TRAINING AS FARMERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3399, 7 May 1919, Page 11

TRAINING AS FARMERS

NEW,, ZEALAND SOLDIERS. CLASSES IN DEVONSHIRE. SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENT. An interesting account of the methods adopted in England to train New Zealanders in the cultivation of land was given to a New Zealand Herald reporter by Oaptam H. E. M'Gowan, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, who returned to the dominion on furlough by the Bhamo. Captain M'Gowan, is depot agricultural officer and chief instructor at the Agricultural Farm at the New Zealand Depot, Torquay. He is well known in agricultural circles in the dominion. For 30 years prior to the outbreak of war he was farming at Willowbridge, South Canterbury, where he became prominent because of many experiments he carried out in respect of the cultivation of potatoes. He has returned to the dominion on four weeks’ leave, at the expiration of which he will return to England. Captain M'Gowan. was created a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services in the field and in agricultural work in England. Recognising that the time and brains of some 3000 New Zealanders, who were in fiaso at Torquay, were being allowed to go to waste. Captain M'Gowan suggested at the beginning of last year that an endeavour should bo made to establish an agricultural class on comprehensive lines, and, receiving the necessary authority, he, in February, 1918, obtained control of 30 acres of land from the Petit Tor Golf Club. Almost immediately afterwards he was offered 100 acres, portion of the Ugbrooke. Park Estate, by Lord Clifford, a cousin of Sir George Clifford, at the nominal rental of Is a year. He was then asked to take over 400 acres of the Torquay watershed property, which, was under the control of the Torquay Borough Council. Thus, the total area was brought up to 530 acres, the greater portion of which was virgin soil, practically none of it having ever been cropped. The small portion which had received some attention had been untouched for 28 years. It was overgrown with fern and heather, and abounded in rabbits. LARGE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS. Work was commenced on March 1, a permanent staff of experts, holding the ranks of first-class warrant officers and non-com-missioned officers, being appointed by Captain M'Gowan. The initial expenditure on implements was borne by the Regimental Institute, and all the horses were supplied free of charge by the Remount Depot. The Torquay Borough Council provided the watershed property, and all seed required, it paid for horse feed and oil and paraffin, used for the agricultural motors, and for the superphosphates, and in return it was reimbursed by half of the resultant crop, which was put in and taken out by the men of the school. From the outset the scheme was a success,_ the authorities being deluged with applications from New Zealanders anxious to receive the benefit of the course. In addition, requests were received from members of the British army, but as the number of instructors and accommodation were limited, not more than 400 men could be trained at one time, a total which was always fully maintained. Indeed, the waiting list practically always contained 800 names. All the students lived on the farm under canvas. GOOD YIELDS OBTAINED. The fust return, which was from the Petit Tor scheme, consisted of a crop of oats averaging 40 bushels to the acre. At Lord Clifford’s Estate, known as Heathfield, the crop consisted of 40 acres of oats, averaging 45 bushels to the acre, and a good return of potatoes and carrots and other vegetables, the latter being’ supplied to the men at the Torquay ‘base. A splendid crop of potatoes was obtained from 150 acres of the watershed property. Oats were raised from ICO aci'es, the remaining area being put under fallow for this year’s crop, the basis of which is at present being sown in the form of seed for early potatoes. The authorities have now taken over an additional 200 acres of the watershed properly, bringing that area up to 600 acres, which this year will be planted in potatoes, turnips, and oats. At Heathfield, 40 acres is to be sown with wheat, the remainder being devoted to vegetables. A similar course is to be pursued at Petit Tor, 10 acres being used for oats, and the remainder for early potatoes and other vegetables. The leases of te ground expire at the end of this year. The profit on the venture for the first year amounted to from £ISOO to £2OOO, including stock and plant, and it is anticipated

that tho surplus for this year will bo between £SOOO and £7OOO. The whole scheme is now under the control of the Headquarters Department. Considerable interest in the scheme was aroused in agricultural circles in England, and just before Captain M'Gowan left England he received a letter from the Devon Agricultural Board to the effect that the English farmers had been shown how to handle land. This, said Captain M'Gowan, was nothing extraordinary, as prior to tho establishment of the school the agricub tural motor was a strange sight in Devon. MODERN I IMPLEMENTS USED. In conjunction with the school there also ars a large piggery and a horticultural section. The profit last year from the latter was £375. Two rabbiters arc employed oh the farms, their work last year resulting in the netting of over 2000 rabbits. Captain M'Gowan said that from the out* set tho farm had proved a great attraction to the men, the majority of whom were keen to‘take a course of the training, after which they invariably expressed the intention of settling on the land upon their return ter" the dominion. Considerable attention is being paid to the thorough training of the men ip the use of modem farming implements and the agricultural motors. At Watershed three tractors were in use, the class, which ia comprised of 30 pupils, being given a course of four weeks’ training, at the expiration of which they are usually experts. A class on th© theory of the tractor and motor lorry generally is also being conducted at Headquarters, Torquay.