MODEL DAIRY FARM.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 25, 27 May 1912, Page 8

MODEL DAIRY FARM.

WANTED FOR TARANAKI. Ac the Borough Council Chambers on Saturday afternoon a conference was held at the instigation of the Stratford A. and P. Association, to take the necessary steps to urge upon the Government the necessity of establishing a State farm in Taranaki that will be of practical value to the dairy fanners in this province. There v,ere present: Messrs. \V. P. Kirk-rt-ocd (Mayor of Stratford), H. Good, it. Dingle, B. Fearon, G. Sangster, •J. i). i'iealy, ,G. S. Mohbs, and T. Webb, and S. M. Porritt (Stratford A. and I*. Association), W. Morison (Ngaire Dairy Co.), E. Marfell (Stratford Dairy Co.), H. Knowles (Tariki), \V. Swadling (Kaponga), Messrs. McMahon and Jones (Moa Fanners' Dairy Co.), J. R. Rowlands, W. Muntz (Mangorei Dairy Co.), W. Adlam (Oakura Dairy Co.).

The Mayor (Mr. W. P. Kirkwood) was voted to the chair. In his opening address Mr. Kirkwood said that the meeting had been called that day as a result of a resolution placed upon the minute-book of the Stratford A. and P. Association. The executive were of the opinion that the Government should be urged io establish an experimental dairy farm—that was to say, a small model dairy farm. The idea of the executive was, he thought, that the farm should be a small one, not to exceed IUO acres in extent. If possible it would be in the centre of Taranaki, as near as will be compatible with the circumstances of purchasing a. suitable piece of land. The present farm at Moumahaki was undoubtedly doing very good work in many directions, but they felt that that" was not a farm of the nature they would wish established at this juncture. The Moumahaki was a large farm of 600 acres, but it was not conveniently situated, and was some distance from the railway line. A farm of the nature that was suggested would be run as a practical dairy.farm—a model dairy farm. That was'to say, it was to lie run on lines that appertain to,the running'of small dairy farms in Taranaki. They were of the opinion time this class of farm would do more to assist the dairy industry than such a farm as the Moumahaki State Farm. He did not wish to be misunderstood on the matter, because there was no question that the farm was doing good work in many ways, and he did not wish to belittle thai work. (Hear hear.). The Secretary then read the following correspond; fee:

The Secretary of the iara .: Co-op-erative Company wrote stating that his directors were in favour of _ approaching the Department of Agriculture with a view to getting such a farm established, but could not see their way to sending a delegate to the meeting. Tim Tikorangi Dairy Factory forwarded, the following resolution carried unanimously:—"That the directors of the Tikorangi Co-operative Dairy Company, heartily approve of She suggestion of your Association that efforts be made to secure a State Experimental Dairy Farm in Taranaki."

'Pie Secretary of the Midhfrst Dairy Company intimated that Ids directors ,-ere in favour of the scheme, and

rero sending delegates. Resolutions \\xn\' received from Inglowood, Lowgarth, and Cardiff, signifying their approval of the confersnee, and the desirability of establishing ia model dairy farm in Taranaki. The Chairman mentioned that a great many more resolutions would have been" received had the dairy

bpinpanies circularised held a meeting cf the directors subsequent to the receipt of the Society's notification. So far they had received no word agaix.sfc the proposal. , .The Mayor theft moved the following resolution: "That the Government bo urged to establish a model dairy farm in Taranaki, in a central pasition as possible for the purpose of /demonstrating the working of. a model dairv farm, the area not to exceed iQQ acres."

In seconding the resolution, Mr. It. Dingle said that the A. and P. Association had agreed that thitj State Farm would be a very desirable thing. Referring to the Moumahaki State he said that the soil at the State Farm was a very different class of soil to that with which they were famil ar. It was different in colour, and was much heavier. The officers of the Department would show farmers plots of land at the Farm manured with bonedust, super-phosphates, etc.. and so they passed along. They ivould give the amount of fodder or seed that has been produced in the different plots, and die quality am] quantity of the manures used. Bui these manures might not suit theii cropc in northern and central Taranaki. Of course, they could send samples of the soil down to the Farm to be analysed, but they could not always do as they should do. They were busy men. Another point was that the cxpermental farms they had were too far away for the ordinary dairyman to go and see them. As far as Moumahaki was concerned, they said they had some very nice cattle and all that, but they could find no record of what those animals were. As a dairyman he was very disappointed with the Farm, and he considered that was tiie general consensus of opinion among the other dairy farmers who also visited Moumahaki. Another point was the fact that they had to travel a very long way to see this Farm, and had to spend a whole day in reaching it and returning. Fie took it that it would be essential that the proposed model dairy farm should be situated near the centre of Taranaki, and should be near the railway. The Agricultural Department had complained that the dairy people did not attend the farm, and endeavoured to obtain instruction from what was in. pr&gress on the farms. He would say" chat these farms were not sufficiently Hnr.c so thai they could convouicnlU go and ■•.ee them. Si.- favoured a faro: so situated thai they could drop over and see i 1 in the early morning, or a Sunday, or in their spare time. Mr Mundt, Inglewood. said that farmers should pay more attention to improving their methods and their oatMo. Many fanners would not believe the extent of the improvement possible but they would have to believe it if they were able to see the result of the actual working on better lines. The farm should, in his opinion, be situated on medium quality country. not on the rich country in the south. A suggestion was made by Mr. .!. Knor/los (Tank;) that this suggestion should be incorporated in the motion. Mr. .1. Rowlands (Mangorei) advocated Stratford as the site the farm !l was central and convenient, and the country would (ill the requirements At all events, the proposed farm should not be further south than Stratford. He was strongly of the opinion that closer attent'on should be paid to the improvement of dairy herds, and hoped this would be the main function of the fane, lie trusted the Government would introduce good dairy cattle of high butterproducing strain. Mr. Dingle remarked that the local-

l ity would doubtless be decided by the (.'iliccrs of the Agricultural Department. Mr. Swadling said that what the :., tilers desired was a practical model farm, io show what butter-fat per | acre a farm could produce. Mr. ft. Marfell, delegate representing the Stratford co-operative Dairy Association, stated that he believed in getting a practical model dairy farm, but not an experimental farm. There should be a balance-sheet of the actual working open to inspection by the farmers. Of course, any farmer with plenty of funds, or any Government with "unlimited capital, could get Lig r< turns, but f'he average farmer could not go round and pick up the best clair-: cattle. He strongly urged that u.e 'resolution should state definitely that the farm should be located near Stratford. He was quite satisfied thai tie class of cattle which would suit tie country from Stratford northward would' not be the best cattle fori .!.> Waimaie Plains. The place for their farm would be on the medium , Mv. J. R. Rowlands moved as an amendment, and Mr. Jones (Moa Dairy Co.) seconded, to delete the words "in as central a position as possi le," and insert "in the vicinity of Stratford." Mr. G. A. Adlam (Oakura) enquired if the farm was to be for breeding dairy cattle or for dairying. I'nc Chairman replied that the idea w;.s to run the farm on the lines on w..ic!i the small farm should be run. Mr. Adlam stated that if the Government was to be allowed to buy the very best country the model farm would have a "pull" over the ordinary farmer. He remarked that at the present experimental farms were no statements its to the profits made from their cropping. Anyone could go on to a really up-to-date piece of land an 1 make the business pay, but where lai.d had to bo manured properly, before it could become productive, there was need for some practical farming. He favoured establishing the farm ne ir Stratford.

in the opinion of Mr. G Sangster, something more than a model farm was needed. For instance, different breeds of cattle should be used, and their returns kept, for scarcely any tu ) farmers thought alike on the question of breed. He thought the idea adduced so far were making demands on too small a scale. Mr. Thomas Webb said that as the average farm about here was just under JOO acres, the model farm should alci be .tear that size, in his opinion

the present State farms were too large for one could not see the whole of Hum. He had seen Moumahaki fivs times, and had learned something each time, but, as yet, he had only set ii the nicely cultivated parts of it. Wo far as breeding was concerned, that was beyond the requirements or the district, and could, besides, be 'done ivy'thc big breeders and by other State farms.

Mr. ,). D. Healy was in favour of .Mr. Sangster's ideas. The State farm of from 125 to 150 acres should stock representatives of the four leading dairy breeds! The butter-fat returns

should be open to farmers visiting the plaCe. and the progeny of the cattle for sale to them. He believed that the farms Should bo stocked from the be t cattle in this d strict. Mr. Geo. 'Hobbs desired to correct the impression that . the Moumahaki Stiote h'arm was originally good land. He stiltediriihat, on the,''contrary, it was very poor land whim acquired by the Government, and had been worked up into its, present productive

The motion was amended as proposed, and on the motion of Mr. Mundt, it was decided-to add that the farm be established on medium quality land. ' boo: ■ ,

j!:v Swadjing, ,jn jth'o course of a subsequent discussion,,' paid, the Govcnimt'lit must, of. course, firing good enttle-<4"somctimes. that will knock up all out, iso that we have something to work up toj" Mi". Kirkwood pointed out that if it were suggested that on this farm breeding should be carried out, the Government would merely point to the i.i-t that there were already breeding :-;tati,',:>F. There were in Taranaki several' ! farurs thn't were practical model dairy farms, but the actual results of blie operations were not available to the farmers as a whole, as would be in the case of the State Farm.

Mr. Healy made the point that at present the different dairy breeds were kept on farms in different partis of the North Island—one at • Moumaliaki, another at Levin, and another at Ruakura. Comparisons under the circumstances were not as valuable as comparisons made between cows of these different breeds grazing on the came farm. He moved an amendment on these lines.

dr. McMahon (Inglewood) second

Mr. Rowlands opposed the amendment, on the ground that it would be unwise to appear to dictate to the Government.

The amendment was withdrawn, and the motion carried. Mr. Marfell moved that the matter of making representations to the Government be left in the hands of the executive of the Stratford A. and P. Association and that dairy factories be asked to make representations direct to the Department in support of the scheme; also that delegates from the different dairy companies be asked to act on a deputation to the Premier.