NOTES FROM THE OLD LAND

Otago Witness, Issue 3212, 6 October 1915, Page 21

NOTES FROM THE OLD LAND

EFFECTIVE WORK BY THE SCOTTISH COLLEGES. THE FRUIT HARVEST. LADY TEACHERS AS BERRYPICKERS. CLYDESDALE INTERESTS, f (From Our Special Correspondent ) GLASGOW, August 6. There are few homes in this grand old land of ours without a representative serving in the defensive forces of the Empire; in not a few cases that I know of whole families have gone to do battle in the cause of righteousness and freedom. As I move about from place to place what strikes me most is the splendid vitality of the nation as a whole. The ranks of the class which wo term agricultural labourers have been sadly depleted of recent years, first by excessive emigration to the Britons beyond the seas, and latterly by enlistment in the forces of the King, but the work of the farmer and stock-breeder goes on uninterruptedly. The scientists and the inventive genius have come to the aid of the agriculturist, and the things which are being accomplished by them at present will be for the lasting good of the country. In Slcotland the agricultural colleges are for the most part governed by practical farmers, and the success which is attending the application of scientific principles to practical management is convincing the ordinary landholder that these institutions are destined to ontribute largely to the prosperity of the country. When a farmer finds the principal of one of those colleges at a public demonstration take his audience to a portion of a field and explain exactly the character of the soil, tell what he thinks should be done with it in the way of cultivation and manuring, and then invites the same people back again the following year to compare notes with him, and to find that the teacher's application of science to practice has proved exactly correct, there is convincing proof of the efficacy of the new order of things. Besides, when that same principal can take a Border Leicester sheep in hand and point out its smallest defects there is no getting away from the fact that we are travelling the right way in Scotland so far as our educational institutions are concerned. Principal Paterson, of the West of Scotland College, is such an one as I have mentioned. The son of an excellent farmer, he is himself thoroughly versed in all the ordinary routine of a holding. Thus it is that Scotland is facing the new order of things with comparative ease. Then, again, we have seen in recent years that not a few of our aristocracy have been parting with their lands. Some people say that Mr Lloyd George is to blame for this; but there are those who give a different set of reasons. However that may be, there is a fascination about Scottish soil which secures for it a ready demand, and the new proprietors are usually of a more enterprising character than the old ones. Recently when in Perthshire I had the pleasure of visiting a number of estates. On the invitation of Sir John Dewar, Bart., M.P., I went to see what was being accomplished on the Dupplin Castle estate, which he purchased a few years ago from the head of one of our ancient noble families. Hero, again, the college has come into play. This time it is the East of Scotland institution, with Mr William Bruce, 8.5. c., as the chief adviser. To begin with. Sir; John recognised that the pastures were in a very poorstate, and that much of the land was sorely in need of revivifying. The pastures had much in them which was of no use for feeding purposes —bent, crested dogstail, sweet vernal and Yorkshire fog,—but now by the application of doses of lime and slag there are luxuriant growths of white clover. Oats of excellent quality were being sown from comparatively poor soil by the application of 2ijCwt of superphosphate per acre at seeding time, and lewt of nitrate of soda per acre after brairding. The results of those experiments are the common property of the agricultural community, for Sir John Dewar is never better pleased than when his neighbours or even farmers from a distance have the whole process explained to them on the ground. Besides, the college authorities have full liberty to make what use they like of the information thus gained. Other noblemen and gentlemen are backing up the work of the colleges in like manner, and thus it is that Scottish agriculture and the breeding of live stock keeps pace with the times, and that those engaged in such enterprises are able to surmount all the difficulties which crop up even in time like the present. Labour-saving machinery, too, is being extensively employed as a moans to an end, and with very marked success. The colleges are now striking out in another direction. The western institution has a well-equipped horticultural department, and in order to render effective aid to the growers of fruit one of the farms in the Clyde Valley is to bo wrought in conformity with the college plans in cultivation and manuring. One field is to he set aside for purely experimental purposes, where new varieties of fruits and bushes will be tested and different methods of cultivation and manuring will be tried. The war has robbed most of the fruit-growers of the labour which they used to secure from the towns and cities. This was more particularly felt by the raspberry-growers in Perthshire, where many tons of fruit have to be gathered every ■ day. But the lady teachers and students from the training colleges have come to the rescue. In ordinary circumstances these ladies would bo enjoying a holiday on the Continent or at some fashionable watering-place at home. Instead of this they are “doing their bit” in keeping the affairs of the country going. Hundreds of them have gone from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, and other centres, and they will be nono the worse of roughing it a bit in the berry fields.

The show season is now practically over in Scotland. The Edinburgh people did well to carry through their exhibition, and it. proved a huge success. In this wo have another proof of the half-henrtedness of the directors of the Highland and Agricultural Society. The hitter were not so much afraid of a dislocation of traffic as that they would drop a few hundreds of pounds. Xb'3 is

a beggarly policy for a great and wealthy society. Even a few thousands would have been well spent in fostering stock-breeding at a time like the present. There was, again, a great show of Clydesdales at Edinburgh, and as the Highland Show did not take place this year the Cawdor Cup for females was competed for on the occasion. Put although the entries were large the sameanimals as were out earlier in the season maintained their supremacy in the prize ring. This year there was a class for aged horses at Edinburgh, and it was won by the Nethcrall and Banks stud horse Baron s Seal, a son of Baron’s Pride, which has already been prominent in the show yard. I just hope that he will be as successful at stud as he has been in the prize ring. The only reversal of importance in the other male classes from the decisions of the earlier shows was the plac'ng of the Montgomery horse Pyramid, third at the Koyal, above Dunuro Freshfuel, which was second there. The male championship went to Baron’s Seal, with the two-year-old Dunurc Kaleidoscope reserve, a decision which I venture to say would be reversed 99 times out of 100. Kaleidoscope is one of the most perfect colts over seen in a show yard, and he is going the right way all the time. In the female section there was a grand array, and again Lady Betty, the great threc-year-old filly, by Apukwa out of the Baron’s Pride mare Pet of Boquhan, was supreme vyhon_ the Cawdor Cup competition came on. She is a great example of the breed, with abundance of size, fine depth of rib, the best of sharp flinty bones, beautiful pasterns and wide well-shaped feet, while her movement loaves nothing to bo desired. The show of mares and fillies was worth going a long way to see. With regard to the Clydesdale trade - in general, the fact is that it never was in better heart. Strange as it may seem at a time like this, with practically no export business passing, prices are higher than ever they have been in the past, especially in the case of females. The encouragement given by the Board of Agriculture for Scotland to the smaller class of farmers has had the effect of removing from the road all defective horses, and the standard of the breed in the matter of soundness and general outline is improving every year, while all the time weight is being added. Several females and young stallions have recently changed hands at prices running into four figures. The reason for this ig that at the close of the war there is assured a real boom in Clydesdales. Not only will Canada and the United States bo requiring fresh blood, but the countries of the Allies are expected to take many animals for breeding purposes. Miss Barbour, N.D.D., who has acted with much acceptance as secretary for some years to the British Dairymaids' Association, is leaving Edinburgh in September for New Zealand to be married. At the annual meeting the other evening Miss Barbour was made the recipient of a handsome testimonial in recognition of the excellent services she has rendered to the organisation.