SEED AND SEED GROWING

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 16, 14 August 1928, Page 3

SEED AND SEED GROWING

MERCHANT’S INVESTIGATIONS. Mr Geo. Cooper, managing director of the well-known firm of F. Cooper, Ltd., seed merchants, Wellington, returned recently from an extended trip to Europe. He visited Australia, Italy, France, Holland, Belgium, England and Scotland, and made a thorough investigation of all matters connected with seed and seed-growing, and kindred subjects. He remarks that in many parts of England and Europe, house property and farm laud is cheaper than in New Zealand. Numerous beautiful old homes, with acres of lovely garden, orchards, and farm land, are for sale at less than the house would cost here.

Farm laud is, speaking generally, cheaper than in New Zealand. In Holland (and Denmark, too), they produce far more per acre than we do. They do this by using every rod of ground, by a better system of rotation of crop, and particularly by growing more root crops than we do. They grow Westernwolth’s Ry e largely for hay or winter feed. Mangels, carrots and swedes are largely grown, producing ixnmeiise weights per acre, and carrying the stock through the winter in good condition, and ready to conunence milking early in spring. It is Mr Cooper’s opinion that we In New Zealand are just beginning to dimly realise what can he done in this direction. The high price to which land has soared in New Zealand means that a solution must be fpund to meet this, and the higher wages and charge s that the New Zealand farmer has to pay compared to the pre-war level. In Mr Cooper’s opinion our farmers must make more general .use of lucerne, rape, «kale and root crops, and thus be able to carry more stock in the dry autumn and the cold winter months.