Scotch Farmer's Talk

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 14, 17 July 1893, Page 3

Scotch Farmer's Talk

The « Scottish Border ' Record of May L r ) contains a report of a meeting of the Galashiels Farmers Club, at which a discussion took place upon New Zealand as an agricultural colony. The president, Mr Scott of Gala, read a paper on New Zealand, giving information ho had himself obtained by a visit to the colony. He spoke highly of the scenery, the climate, the rich virgin soil, the heavy crops, frozen meat trade, the diary industry, and the luxuriant pastures he had seen, and mentioned as a drawback to the process of New Zealand the unprofitable though necessary railways ; in spite of which he looked forward to a bright future for the colony. The discussion which took place after the reading of the paper contained some interesting and some amusing comments. Mr Thompson, who spoke as one having knowledge, compared New Zeuland and Australia, much to the former's advantage. Mr Dun also spoke hopefully of the future of New Zealand, but he could not altogether commend the New Zealauders as cheesemakers. Recently he bought a bit of what was represented to him to be New Zealand cheese. It looked all right to the eye, but when he tried to roast a bit of it before the fire it gradually disappeared altogether. Mr Leith made reference to tho colony's " going too fast " in past years, a mistake that had been rectified, its expenditure now being kept within it* revenue. Mr Walter Elliot said Mr Scott had stated instances where as much as LBO per acre was said to have been given for land in New Zealand. That must have been h mistake, or the land was in a special position, for very little of tho agricultural land even in Scotland would be able to command that price in the market. Only the other day he valued an estate in the South of Scotland, and he did not feel himself justified in valuing it even at the half of LBO per acre. The Rev. Mr Spence spoke of the bright future in store for New Zealand, and said that no small part of the prosperity which presently attended it was due to the fact that it was so largely peopled py Scotch settlers. The butter now being exported from the Colony was first-class, and he was told only the other day on very good authority that it was even being bought in London by Brittany merchants, taken over to that country and graded and washed, and returned to London a» Danish. ,