HIS LIFE'S WORK

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 707, 5 January 1910, Page 8

HIS LIFE'S WORK

;. '■'::.;■■■ .■.; AT MOUMAHAKL •; ;; ; . v '-'! ;!'• "THKOWN ;IN HIS. FACE." ,; ; : - ;■■;;:.;;; '[To :the ■.';:"' : : Sir,—l , 'notice'the report of a speech made in -the House on /December' 15 by the Hon. the Minister for Agriculture in [connection, with the curtailment ,of experiments at the Moumahaki Experiment 7 Farm, c ,Tb my./way of thinking,, many; pf :Mr'.\ "a narrowness' of view. , arid'a lack of. appreciation' for' true .agricultural' experiments, altogether inexcusablo: in. man hbldißg.his.importaiit position". Then his positive statement that, eleven, men'all tola. can run the. 'farni, experiments and all,' proves :(to .anyone; living near. and knowing how .-thoroughly the farm is run) that !the Minister must be hopelessly out of touch; with .the actual of the placoi \I have, taken a 'close interest in -the farm for years' and ought to -'-.be in -.a position: to know.what labour -. isrequired to do/the work.' So with your lrind' permission I will give my; views as .to tho.necessary'labour for the ordinary, routine work-of suchia p'lace—quite : apart, from -the extensive and- ; ..very . intricate experiments carried.'on. ; tliere..%.- : . : ' ; ; .;•:■;; In '-.the .-first place.the five or six , acres' of orchard; and nursery: needs, quite"''two good', men to- prune, i'spray, ;'~and -keep the weeds .down alone..; Anyone with' a knowledge of. commercial'. 1 orchards .and nufsories:, .will ■■back . up,; tliis'■„statement' without a moment , s hesitation". Then the poultry- staff' of., the farm, consisting of; a;man ( ahd twoboys (included in. Mr.Mackepzies;'statement of,"eleven, inen), must ■fiiid<'.it'''alli'v-thej;-?:cari;;do '..to attend pro-, perly-'tp.'the routine :'wbrk,''.apart, from | any feeding : and breeding experiments. I Such', a farm.jas Moumahaki course, .have.-a stockman '.to. do -the milk-; ing; and: rear the-pedigree calves, -be-, sides doing odd jobs; about, the "V place, and\where;yaluable..:stallions and brood ruaresdrekept/an.experienced stud groom is'•"■ indispensable..-, : ■ Also.-'for ■ the,.several. .hundred ; sheep.; in ■numerous rare breeds a': reliable = shepherd; must, be retained r for ■ them; .alone.?.-' Then" a; ploughman, three ordinary-■ farm' frauds,'-,i■ scopkSlstnd;"a clerk wo;Ud'-:(in.\additionV: , t6)the.'\man'ager) be;:' ; quite necessary jfor.i the • proper, carrying' out of the: ordinary: everyday farni; work.-' .Totalled up,,these ; come to 15 hands—four more-:thanMr.Mackenzie's allegedexperi-;' fenced:", estimate^,,for. all experimenting,' attention; ;to^yisitprsj\-;' j else.: .ItV , used':td::be:a'puzzle"to mo how.' the;old original.staff pf. .21 all :told man-, to 'dp .'everything,*.yet .^alwaysi":kcep.' '.the"'' place'Tsb'-'presentable." ,'l"can.:.onlypnt•it'ldown./to theMatS.manager's;genius' for, v.Orgnnising.-'i practical:'; business-like .farnv/work. I ',';^^:'i'--V- ■ '^ ■': '-■■'■'■, ' ■:■■'/'• : ■'■''■ -; ...; also; says' that, in: future, he is-"going .to.see. to, it .that-the country gets' full" value , for; its money from the Moumahaki Experiment- 'Farm. ,Vlt'.-'comes -somewhat ;as a' surprise••)to us "coolcatpos"i:that -anyone: in authority, should dare, to-.suggest that; Mr. -.Gillnnders's ■work'has. l not been giving, full'; value for the money "expended on', it.' in , the past;' but of "■ course ' those of' us .who know'.the i|arm and have studied the 'result's':'of ;its"."work, are not', likely; ; to. accept 'the statement.'of. a mere fledge-.-ling; of a ~Minister..' agai nst ■' the : . fifteen;years', solid -reputation of ~Mr.: Gfflanders—, a. reputation .'for. practical and'scientifici .thoroughne'ss'TTinexcelled by any other of-; ill" tii! ''Depaitmfiu't Jit Mr. Gil-;, landors's : -"iiaturar.,mo , aesty' :l ' would 'have.; permitted 'tha*:.usual.;seQ-advertisement. ; which",,his■ ,15 .years' .of,',really; valuable;, work; certainly -> warrants,": he would .now,; be .looked v uppn 'as:', the'■; leading '.-.agricul-J 4urist ,i J[inv'hisy:osrttr4spe,oial:.:lines).;,in i this'., dominion.;; .But whWdqAwe'find ?". That, practically smothered year after, year by/' listlpss, v UDsynipathetic,jppJiticaiy, r b9sses," and now, to -cap alii his ! life's ,isj' jitbi' allrji thrown -. in ■ably -does-not; know'-a swede'ffrdm .a tur-■iu'p.''.'■'■/!'j^.vj':;,':-..i.*.'.^.;.-.?;'■. '.\'-';\ ';.,'

'/■ Here ,: in . this .conntry's education,; system : w©; have'.'thbusands iof; pounds spent in.:..teaching children; and!.youths; ; fen,rgpagoj/;.. galorej!;, art, wcod-cary-. «ngV,/art 'needlework;;■ cookery,;-drawing; .and dozens 1 of other 'more or'; less impor-.ta'nt.'eide^-lines.;.'.while, Minister,- for.' , "A'griculture, 'backed'.up ".by-ithe .member ;for'-.Patea; asserts positively.'that a».paltry" tvra thousand "pounds vis yquite suffi-cient;-for.-'.all. agricultural experiments':for lit-: greiit- : ;farming-,Jdistjict7ilik© r : that/ex-, tending.'ffom'New; Plymouth '.to ■ Napier— prpbablyiithe iihbstldiyerse.'ahd certainly ;ainong; the;)p,qstja"dyan?ed,"in'"' the DominioiUv-.„.;;'":-, , ; ;'.;"~>;;. : ' . '■■'■ ■ ~'.■.'.-:.". ; /Again, .the, Minister declares., that' many. of , ;th.e,MouipahaKi! , experiments', are--fin-: .ished) and, done ■ with; ■-.I: fail'itb: see ;how it: can be said-.that -any singlo work— from the,'tnrnip and potato to the strawberry ,;: experiments-^-cari,;. be considered' finished; .;■ Of .'course,, there;is I 'no:.' such thing as finality/ to'any ..braneh. of agri--. cultural and horticultural" investigation, however much knowledge may. be acquired in/any .direction.-: ; /v:.--';;';'. . 'One weak-kneed excuse which the' Minister; makes:, for : his 7 *drastic.:.'and:'short-' sighted ■;-reducHoh;,'..,o£ at' llbumahaki.is that'the farm;contains a small- fiower/v'and ;vegetable; garden and an.'old-fashiqned'i'pokey hot-house, where indoor l , tfuc'umbersii grapes, pineapples," and ;'choice: flowersVare grown. ; Surely ; ; ';Mr<; 'Mackenzie is not :so . absurdljj.narrow in' his/- experinieht-'/ farm;, pb- : jects; as'; to'/.suggest the abolition;: , of: the ohly_ oriamental'-sectiori. of .tli'e''farm;- ; -a soctiori wliichjb'ail hardly, be .costing , more than iSIOO/'a year. at 'the. very/ Outside;: while its;value to the country': as an educating influence; must be w.ell above that sum. ■-.-'What Tight' have:; we , "cockatoos" to demand- that: all experiments■'.shall bo made for us and us alone? , Surely, the .th"ousands' ; pf v amateur..-'nower : , and ;.vegeJtable'.'growersjfnpt./cohsidering.thpsevwh'o; make" a , living, at the game)..have spine right to. be considered in ; the/work of such an institution, and especially •'. so when, it,is remembered, that .'everybody.'in :New : Zealand' contribute their share toward ;the;;.upkeep! of.;all/Government experiment stations, , .and not.by any means farmers alone? ... . ; -';■..:

I".. Ouriwi-yss. Jind. daughters,always: take a,,'close, interest'in .the ycgetable and flower,, garden, and. the;.; hot-house "at Sloumahaki, and usually come away with a store of information, and newly-formed zeal; which must, , I say, have'had a real .good .influence. upon the gardens and '■ the .homes of ithe wholes'district.j^Some of my, old' conservative irrends' have" repeat,edly • told -me that they 'blessed the,day. when "the : wife" demanded, to be taken rto see/the ifamous little', because, . the;men : folk .had ■ epent ; an .hour, wandering: ■:about the .farm;; proper,-' ei:amining,Hthe*';denionstration:'lnodges, _tlie : mangold,- "carrot," turnip,; potato, -maize,, rape,' and , dozens of .other practical, experiments, ;they: came, .toi ; the. firm; conclusion' that :.they .had' been'foolish' not to have, visi ted the /place before. ;•■■. .To tell you'the truth,' Mr.- fiditor, it was my wife's demand that I should take her to see the flowers, etc., which first -drew me. to'the-farm; and'since then I have made ia.-point' "of i going , 'oyeKthe wholo "place. as"pften' as'''"p6ssi struck:, was. I by '■ the thorough; practical'manlier in which all tho experiments are handled, ;Ariother plea which I would -like to , put forward in favour of retaining the oxj>erinientj;-.'garden:'.";is : '"the ; ' attraction .'.which, it ■undonbtedly' has , for the hun- : dreds.of children who visit the farm an-yiinally.i'oither.-in.large.'.'p'arties; under the -.guidance .of- their teachers;for .with'the hiig'e school picnics which are occasionally held thero.: Looked at broadly,: it will be admitted that the receptiveminds of.the budding farmers.and farm 'mistresses in''-the.' district:.:niust bo/uplifted, by-the sight of several.woll-kopt, tastefully laid out flower and vegetable plots, where ; hundreds of varieties of yegstables, gorgebus old-fashioned •-■. and. new.flowers,:;all.;neatly" : labelledi 'are to be seen" grgwirig . to. perfection, ..-and all under';':tlie■.'.expeyt superyistoii.'. of .an. ven-thusiastic'---and-;-; communicative ,-■younggardener," who; seems -always .only too fyilHflg:J.to' : ;;:-im^artiM^,his' v f-!Kno'iyledge-..'-':to .'pfhets,'/-*and:v.'ih'ci'deritallr"j.:if6use''. theirlatent talent ,for home"ffardening. .Sir, I think it would be decidedly selfish of us to begrudge garden-lovers •■ the expenditure of iGIOO out of the Moumahaki

vote, and in..:abolishing the. experiment garden'and hothcrase.yl belieyo';Mr.' Mac-; kenzie is... certainly-.;ii6t expressing 'the wish qf-the community.;/: :,'"-.; ■~'.:- .■■:'■ ■ But apart from all this I considor the garden is Veil, worth .its cost, as 'an attraction to Vthe! farm—just, as a sprat, is' ; valuable 'wherewith.' 'to* catoh.a- mackerel.• ".' V ■'■■■■

" It has : come: somewhat as a .shock, to most of, us that MriGillanders' has 'resigned from the ovorseorship of. Moiirbah'aki., Various rumours are .afloat as to the reason for this.suddeh'. giving'up,of his work; but the generally'accepted solution is, that .the; Minister's flat refusal to. find : money to.carry oil the experi'rnents convinced '.him that the Government have ceased to.itake such work at all seriously, and that consequently'it was not worths his '/while to continue to waste his , - time arid.energy endeavouring : to .''run" experiment's':, properly without money, , and. especially/ in return for.; a mere pittanco of a.salary. .■ i ' ~''. ■ It: is 'indeed .regrettable ' that '■ such a well-known- and widely esteemed-public servant' should : be' practically told that his life's work has not been giving value for.. the ; money expended, .upon'. it. and at that, by an alleged authority .who' probably never studied it beyond a few '.minutes, if. at'all. At. the same. time, it ■is : just as well for Mr. Gillanders's- own sake' that -he. did , resign, as-his unique/ability was.never likely to be';' recognised ..by such, a short-sighted .Minister,'-''while his hard-earned! know.ledge .will, among the thousands of far- , - mers who know, him, prove, most likely,' far more .appreciated and lucrative' in : some': other/ sphere",.of, : influence.—r am, ■■-;' ,^:.:;P''"?: V '';': jambs'c.nic6l.; i.Hawera,. January 1, 1910. -,-■.'■ ' .',. ■