The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1911. SCIENCE AND THE FARM.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 82, 20 November 1911, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1911. SCIENCE AND THE FARM.

In no country are scientists more alive to the extreme importance of scientific agriculture than in the United States of America, but, as in our land, there is difficulty in getting the main body of the farmers to wake up to tlie fact that as the world progresses so must the great farming industry, and that the aid of science is imperative to obtain, the best results from farming operations. Speaking recently at Kansas, President J'aft expressed his strong conviction that even with the prospect of doubled population in 1900, “America will continue to feed her millions, and feed them well, out of her own soil.” An American paper considers this quite possible, because, “by intensive farming and a study of the market, the farmer has already learned to increase enormously his contribution to the

.voriel’s supply of food.” The farmer, is, however, proverbially conservative, mcl though he lias increased production by the use of machinery in place of mere hand implements he has protably not acquired the scientific knowledge which would have helped him to apply his new inventions to the best advantage, and the result has been

to a great extent merely soil impoverishment. “The nineteenth century farmer,” Professor H. Wallace declares, “was, speaking generally, no farmer at all, but a miner, a soil robber. There was a good farmer here and there, a good settlement here ind there, but speaking generally, there was no farming, nothing but milling. The nineteenth-century farmer sold the stored fertility of ages at the bare cost of mining it. With Ids gang-plough and his four- to eightsection harrow, ho could do more soil robbing in five years than bis grandlather could do in his whole lifetime. It is hard to get farmers of this class

to understand the philosophy of crop rotation, of the natural movement of water in the soil, or of the ideal seedbed or the fitness of certain soils for certain crops—in short, of the requirements of plant and animal life, or to persuade them to active co-operation with eadlh other or to get them in actual touch and sympathy with the now agriculture. This is an cduca-

limi.il process, and tlicreforc slow, even when there is a disposition to acquire the knowledge.” The “Ncv. York 'limes” quite agrees with Lliis view ami insists that “the old-time farmer must disappear, if the country is to fulfil its destiny. The real farmers of this hour, the men who are making farming pay, are the equals of the city man in breadth of culture and knowledge of the world. But there are too few of them.” There is much in the above that the New Zealand farmer may well and wisely ponder over.

THE MAWSON EXPEDITION. Mr S. 11. Webb, of Lyttelton, has received an interesting letter from his son, Mr Eric X. Webb, a member of Or. Mawson’s Antarctic expedition, who is expecting to have charge of the magnetic work in connection with the expedition, and has recently been, in conjunction with Mr Kidson, making a magnetic survey of a large portion of the southern coast of Australia. Writing from Hobart, where preparations are being made for the southern trip. In it Mr Webb says:—“The Macquarie Island station is a distinct reality. The wireless connection is to come via Macquarie, as the distance is rather great for a single transmission. The Macquarie base will constitute five men, and they will have all their work cut out, too. It is suggested that Mr Speight go down part of the time and Mr Skey for another portion, but whether that will eventuate or not Ido not know. The main transmitting apparatus will be at Macquarie Island, and a smaller one on Victoria Land. On the Victoria Land coast are to be three bases, a main one with twelve men, not more than 100 miles from Cape Adir; one with nine men further along the coast; and one with six men further still. Depots of food will be established as often as possible* along the coast to facilitate the coastal survey afterwards, and to make sledge journeys inland possible at various points. I shall without doubt be established, for the greater part of the time at least, at the main base, as there the Eschenhagen instruments will be set up.” Jhe “Press” adds that Dr. Mawson has suggested that Now Zealand farmers might like to contribute some sheep to his expedition, as they did to the Shackleton expedition. He intends to take eighty live sheep, and any that are presented to him from New Zealand will be taken down to the Macquarie Islands, where the expedition will lie met by Mr Hatch, of Invercargill, who is taking some hundred tons of material to the island for the expedition.

THE OHU.RA DEVIATION. ihe recent decision of Cabinet to change tlie northern terminus of the j Stratford line by making a deviation to strike the Main Trunk line at a point some miles south of Ongarue, was explained by Sir John Findlay, Attor-ney-General and Minister for Justice, when interviewed by a “New Zealand Herald” representative. Sir John said that since his last statement on the subject he had received a copy of the engineer’s report, and also a map showing the deviation. These showed that a saving of six miles of lino would bo effected, and thereby an approximate capital expenditure of £60,000. The line, instead of going on to Ongarue, would now branch off at a point on the Ohura river, and junction with the Main Trunk line at a place yet to be named some, miles south of Ongarue. In addition to effecting a saving in the cost of construction tiie deviation would shorten the distance fi’om Taumarunui to New Plymouth by 1-1 miles, while the distance from To Kuiti would only be lengthened by half a mile. The previous survey carrying the line to Ongarue, was purely a trial one, and, therefore, the permanent route had up till the present never been definitely determined. Sir John Findlay, added that from the point of view of the area and the quality of the country to be served the new road is eminently desirable. The convenience of the settlers in the country lying to tiie north of Matiere would not be affected, and the worst part of the Ohura Valley, both as regards the quality of the soil and tiie roughness of the hills on each side, would be avoided. An additional advantage in the adoption of the new road was that the work of construction could be put in hand immediately, whereas it*would have taken several months to complete the survey and plans had the original route been adhered to.