FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1928, Page 16

FARM AND DAIRY

NEW ZEALAND’S PROSPERITY. A LAND OF OPPORTUNITY. In a recent issue of The Scottish Farmer of August 18, an interesting article on New Zealand’s prosperity appears. The article has some interesting comments on the reasons wT.y some emigrants from the Home Country do well in New Zealand and never regret their decision to emigrate, while others return Home disappointed and spread pessimistic reports. The article will be read with interest by New Zealand farmers. It is as follows:—Within the past two years a family well known to the writer emigrated to New Zealand—at least so they intended when they sold off everything they possessed here, and sailed for New Zealand. A son had preceded them and it was because of the glowing accounts sent home by him and on his persuasion that the whole family, including the father and mother, now well advanced in life, embarked, for the land beneath the Southern Cross. To-day all th? members of that family/with the exception of the son, are back in the old country with an ill report of the land to which they sailed. One married daughter and her husband, who refused to sail with the rest, have now the satisfaction of saying “We told you so.” Having regard to that experience it is not surprising that we are somewhat astonished to read in two lengthy letters from New Zealand, received last week, that the Dominion is experiencing a period of great prosperity, that farming prospects are bright, the revenues of the past year being more than encouraging, and most illuminating of all, that no man who is willing to work on the land, to go out and rough it, need be idle in New Zealand. One of our correspondents emigrated with his whole family about 25 years ago, and all have done well; the other, a young fellow inured to shepherding, emigrated five years ago; he is now- looking for a farm of his own, and would not think of returning to this country, except on a visit. How are these two sets of experiences to be reconciled? The answer is easy; there is room in all new countries and overseas dominions for men and women who are not afraid to work and to settle on the land, but there is no room anyw’here on God’s earth for the man or woman whose idea in life is a picture house, a dancing hall, or a soft job. When our correspondents wrote on June 21 and 22, they were in the middle of the New Zealand winter, corresponding to our longest day. The winter had been mild. In the autumn store hill lambs and failing-mouthed ewes were selling at 10s per head more than was current for such in the previous year. They were then making from 10s to Ils; this last year sheep of the same character made 235. Fullmouthed ewes and failing-mouthed ewes in the previous year were making from 15® to 18sj in Die past season the same class made up to 30s. Young ewes up to four years old were making £2 per head. The wool sales opened in February. All nationalities, including Japs and Russians, were represented at the sales and Russia was reported to be buy • ing heavily. Alongside of all this there are, according to one correspondent, hundreds of “out-of-works” in the Now Zealand towns, but any Scot who can work and do anything wanted on a farm “can never be stuck for a job in New Zealand, but there is no place and no use for clerks, engineers or counter-jumpers ‘ of any kind.” | ENVIRONMENT OR HEREDITY? ARTIFICIALLY EVOLVED COWS. At the meeting of the Jersey Herd Society in Melbourne on September 24, an impromptu but interesting discussion took place as to whether environment or heredity play the most important part in the development of the dairy cow. The discussion was initiated by Mr. H. E. B. Watson, of New Zealand, who judged the Jerseys at the Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne Royal Shows this year. He said that the reason given by prominent breeders for the Jersey having slipped back was that it was absolutely impossible to keep the Jersey Island type in Australia or New Zealand. He was told that it was difficult to breed character under the Australian climatic conditions, and that after imported cattle had been there for some time they lost type. Heredity played a most important part in the beast. Environment and feed and care could only develop that which an animal had inherited. Nothing new could be created by feeding, and heredity meant nothing, if there w-as nothing there to start with. If environment meant so much, why was it that a human family of six reared under the same conditions varied so greatly in character, type and build? A Shetland pony, no matter how it was fed, could not be made into a draught horse. Mr. Watson contended that. if a calf of the dairy breed was heavily fed its condition would eventually come off, unless there was a meaty beast in its pedigree to wdiieh it would throw back. Very largely success in breeding depended on the heredity aspect. Another speaker pointed out that the dairy cow of to-day had been evolved from an animal that had barely sufficient milk to feed a calf. In their breeding experiments breeders found that file tendency of nature was to throw back to the original, and breeders must always be on their guard against that factor. In dealing with the present day animal it was essential to conform to . all the principles upon which the animal had been artificially evolved. Care and attention must be paid to these factors. In the excessive feeding of calves the dairy quality might be spoiled by the production of fatty tissues and its development. In Queensland leading breeders refused to heavily feed their yearling heifers for show purposes because they considered it ruined their future dairy cattle.