PERMANENCY IN AGRICULTURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1905, 14 August 1890, Page 6

PERMANENCY IN AGRICULTURE.

The ohief end and aim of all farming is profit, but there is a distinction to be drawn between temporary profit and per man ant prosperity, It is quite possible that considerable profit may be drawn from a farm for a fsw seasons, that by an exhaustive process of cropping, the profits which legitimately should be spread over a long period are oompressepVinto a few seasons, to the great ultimate detriment of the farm. This was frequently done in bygone years of the colony's history, when the prioe of grain ruled high for a number of successive seasons, and the temptation to overcrop was proportionately great. This has not been done so muoh in morereoent times, partly because farmers take a more enlightened view of their position, but more, perhaps, on acoount of the low profits realised by grain-growing. The proper light in which to look at a farm is as a permanent instrument of production, and not aa a mere machine to be used and worn out and thrown aside. Worn out and deserted farms— or rather, wheat-growing patohes— are common enough in aome parts of Australia, but thanks to a olimate more favourable to general agriculture, such deplorable eights are not to be seen in New Zealand— permanenoy of settlement and permanenoy of fertility are the two things needful.

That the country as a whole is not being cropped out is shown pretty conclusively by the annual statistics, The yield fluctuates from year to year according to the season, but there is no indication of a general falling off in the productiveness of the land. It may indeed be taken for granted that where sheep take so important a plaae in the agricultural system of a country as they, do in New Zealand the land in the main is being fairly well treated, The value of the sheep on the land ia proverbial, and pxoverbs, though not infallible, represent the experience of generations orystalised into a few words. The British proverb tells us practically and prosaically that " the sheep is the farmer's best manure cart," while a Continental proverb puts the matter in a more poetical light by representing the sheep as having golden hoofa. The undaunted energy of farmers ii now being strongly drawn in the direction of mutton and wool, owing to the exceptionally high profits which have been derived from farm flocks this laßt year. Most of the profit has, in fact, come from the sheep, and it is an muoh aa the grain crops have done if they have paid their way. Past experience, however, has Bhown that it is not wise to go in too exclusively for one class of product. It ia only a few years ago -soon after the export trade in

mutton was initiated— that sheep ran up to prioes not very far short of what they stand at now. The outlook for grain was at the same I time discouraging, and the oonsequence waa \ that farmers '.dropped grain-growing "like a hot potato," to use a homely expression'; but they Boon found out that they had been in too muoh of a hurry, The frozen meat trade, so far as any profits to the producers were concerned, almost collapsed, owing probably to the orafty manipulation of the trade by the English middleman, and those farmers who had so hastily departed from the usual course of operations and pinned their faith to flocks of old merino ewes, found good reason to deplore the mutability of things in general. In view of the present order of things it aeema hardly possible that a similar collapse Hob before us in tho future. After a long struggle for existence tbe frozen mutton trade has become established on a good sound basis. The expenses have been cut down v. ithin reasonable limits, and the mutton has made a reputation for itself amongst the great body of consumers at Home, It seeme, indeed, that all that is now required to assure the continued success of the trade is for producers to keep the quality of the article up to the mark. It is a very serious question. The quality of the mutton is being kept up to the same level of excellence which it attained in the earlier dayß of the trade. The last year's orop of lambs has been drawn upon fearfully — eweß and wethers have found their way almost indiscriminately to the freezing chamber, owners being tempted by the price offering. It iB well known how difficult a matter it is to obtain sheep for freezing purposes up to the requisite quality and weight, and freezing companies have found it necessary to reduce tbe standard of weight. More than one company has bad to seriously consider the advisability of freezing seoond class mutton, that is old ewes, in order to keep the trade going. On the other hand the country haß an immense stock of breeding eweß, and tbis season every effort has been made on the part of the breeders to ensure a large fall of lambs. More than usual will depend this year on the weather being favourable for lambing. But there is not much uso in laying large plans for a large lambing uolesß corresponding steps are taken towards providing the necessary feed for forcing the young stock to maturity at an early age. In this lies tbe main chance of profit.'. The wethers must arrive at good weight and quality many months before the second shearing, otherwise it is impossible that the wants of the freezing trade can be duly met. Great numbers of two-toothed iwethers that have gone into the market aB freezers, and owing to tbe scarcity of good quality sheep have been bought aa such, have fallen very far short of what the standard ought to be in order to maintain the reputation of New Zealand mutton in the English markets, The demand for freeising sheep will lead to great activity in cultivation. A transition from grain to sbeep has in the past been generally taken to mean something like stagnation in agriculture, with reduced expenditure both in the employment of labour and in the use of material. To a great extent this ib what happens when woolgrowing iB the leading objeot, but when mutton takes first place it will never do to let the land lie idle. Mutton cannot be produced either profitably or in considerable quantity on more or less inferior and worn out- pasture ; the soil must be kept tilled in order to keep up its productiveness. With a vast extent of land under turnips or rape each year, which will be rendered inevitable by the demand for mutton, it necessarily follows that there will be a corresponding area of land in good heart for cropping, and it is not unreasonable to expeot an increase in the average yield of grain per aore to follow an extensive growth of turnips, especially as it iB becoming a common practice to drill the turnips with manure. It is not too much to say that the agriculture of the colony has taken a new departure, and that we are working into a more restored system. Root crops and grazing will be the bane of the system, and corn growing will consequently fall into the plaoe which it should occupy in a good healthy and permanent Bystem of farming. Until means were foundof getting our more perishable clasß of products to market, it was unavoidable that thoße whioh would stand transit should occupy first place. When wheat is the staple export of a country the land is bound to suffer, but when wheat is only grown as one crop in a wel' adjusted system of rotation it then means that tho agriculture of the country is assuming a permanent aspect and that the men who export the wheat will lot ultimately be driven to export themselves an well. There is a saying that a country whioh exports only raw products will soon have to export men. No doubt there is Borne justioe in looking at the matter in this light, but a frozen carcass cannot be regarded as a raw product altogether. A fat sheep represents a good deal of raw produce worked up into a very compressed shape. It would be diffioult to get the great bulk of turnips and other food which go to the building up of the oaroass into an equally compressed oompaaa by any other process of manufacture. A orop of turnips or any other feed orop consumed on the land stands on a totally different footing from a crop of wheat the grain of whioh is exported and the straw very likely allowed to rot uselessly in heaps. Cheering as are the prospects of mutton growers, it would ba unwise for farmers to forget the experience of the past, and go in too exclusively for any one branch of their bueineßß. The price of Bheep may go down, and the price of grain may go up. This is what haß happened before, and it will be nothing remarkable if it happens again. A well-balanced system of rotation, eaoh orop taking its proper place in the economy of the farm, according to the capability and oondition of the land, and its situation as regards getting the produce to market, has within it tbe best elements of permanency and ultimate profit.