A TONGAN VISITOR

Waikato Times, Volume 90, Issue 14025, 31 March 1919, Page 2

A TONGAN VISITOR

HAS GLIRIPSE AT RUAKURA. SEES MUCH TO INTEREST. ISLANDS’ TRADE AND FRUIT DISEASE. A visitor to New Zealand at the present time is Mr. G. E. Wood. Director of Agriculture under the Tongan Government, lie lias been .n that office for close on four years, an I for some years previously held a similar appointment in Northern Queensland. Mr. Wood has been in New Zealand on holiday bent during the past few weeks, and is incidentally making investigation and gathering data which may be of use to him in the department which he supervises in the tropical theatre. He was In Hamilton this week-end, and made a visit to Ruakura Farm of Instruction. He was shown over the varied .activities of the farm by the manager, Mr. x\. W. Green, and at the close of the inspection expressed himself as delighted at the concrete manifestations of the country’s productiveness in that area and the magnitude and importance of this particular aspect of experimental work which the Government fostered. Tonga and its Trade.

Everything to be seen at Ruakura was practically new to what cultivation lent itself to in the Tongan group. Fruit-growing was the principal product of ttiose islands, and one of the investigations which Mr. Wood is carrying out while here spells the gathering of what data may he available for at least minimising, if not totally eradicating the fruit fly, the nepredatons of which arc by no means an uncommon feature of island plantations. With the Tongan ■ islands it must be confessed that the average New Zealander is not very conversant, although they are not much more than 1200 miles steaming distance from our shores. There v e three main islands, viz., Tongatabu, Haapai and Vavau. Tongtabu, .with Nukualofa as its capital, is the chief island and has an area of 05,000 acres. There are several smaller islands within range. The percentage of white people who have made the islands their abode is indeed very small. This is one of the few remaining territories which is a British Protectorate. It has its own Government, and a feature of its administrative laws, as Mr. Wood pointed out, permitted every male on attaining the age of 16 years to become possessed of an area of 85 acres of land. Although everyone did not avail himself of this free land enactment, for the reason, in many instances, that predecessors had left something of an enhanced nature in this respect, .there was in the system the nucleus of a land possession scheme for every .native. Judged on this line the powers that be in this tropical area have promulgated a law on judicious principles. Dealing with the trading aspect of the islands Mr. Wood pointed but that copra was the principal line. The war. had had a drastic effect upon he shipping facilities available to the trade s of the group, and bananas and pinea'ole supplies had also gone down mate..ally with the rest. Now that horViiities were over, a better shipping outlook was hoped for. It was not found beneficial to trade to have to send' fruit supplies round Fiji, as products of that area, under the present order of things, had a briefer route to the market, and consequently reached it in fresher condition. That being the cas,e, the deduction with the consumer was obvious. After three years of storms the seasons were now improved. Last year good crops were realised, while this season was gratifying in every respect. While nothing was attempted on the wide lines of agriculture and stock raising such as Ruakura presented, Mr Wood thought cattle would do well if quartered in the cocoannt plantations, but that could not be attempted until the trees had reached a stage which would place the product out of the reach of the animals. During the farm round, of inspection Mr Wood was particularly interested in the fruit area as he had there a line for investigation and thought which ran hand in glove, so to speak, witn productiveness he was actually linked to. “I have not seen so many apples for years ” was a comment which the passed during the passage among this line of the farm’s cultivation. The' onions which Ruakura is responsible for are certainly something out of the ordinary and the lengthy rows of weighty growth in the drying shod were the object of deep concern and critical inquiry as to the methods employed to produce such a splendid return. Tho Dairy Hour. “Milking time" had arrived by the lime the inspecting parly reached that point on the farm, and some 60 cows were treated with the mechanical process. The up-to-dateness of everything appertaining to this aspect" of Ruakura’s .operations interested greatly and drew admiration from the observers. Registered Shorthorns and pedigree Jerseys comprise the herd, all of which are under the semiofficial test or have already passed it. s A feature of milking operations which links itself with gaining the maximum in cleanliness, and which should be the aim of every dairyman, is in the disinfecting of the cow’s teats both before and after milking. Passing to the apartments for pasteurisation and testing of the milk there was much to be learned of the practical efficiency which can only be attained m the industry by a competent knowledge of what its requirements demand. The method Ruakura adheres to in the selection of its calves takes the studious to bedrock in the industry. Only heifer calves are retained for the process of herd-building on the farm. For the feeding process each calf is bailed and this action precludes the carrying out of the -ration-steal-ing” properties of the youthful bovines. Also they ’ are inculcplatcd from the outset into the ways of the milking shed appointments and recalcitrant methods which one meets frequently in many herds at “bailingbp” \irne' are eradicated from the earliest stage. The calves are tattooed from their earliest appearance and earmarked the day they leave the bails. From these bails at weaning time future mating is set out. Any blemishes In type are noted in the progeny and required alterations in mating, made necessary from defects observed, are scheduled.

Ruakura has the largest herd of pedigree Berkshircs in New Zealand, and its long list of show successes indicated the prominence of the farm exhibits. To cope with the enlarged phase of this department, the erection of new piggeries is under way at the moment. The party, on inspection bent, passed to an area of once swamp land on the farm, the indication of which, after the treatment of practical minds, indicates what capital could accomplish with the large areas of peat land which lie undeveloped at our very doors. This soil of decayed vegetable matter formation is waterproof and has about 1 per cent, of wax in its constituent parts. Ruakura displays the practical result of what can be attained.

Training fop Soldiers. The time is now with us when Ruakura is to take a leading place in training the soldiers who are anxious to lake up land, hut who llrst of all rightly conclude that they require something more than a mere on-thc-surfacc code as to what must he done to obtain profitable cultivation. A good farmer is an asset to the nation, 'it has been said, and our soldier settlement requires maximum encouragement from the authorities. What Ruakura caters for in this respect is along the right lines. The tuition ; s

free to soldiers, and the Public Works Department has at the moment Die erection of suitable accommodation for the men, who will make D-v farm their rendezvous from time to time, well under way. Living and entertainment facilities will be availaide shortly for thirty men. A more suitable site on the farm could not have been secured. The new buildings are practically in the centre <T the whole of the farm’s appointments, and are handy to the main drive. All the latest facilities f.nd a place in the buildings and a grt.vel subsoil area affords a minimum of underfoot discomfort in the most adverse climatic conditions. The scheme for the agricultural tuition of the soldiers is now in process of formation, as it is toapply to the farm, but one is on safe grounds in assuming that the period of training will depend largely on the aptitude of the respective candidates. Those who enter Ruakura for training have a golden opportunity for advancement, as every aspect of the many wide operations catered for there will be given practical consideration. In the large number of pupils from technical and high schools of the province, who weekly attend for instruction, the value of the training at Ruakura is receiving a concrete testimony. In Die apiary section there are at present fifteen ladies taking the eight months’ course, in addition to soldiers and others. Every year the applications for admission for instruction in all departments of the farm show a rapid increase. Sheep and Cattle.

The sheep and cattle “ run-outs ” at the rear of Ruakura homestead are well stocked at the moment, and even a cursory run over the permanent pastures stocked there indicates that the farm ever keeps quality as its keynote in productiveness. The Southdown stud Hock of the farm is known far and wide, but there is, in addition, 500 flock ewes of- the big framed Romney-Lincoln cross. The cattle inspected in this area by Die party were principally yearlings, with a very small sprinkling of two-year-olds. All. the cattle to be seen at Ruakura are reared there. Thirtyfour young stud Shorthorn bulls are almost ready to go forth to the market outside, and from which the supply easily exceeds the demand. The Field Returns. The root crops at Ruakura at the moment are quite as prolific in return as ever they have been, and the Tongan agriculturist expressed himself as agreeably delighted at what Mr Green was able to point out to him in this connection. Wheat garnering was in progress at the time over a 17-acro area, in which live varieties ■were included, and as high as 50 bushels had been returned. Two crops of hay taken off a similar sized area was further Valued testimony observable of the growing qualifications of the soil and more so, perhaps, of what .comes from the application of agricultural methods along highly expert lines. In fact the whole core of the one and only conclusion surrounding Ruakura’s usefulness in the administration of State is steeped deeply in such a deduction.