A VISITOR FROM THE STATES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2486, 12 June 1915, Page 14

A VISITOR FROM THE STATES

DISCUSSES N.Z. FARMING INTENSIVE CULTIVATION NECESSARY A visitor from the United States is Mr. Welcome H. Lawson, who represents tlie Bcatrico Creamery Co., of Chicago, which operates pretty well throughout the States as a butter-pro-ducer and manufacturer of cream separators. Mr. Lawson has been in New Zealand for some months now studying tho conditions as far as the dairying industry is concerned, with a view to opening up business relations as soon as conditions permit. Through the company's Wellington agent they have alroady handled Now Zealand butter, and found it to be highly suitable to requirements, and wore on the point of expanding the trade when the war knocked all direct communication with New York on the head; and the embargo placed on foodstuffs made it impossible to get further supplies last year. Mr. Lawson conceived that as our season worked alternately with tho American, that a considerable business might be don© with mutual benefit. Prices, however, had taken a jump here, with the advent of war that prohibited for tho present any export trade to the States. At present—tho flush of the American butter season—prices were very much lower there than here. Butter was selling in Boston, for example, on May 1, at Is. OJd. per lb. wholesale, and in June the rate would be still lower, which opened up a possibility of export to this part of tho world if floating cold stonage could be obtained. The visitor is o£ opinion that New Zealand is a fine little country that could easily accommodate twenty million people if the farming folk had the right ideas about intense cultivation. This would rive them a better return off 50 acres of land than they are at present getting off 200 acres. Up to the present, as in America, tho farmers were getting "easy money" by more or less haphazard farming, but ho was of opinion that their grandsons would make more money off less land in tho years to come. It was simply a matter of applying the principles of scientific farming, by combining a knowledge of chemistry, botany, and animal lore, in order to know just how to treat lands of varying quality, -what crops to raise, and what breeds to encourage. In the Northern States they had an all-year-round season, but only five months of it could be relied upon for pasturage; during the other seven the eows had to be barn-fed. 'flat fact made the farmer careful to crop-raising, as he had to raise on his lands enough feed to see him through the whole year. Their greatest efficiency would probably be one cow to the acre, which was accomplished by tho use of silos. His company controlled a great number of _ factories representing an enormous daily output. A number of these factories had an average output all the .rear round of 20,0001b. The highest daily output had been registered by one of their factories in tlie State of Nebraska, which had turned out 70,000 lb. per day. In these cases it should be 6tated that thoy tapped a district of from 20 to 150 miles round the factory. So far the proprietary companies had handled the buttor business most successfully. In some parts of the country the co-operativo system had been tried not always witli "success, and at present there was a movement in the Southern States to institute the cooperative system somewhat on the lines which was proving so successful in New Zealand. Tho visitor was impressed with the co-operative businesses that were run by the farmers in New Zealand, notably in Christchurch and Tiraaru, and had a word of praise for the active business spirit that appeared to permeate the people of the "South Canterbury centre. It was noticeable that, wherever there was a successful farming district, it was reflected in the towns of that district. Timaru was a case in point. Mr. Lawson attended the agricultural shows at Invercargill and Duncdin, and thought thorn very fine, remarking particularly on the completeness of the Government exhibit. He says that Now Zealand is fortunate in the possession of an officer like the Dairy Commissioner (Mr. Cuddie), who appeared to have tho trick of working in with the farmers and persuading them to do the right thing all the time.