AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10963, 4 May 1907, Page 2

AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION.

The fallowing interesting letter was received frota Mr A. #usck, Auckland, dated April 12th, 1907, and addressed to Mr Morgan:— "I have you^ favor informing |me that you had placed my letter before the members of the Education Board, but that they were unable" -to entertain my | offer on account of insufficient funds, and also that you have been kind enoujfh to put the matter before the. Farmers' Union. Now, Mr Morgan, although I am not fully acquainted with the possibilities of your district, my friend, Mr Rich, is most enthusiastic m regard -to these, and as he knows your 'district I feel it would be a pity if we .could not. come to some arrangement m regard to the development of these possibilities. I understand that ja great deal of the \and m your district which i s being, and going to be opened up, is bush land, and therefore more suitable for dairying than for anything else. Tliis being the case, a few figures' will show the great benefit to be derived from mv proposals m regard to. an up-to-date selection,* breeding, and feeding of dairy cattle. Tlie practical o^esults of similar work m Denmark have proved tliat some herds yielded from one-third to one-half more than others, while the butler made from the milk given by certain cpws only' cost s_j per lb, as compared with that from others which cost as much as 2s. "In Canada, where they have adopted the Danish method m this connection during the past couple of years, the figures show that while some cows have given as liigh as ll,ooolbs of milk duting the season, others gave only 3000 during the same period. Considerinsr that the cost of feeding and Uie labor m handling" these cows is about the same, it will be understood what an enormous waste of food and labor it means to tlie farmers who are unfortunate enough to possess even a few of the latter class j)f cows. Tlie agricultural statistics of tins colony for the past year show that the cows do not average more" than from 130 to 1401bs of butter, •which at the present exceedingly high prices work? out to £6 per cow, against the average at Denmark of £12 10s, the calculation is made upon tlie same price of butter for both- countries. Tliere are^ according to the agricultural statistics, some 29,867 cows used solely for dairy purposes m Hawke's Bay and Gisborne districts. If these 29,867 cows returned £12 10s each, or £373,342, instead of £6, or* £179,202, it would mean a difference of £194,140. I cannot put my hand upon figures showing the proportion of this sum which could be obtained m your district, but I suppose one-third of the cows, and i.e., of the sum, would be a fair estimate, or £64 713 10s. I think that you will agree thqj. adequate and prompt means m the shape of technical knowledge and laboratory to test and show the ca_h butter and milk value of each individual of you£ herds so that the inefficient ones may be eliminated, and also to train your farming community on these lines would be a sound commercial investment, for it simply means thte practical method of recovering 6ome at least of the above-men-tioned leakage or loss m your district, and m time would; mean the recovery of the whole of it* for there is no climatic or other conditions that should prevent your herds, by elimination and selection, becoming of the highest ghde and the veiy best commercial and productive methods of regulating these herds and their produce being adopted. Anyone knows many examples of wild mining aiid similar schemes. for which many times the money here required has been promptly subscribed, I venture to say even m your district ; why should not sufficient for this solid, sure, steady,; and everlasting commercial essential of your district be forthcoming, and be subscribed to by the steadiest and staunchest of your citizens as an investment, f°r the certain advancement, of the ! whole district by means of its greater efficiency, and hence a commercial beneifit of no mean magnitude to your whole community. lam sure that if 3*our agricultural and pastoral community were as conversant with the advantages of this technical information as I am, they would not hesitate m this matter financially, and tliey will not when they come face to face with the financial benefit of this practical technology, but as it is now evident to me that the point is not yet quite appreciated m the meantime, until it is better underslood perhaps we could come to some modification of my terms which may be suitable to both sides."