THROUGH DOCTOR’S EYES

Taranaki Daily News, 25 October 1935, Page 4

THROUGH DOCTOR’S EYES

FARMING IN DENMARK SCIENTIFIC METHODS APPLIED. MOST SCRUPULOUS CLEANLINESS. DR. C. A. TAYLOR’S OBSERVATIONS. Viewed through the eyes of a doctor who candidly admits that he knows very little about farming, Danish farming me- . thods are a lesson in the practical application of scientific knowledge and in cleanliness. Interviewed yesterday by a Daily News reporter, Dr. C. A. Taylor, physician at the New Plymouth public hospital, who returned on Wednesday night with Mrs. Taylor after several months’ study in Europe, was unwilling without preparation to offer any criticism of New Zealand methods which he could not support by constructive suggestion. , In Denmark, according to Dr. Taylor, about 92 per cent, of the farmers own entirely unmortgaged properties. The holdings are very small and are worked by man and horse labour with little resort to machinery. Passing through the country a traveller can see the people busy in their fields to an extent unknown in New Zealand. Care for stock is constant. Cows are not allowed to roam at will in paddocks but are tethered as goats or pet lambs are in New Zealand. The amount of food they are likely to eat is estimated according to their size and weight and the farmers move the tether pegs at regular ■ intervals and at regular intervals water the animals from small cans. Dr. Taylor said it was a pretty sight to see a herd of red cattle, tethered in a row, cutting scalloped sections out of the tall grass in which they , grazed. The Jersey breed was not a favourite because it sickened in the hard winters that necessitated keeping stock under cover. CONTAMINATION AVOIDED. The scrupulous cleanliness, with which milk was prepared for the factory made a strong impression on Dr. Taylor. In fine weather cows are milked in the open field, where there can be no floating dust even from the roads, which are bituminised. As carefully as if the animals were being prepared for a surgical operation the parts of the cow are scrubbed before milking. The milk is collected in buckets with narrow necks. Immediately these are full they are stoppered and sent to the factory. The Danes do not like pasteurised milk because they consider pasteurisation does not eliminate dirt but merely kills bacteria. The process gives opportunity for further contamination. As for pigs, remarked Dr. Taylor, they are kept in Denmark like Plunket babies. They are housed in covered cubicles and fed at intervals with hot potatoes and cereals at the right temperature. Between meals they snort and sleep, scientific ventilation keeping them comfortable. In about 15 weeks they are sent off to be killed. v The Danes have studied the English • market and know exactly how each district likes its bacon grown. Every farmer’s life is bound up with his land and he scarcely looks beyond it. But there is no hit-or-miss principle about the methods he adopts. He places great reliance upon the scientific institutions established for agricultural research and consequently he has now reached a stage when he can practically guarantee to produce a pig of a certain size, weight and fatness’, in a certain time. ASSURED MARKET. Danish butter has an assured market for the same reason; people know what they are getting. Dr. Taylor said from his experience, living in a flat at London, it was .difficult to buy good New Zealand butter. There was no standard and one could not be sure of the quality. The best Dominion-butter he tasted was at a hospital which contracted to purchase from one particular factory. He spoke to a Tooley Street agent who lived for some time in New Zealand and asked him what he thought was at fault with the ■ product from New Zealand. The agent traced the ciuse to pasture management and feeding primarily. Incidentally no farmer ’ in Denmark would think of running cows, .horses, pigs and fowls together in one paddock. New Zealand and Australian butter had the initial disadvantage of being less fresh than Continental products by reason of distance, added Dr. Taylor. That factor was well overcome, but New Zealanders were up against strong competition. He thought New Zealand cheese showed improvement. Although Dr. Taylor found time to inquire about farming in Denmark he went there on a special post-graduate tour in company with English doctors to study Danish medical methods and inspect Danish hospitals. The hospitals he thought splendid institutions and of 'the country in general he was enthusiastic. The people were charming and their hospitality unlimited. They- lived a healthy outdoor life and their mental outlook was extremely cheerful. They were full of laughter. In contrast to the sunny atmosphere of Denmark Edinburgh was a great disappointment. Dr. Taylor and his wife remarked that they did not once see a person smile in Princes Street; everyone was gloomy and New Zealanders and Australians who were living there had few good words for the city. Little had been done to clean up the slums at Edinburgh, but at Glasgow there was a remarkable transformation. Under the new housing system in force there most of the poorest areas had been cleared. Dr. Taylor returned round Cape Horn and saw the Cape Town hospitals on the way. He also visited at Port Elizabeth an interesting farm where snakes are reared for their venom. This is used for medical therapeuty in certain types of blood disease. To extract the venom the farmers tickle the reptiles behind the head and the venom drips from the fangs. Dr. Taylor declined to discuss his observations on medical matters, but said .he could say the New Plymouth hospital was well in line with British and European hospitals he had visited.