FARM CHAT.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1808, 29 November 1919, Page 2

FARM CHAT.

SHOWS IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Within the past few months the vmter has had the opportunity of attending the two leading agricultural shows of the United Kingdom, and the two principal fixtures of a similar nature in the Dominion. It may be conceded at the outset that the exhibitions of the Canteibury and Manawatu A. and P. Associations sink into something akin to Lilliputian insignificance ■when compared with the "Royal" Show of England, or the "Highland," taking these gatherings as a whole, but a great portion of the Home fixtures is devoted to merely trade exhibitions not directly connected with agriculture. Considered from a purely stock point of view, our studmasters may well be proud of the display they are able to make. The Dominion show managers nave learnt their lessons well, and, on the score of conduct and management, j the local gatherings lose nothing in comparison. It may be accepted at once that at the big English gathering you may witness the greatest exhibiton of well-bred stock the world over. Practically every recognised native breed of horses, sheep and cattle of the British Isles, besides the more popular imported varieties, is represented by the best the breed can produce. Colonial showyards are more restricted to utility types. Many breeds of sheep at the Royal would get short shrift at the hands of colonial fanners who were intent upon full wool bales and profitable mutton. Critical examination of pens left one impressed ■with the flocks and herds of Old England, bat in many cases it demonstrated the excellence of many of our breeds as compared with the parent stock. A new environment has revolutionised some breeds so that a colonial breeder to-day ■would be chary of using English sheep on his colonial-bred flock. Take the Eomney Marsh section at the Royal, for instance. The New Zealand, particularly the North Island, wool-grower lias specialised upon the Kentish breed nntil it leaves the parent stock a very poor second where wool and mutton is the desiderata. The champion ram at this year's Royal elicited a bid of 1000 guineas from the Argentine. Judged by our standards this sheep would never be required to dispose of a commended ticket. The secret lies in the standard. "Wool is subjugated to carcase. Even to-day wifn wool making treble its preWar price it is still a mere bye-pro-duct with the English farmer. Naturally this opinion is reflected in the showyard. A medium-framed sheep with the fleece a colonial wool-grower would favour found no favour with the judges. These English sheep found eager buyers from America.

On the other hand the Southdown pens brought home our dependence upon English breeders for good Down blood. Now, there is a lesson in this for the New Zealand breeder. On the whole of the American continent there is a widespread movement to improve the breed of sheep. American breeders both north and south are out to improve their flocks. A dual purpose sheep is the desideratum. If this poor woolled ram is worth 1000 guineas, weuld not our better clothed sheep be of even more value to the ranchers of the American States. It is a great chance for the Corriedale and Romney men to boost their breed. It may be necessary to send sheep over on "spec" bufc it must pay provided the breed societies follow it up with judicious advertising. Soldiers on the Land. In an interesting address to members of the Canterbury Chamber of Com meree the president (Mr J. G. Herd man) in discussing returned soldiers remarked "the return of the men undo present conditions is a slow business. A large proportion of them seem inclined to go on the land, but the number ol ballots is so small and the number oi applicants so large, that if the present Tate of speed is continued it will be a long time before all are provided for The remedy seems to be for the Go veriiraent to expedite the purchase oi suitable blocks, and thus have mort

frequent ballots. He thought as far as Canterbury and. North Otago was concerned, where the land is particularly adapted to wheat-growing, that the Government should, when purchasing further lands for soldiers, endeavour to obtain estates containing land of this description. This would largely obviate labour difficulties, as by working together on a settlement the men should not have to employ any outside assistance." Most soldiers who go on the land will probably have a good stock of enthusiasm and little capital. This will necessitate that they should be as careful as their brother farmer who has had, maybe, more experience. Canterbury farmers have drifted out of wheat-growing, in many cases against their will, simply because it does not pay. Or to be more precise because other branches of farming pay better, and it behoves the farmer as a business man to secure as good a return for both his capital and labour as possible. Until the position is faced, fully, fairly and frankly by the public and particularly by the legislators, confidence will not be restored in wheatgrowing as a payable proposition. Emigration. Discussing emigration Mr Ilerdman remarked that, "There appears little doubt that in the near future we will have an influx of emigrants from Great

Britain and other parts to take up their residence in the Dominion, and this should be largely encouraged, as it is what this country most urgently requires. This will assist to increase production and tend to make our country more self-supporting, and also assist in lightening the burden of heavy debt which we have at present." This opinion is a popular one, but it is doubtful if the desire to leave the Old Country will be as widespread as it is assumed. The immigration officers in Great Britain will have a much harder row to hoe in the future to secure suitable men and women. In the past it was hard enough to secure agricultural labourers of a suitable class. The War has revolutionised the position of labour in the Old Country and agricultural labour in particular. Minimum wages have been fixed for labour at in many cases three times the rate current in peace times. It is unlikely that wages will slump back to anything like 1914 figures, hence the main incentive to seek fresh fields has gone. What applies in this instance also bears upon other classes of labour. The current wage in agricultural England to-day is little behind that for similar work in the Dominion. ,

High Priced Wool. Cable advice has been received that a consignment of merino wool scoured at Messrs Win. Nicholls and Son's Kaputone works aud branded N.C.S. has been sold in London at the extraordinary figure of 9/- per lb. Soldiers' Settlements. Plans of three more soldiers' settlements, for which applications close on December 8, have now been issued. The Lyndhurst Settlement of 2388 acres is divided into eight sections, varying in area from 246 to 321 acres. The Acton Settlement comprises three sections of 301, 286 and 261 acres near Rakaia,'and the Wairere Settlement of 1487 acres in the Alford Forest Survey District, which has been divided into seven sections, ranging from 13 acres to 305 acres. All the land is graded by the Lands Department as first-class. NOTES.

Peculiarly variable weather has prevailed in the past week or so, though crops are doing very well and there is every indication in favour of good yields. The rainfall to date, though not up to the previous year, is now over 20 inches for 1919. As the soil is damp to a good depth there should be a good growth of grass during December. Growers who had wool in store for the recent vahiations have received the assessments placed upon them by the valuers, and the net result will be somewhat lower than was the case last year. The bulk of the wool was on the light side, though fairly full of grease, and there was evidence of checks in feeding in many lines.

The prices for stock at the auctions during the past week, both at country sales and -the metropolitan market, showed an improvement on those of the previous week, when prices slumped to some extent. Owing to polling for the general election being fixed for Wednesday, December 17, the weekly market at Addington will be held on December 18. M.E.L.