erosion problems and to meet catchment boards and members of Government departments who had all been generous. He was specially grateful to the Works Department, under which the soil conservation work was organised. A visitor to New Zealand for the Pacific Science Congress, Dr Archibald has been here since late January with the exception of a three-weeks’ visit to Australia. He will leave by air for America on April 6.