WIDER RANGE QF EXPORTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 28, 28 November 1944, Page 6

WIDER RANGE QF EXPORTS

NEW ZEALAND AGRICULTURE

A vision of New Zealand's agricultural future as it could be ; with congenial work for more people on the land, was described by the Principal of Massey Agriculture College (Professor G. S. Peren) in a recent talk to managers of brandies, of a leading Taranaki producc firm who attended a short course at the College. He based his hopes for the future on comprehensive land-im-provement. schemes including drainage through the use of labour-sav-ing devices and big machinery handled on a co-operative of contract basis.

Land improvement would encourage people back to the more healthy and natural life ol' the countryside, declared Professor Per en. Production 011 extensive areas with a clay subsoil eould be improved by at least 30 per cent through mole drainage while big tile-drainage schemes would improve other types of waterlogged soil. In drainage plans, especially, it was necessary to look beyond individual farms to the countryside as a whole..

Economies were ell'ectcd, and drudgery largely eliminated when crops were grown on a scale big enough to warrant the use of most modern implements. Machines used by a large Hawke's Bay cannery harvested the pea crop in bulk ? and girls earning good wages then collected the. pods in comparative comfort. Two hundred acres was the usual area for which was cut by factory methods prior to canning. New Zealand, which in many respects had led. the pre-war agricultural world was now slow to i learn from those countries -which the impact of war had forced ahead of her. With the further development of her peaty soils there should be no need for the Dominion to import onions or celery.

It was not generally ''known that Xew Zealand exported thousands of pounds worth of bulbs and plants to Australia where propagation was diJl'ieult in the dry climate.. A well known South Canterbury stud sheep breeder now received both pleasure and profit from eight acres of tulips, practically all the bulbs from which were sent to Australia. Openings in •lie horticultural export trade were

becoming more and more apparent Lo those v.ith commercial vision : exorcise 01 which .should result in New Zealand's growing all the cameias tulips, rhododendrons and ericas for Australia and even further afield.