The Agricultural Department.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16434, 30 January 1919, Page 6

The Agricultural Department.

Tho war, by adding so greatly to the indebtedness of New Zoaland, has placed upon tho producers of the Dominion an increased responsibility for developing production as much as possiblo. In this development the Department of Agriculture should play a prominent part, and wo therefore welcome tho scheme of reorganisation of that Department which tho Minister has just outlined. In the past tho Department has been of distinct benefit to tho farming community, but, apart altogether front the inevitable restriction of its activities by tho war, it ha 3 been felt, by its officers as well as by, farmers, that the time has arrived when its scope could bo widened, and its methods improved. The proposal to decentralise the control of stock, rabbits, and noxious weed?, will be generally approved, especially if tho system of local control in the four districts into which tho Dominion is to be divided permits

of the work being organised as now from tho smaller as well as the four ! largo centros. The overlapping caused by tho existence of three separate staffs of inspectors for stock, rabbits, and noxious weeds respectively is to bo obviated by giving tho work to one inspector in each sub-district. This will prevent tho waste of time and labour involved •in throe men visiting a district and doing the work that ono man could do. At the same time, the latter's job will be no sinecure, for the recent amendments to tho Rabbit Act make the task of rabbit-inspection a more responsible matter. There is to be an organised system of agricultural instruction, co-ordinatod wit"h experimental work on Stat© farms and elsewhere, and directed to tho improvement of methods of breeding and managing dairy cows and other 6tock, increased production of crops with special reference to poor land, and improvement of pastures. Theso objects depond for their success, partly on the proposed establishment of demonstration farms, managed by local farmers and subsidised by tho Government, and very largely on tho extent to which tho Government can, with tho assistance

of the University authorities, secure the services of adequately trained instructors. The functions which the Government has been exercising, and which it proposes to oxercise in larger measure in the directions indicated above are of tho greatest importance. "With tho close of tho war wo may expect the return of the Department's veterinary surgeons, who will be stationed throughout the country as before the war, and one direction in which they could good work would be in oncouraging tho adoption of modern methods of calf-raising, never more important than now, whon so much attention is given to the manuJ facture of milk products as to leave littlo or no milk for the calves. As regards the breeding of stock, no very marked advance, we are afraid, ran tako place until tha indiscriminate uso of bull* of inferior quality is restricted. The subject of the improvement of

pastures, has already received some attention from Mr A. H. Cockayne, tho biologist to the Department, particularly with regard to the cultivation of grasses that will last on light lands, but £ imieh remains to be done in connexion j with permanent postures as well as a those sown down in mixed farming. The system of co-operative experiments in g growing various root crops with different fertilisers, which has been pursuod t with most, valuable results, could now well bo directed to the improvement t of our pastures. Production in Now Zeaiand, in any and all of its varied branches, offers a wide and profitable field for research work and patient ex- i periments. and we aro glad to see that jthe Minister recognises the importance { of such work. Additional responsibility i will be placed on officers of his Depart- 1 ment if -there occurs, as wo hope will be tho case, the influx into the ranks i;f producers of large numbers of re- i turned soldiers. Many of thorn will, 1 of courso, simply return to tho farming work that they left, others will go to i it without previous experience, and ! these in particular will need all the j advice nnd assistance that tho Depart- j ment can give them. The Minister's scheme for the reorganisation of his Department looks well on paper: wo ] trust therefore that it will be put into j practice without more delay than is j unavoidable. i