AGRICULTURE IN ENGLAND

Otago Witness, Issue 3595, 6 February 1923, Page 11

AGRICULTURE IN ENGLAND

A VISITOR’S VIEWS. WILD CLOVER AND LL7CERNE. 'From Our Own Correspondent.! CHRISTCHURCH, January 29. The progress of agricultural science in England, and farming conditions generally, were referred to by Mr L. Noel Sutton, of Reading, a memlier of the firm of Messrs Sutton and Sons, when interviewed to-day. Mr Sutton is making a tour of New Zealand, accompanied by Mr W. S. Stevens, the firm’s representative in India. The object of the visit is to study conditions in regard to agriculture, and the agricultural industry, he said, was brightening up. In England 'agricultural colleges were beginning to make themselves felt by the young farmer who was keen to get on and availed himself of modern scientific methods. Farmers favoured renting rather than buying farms. There was a great rage for grade A milk in England. All dairy herds were inspected and tested for tuberculosis, and owners of those certified as being free from that disease could sell this milk, which was specially good for children. Theer were 56 such certified dairy herds in England, a large proportion of them being around Reading and Berkshire. This spoke well for the Reading Agricultural College, to which was attached a branch of the British Dairy Institute. “In Wellington, we were given to understand, some of your farmers were very keen on lucerne,” he said. “We have our own sorts of lucerne. A new factor in pas teres has been Iho introduction of wild white clover. It was only during the war t ; :at this variety came into use as a valuable asset to the farmer, although it bad lieen knowVi before. A quarter to half a pound of wild whit" clever in a mixture made a tremendous difference in tbe grazing. All agricultural professors in England were very keen on it. It did not grow high er ough for hay, its characteristic being that, it was a creeper; it was perennial, while -he ordinary white clover could not he relied on for much more than two years.” Messrs Sutton and Stevens will go to Invercargill from Christchurch, arid return later to visit the North Island.