NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2008, 18 August 1892, Page 6

NOTES ON RURAL TOPICS.

The British agricultural correspondent o*f the Witness referred in his last A 1 aper letter to the conference of the on British Dairy Farmers' AssociaDalrj ing. tion held in Juno last, and also mentioned several papers on dairying which were read at the conference. By the courtesy of the editor of the Witness I have before me copies of these papers, and as one dealing with the best means of promoting the dairy industry may be of use as suggesting similar action in this colony, I propose to briefly summarise its contents. The full title of the paper under notice is in the form of a question — viz., " What can County Councils do to Promote the Dairy Interest ?" It is written by Dr Webb, Principal of the As pat rid Agricultural College, and although it was written for and read to British farmers, it contains hints and suggestions which may be useful to colonial producers, the bugbear of the British farmer. Dr Webb commences by referring to the everjncreaeing supplies of dairy produce from foreign countries which have steadily risen year by year until the sum sent out of Britain for foreign butter, cheese, milk, margarine, &c., amounts to neatly 20 millions sterling annually. Of course the poor British farmers would like to Btop that fearful drain of gold, and cause it to circulate instead amongst themselves, hence the increasing interest now being taken in all things pertaining to dairy produce, and in competing with the imported articles Dr Webb says that county councils of England can do much to further this desirable end. Firstly, by education ; secondly, by legislation ; thirdly, by direct assistance. He gays that in order to compete 'on equal terms with foreign producers the British farmers must be trained iv the art and science of dairying. It is nob sufficient, says the doctor, to learn mechanically how to do a thing ; the reason why must also bo thoroughly understood. To this end he recommends that lectures be given in conjunction with dairy schools, either fixed or migratory. Lectures, he says, are a first-rate means of arousing interest in a subject and attracting attention, but are necessarily only theoretical, and must be followed or accompanied by practical illustrations in order to do much good. The advantage ot migratory dairies consists in the fact that the instruction is taken to the people instead of expecting them to attend only at the large centres. To follow up the good done by the migratory lecturers and working dairies, Dr Webb advocates the establishing o? fixed dairy schoqls — qne in each county— whero a number of students can he taught and, if necesssary, a scholarship given each year. Dr Webb also suggests that the county oounciU should do all in their power to encourage co* operation among dairy termers. Farmers, ho says, would have confidence in a scbemo of ca» opcrfttion org&njMid. by the council, wheats taey a»'c Blp# te Believe in fchs disinjsreatea Halves of jwiYttteifid.ivld.U&lfli HflftlßomeMlM

methods by which county councils may apply for improved legislation respecting the carriage of milk by rail, and also respecting the importation of margarine coloured in such a manner as to appear as real butter. With such matters we are not concerned, but I should like to point out the implied compliment to us as included among the foreign producers. Dr Webb says that the British farmers, in order to compete with outside producers, must be trained in the art and scieuce of dairying. He is evidently referring to the far-famed butter-makers of Denmark and Normandy, for I opine that as yet we are scarcely up to the British dairymen, considering the amount of lecturing and manipulation by travelling and fixed dairy schools that they have had the benefit of for a good many years. Therefore there cannot be anything new to the British farmers in Dr Webb's paper, and in that respect it is not different to the majority of papers read at gatherings of farmers and others interested in farming. There does not seem to beany necessity for our county councils to bolster up the dairy industry, seeing that the Government have salaried lecturers and experts travelling throughout the colony.

The last issue of the Witness contained a report of a paper on dairying which SUcep was read by Mr David Doull t. before the Wyndham Farmers' Covi'i. Club at a recent meeting,

and which I have already briefly noitced in a general way. While generally commending Mr Doull's paper, I cannot help questioning his figures regarding the comparative profit derived from sheep and dairy cows. He supposes a case in which a nian has 150 acres of good land capable of maintaining 50 good milch cows. These average, say, 600 gal milk in a year, which at 3d per gallon at the factory gives a return of L 7 10s per cow per annum, lie reckons Id per cow as the cost of each milking, which in eight months amounts to L 2 per cow, or LIOO per annum, leaving L 5 10s per cow, or L 275 for the season. From this he deducts L 65 for deaths and disease in cows and cost of sending carts with milk to factory. This gives L2lO net profit for tho year, or about LI Qs 2d per acre. IF, however, the farmer's family can aud will do the milking, the net profit is L3lO, or L 2 2s 6d per acre. Then with regard to sheep Mr Doull allows that five sheep are equal to one cow, and therefore the farm should maintain 250 good crossbred ewes. These, he says, should rear at least 250 lambs, which at 8s each as weaners would bring in LIOO. The wool of the ewes he values at L 62, the gross return being L 162 per annum. From this he deducts Lls for usual expenses, and another L2O for cost of rams, doaths, kc, leaving L 127 as net return, equal to about 17s per acre, or more than 12s per acre less than the cows give after allowing for labour of milking. Now without going into the question as to the bad policy of devoting a farm wholly to sheep or to cows — for that it is unwise to put all one's eggs into one basket cannot be gainsaid — pleuro-pneumonia has been here once, and may appear again, and the 50 cows be destroyed at one fell swoop of that dire disease ; or abortion might run through the herd. In either case the sole profit would consist in the saving of labour of milking and carting to the factory. Being altogether dependent upon sheep may also prove disastrous by supposing extreme cases, such as dogs mangling a largß number of the flock, or floods washing them to sea. Weaners might be worth only 5s instead of Bs, and wool be even lower than the 8i d allowed by Mr Doull. What I wish to point out more particularly, however, is the fact that a comparison cannot be instituted between sheep and dairy cows in the rule of thumb manner adopted by Mr Doull. I give the author of the paper all credit for good and honest intentions, and admire his loyalty to the branch of agriculture which has proved profitable to him ; but, though not prejudiced in favour of either the bleating flock or the lowing herd, I think there can be no question of the wisdom of adopting — as far as is practicable in agreement with circumstances of soil, climate, and locality — some system of mixed farming, in order to avoid the risks which may beset one particular branch, and also to participate in the profit attending auother branch of farming. The comparison under notice mentions nothing about calves. I presume they must be knocked on the head or given away, for if all the new milk goes to tho factory they cannot certainly be reared on the farm. Then no allowance is made for depreciation of value of cows as they get older, nor for replacing them as they die or are fattened off. Mr Doull put L 9 to the credit side of account for sale of two cows fattened because of failure in milking, but he should also debit the account with Ll4- for replacing them. Then, again, sheep-farming does not solely consist of rearing lambs and selling them at the best market price obtainable at weaning. It should pay to keep the males a year or two and sell as heavy-weight freezers. A number of the ewe lambs, too, should be kept to replace the cull ewes every year. Therefore, I repeat, a comparison of this kind, to be of any value, should be complete and reliablp, and nothing taken for granted. Every detail and contingency should be considered.

Since writing the note on technical education a week or two ago, I have seen Science extracts from a good and useful

for pajier on the benefit of science the Farmer, to the practical farmer. The

paper is by Dr Webb, principal of the Agricultural College ab Aspatria, and his remarks are quite in agreement with what appeared in my note concerning the instruction of country boys in the why and wherefore of farming operations. Dr Webb says it is necessary to keep dinning two grrat facts into the heads of farmers — (1) "that agriculture more than any other calling is benefited by scieuce," and (2) "that of all the arts practised in England agriculture has profited least by the advance of science, because farmers have disdained any help and worked on in incompetent independence." The doctor then goes on to say that the farmer •requires a little chemistry to tell him how plants exhaust the soil, and how its fertility may be restored ; a little botany also to assist him in the selection of seed, the propagation of varieties, the protection of his crops from parasites, and so on ; a little geology t j mate him more familiar with the nature of the soil ; a little physiology to help him in the study of live gtock ; a little mechanics, the principles of which "are called intopley in the construction and üße of every machine used on tho farm, from a steam plough to a horse rake," Besides all this he needs some knowledge of veterinary science and land surveying, carpentry, and nmith's work. But, it may be asked, how are the sons of farmers to come by all this abstract Boience P Dr Webb replies that tho elements Bf all that io required for agriculture can be taught in tho publio schools as easily as the multiplication table, He insists, too, that it ia as a child that a farmer's &on must begin to lesra the. principles which he will have to put into practice. £&c adult farmer, crusted the traditions find prejudices of ages of unscientific farming, is «i alt tafc bQwlc-w subject for cdHwtjan on $c jpfops? fogs, l)i Webb *dto tbut fagite

all that has been written, said, and lectured about agricultural science, we are yet only at the beginning of the matter.

It is of great importance to obtain ft good seed-bed for spring crops, and Spring; generally a medium rainfall Tillages. favours that object. The farmer who has his farm work in a forward state has the best chance of succeeding, but every husbandman knows well that climate beats cultivation, and that no matter how well tilled a farm may be an unfavourable season will spoil all. Notwithstanding all the writing and teaching of the present time, every farmer must be guided by experience in carrying out the tillage work of the spring season, especially with regard to heavy clays, which can only be handled between the wet and the dry state. One of the greatest benefits of good drainage is the rapidity with which heavy land settles and becomes dry enough for working after heavy spring rains. The English climate is generally quite the reverse to ours in respect of the character of the spring weather. There March is a dry, windy month, but the corresponding month of September here is generally of a moist and sloppy character. However, we have to take the weather as it comes and make the best of it, and he who is bent upon getting his spring seeds into the soil in good time cau generally manage to do so.

Economy in the conduct of business is, as a rule, to be commended. As Economy with every other rule of pracon tice, however, it requires to bo Tho Farm, exercised with judgment and

moderation, for however desirable and necessary a certain amount of economy is to the farmer, yet it is very easy and very unwise also to carry it too far. It is often carried beyond the bounds to which economy in its true application is limited, and then it becomes penny wise and pound foolish, or more correctly speaking, false economy. For example, a favourable spell of*weather occurs in the Bpring during which the land is in splendid order for tilling and sowing. Knowing that the weather cannot continue so for a long period, and knowing also that his own team or teams cannot get the crops into tho ground before the weather is likely to break, a farmer is probably practising true economy by hiring additional teams to enable him to complete his sowing in one-half the time that his unaided efforts could accomplish the same work. The advantage of getting the crops sown and harrowed in good time and uuder favourable conditions should more than counterbalance the expense of hiring extra teams. The farm ceams could perhaps have got the work done in time, but some of the crops would be very late, and

the land would also probably have to be worked under disadvantageous conditions. Many examples of this kind occur in farming. Thero is the false economy of sticking to old-fashioned machines and farm implements because they Answer the purpose and save tho cost of more modern and more efficient articles. It is also false economy to be too hasty in throwing aside good articles simply because others are in the market with some slight improvement in construction. It is false economy also to work short-handed at harvest time or to let good men go on account of a difference of a few pence in the wages between them and the farmer. Verb, sap. Aghicola.