Productivity of an Acre.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 179, 1 February 1897, Page 2

Productivity of an Acre.

The possible productivity of an acre of land is shown by a rocout official report ou the agricultural development of Switzerland, From the average Australian standpoint some of the figures sccni both incredible aud impossible. Of ouc farm this report is made : — Animals are kept on the soiling system, i.e., stall fed, iv Switzorlaud. At the agricultural school at Rutti, on the farm of 125 acres, the following aiuouut of stock is kept : — Forty milking cows, flvo yearling heifers, 20 calves, 3 to 4 bulls, seven to eight oxen for ploughing, six to eight working horses, UOfull growu pigs, besides small ones. The average milk given by each cow is almost 3gal., or by the year, 850 gal. to 1140 <^al. The canton of Berne has 506,G00 inhabitants and a cultivated area of 117,560 acres. In 1894 it produced grains, roots, forage, hay, vegetables, hemp, chichory, tobacco, fruit, wines, etc., of the value of i' 3,900,000, and in addition to this maintained the following live stock :— Horses, 20,183 ; mules, 43 ; donkeys, 07 ; calves under one year, 105,147 ; cows, 142,769 ; oxen and steers, 10,207; pigs. 07,295; sheep, 74,262 ; goats, 88,803; hives of bees, 40,944. This is an average of about live head of animals to the acre. Since there are nearly five persons to the acre in this canton, the truth of tho axiom, " five acres is enough " for a family seems to have been demonstrated beyond all doubt. Of the dairy interests of Switzerland the report says: — There are about 5500 cheesesmaking establishments in Switzerland, almost every village having one, which is run by the farmers themselves on the cooperative principle. In 1884, 21,690 tons of cheese was exported, of a value of £1. 510,000. The greater part of the cheese goes to France, Germany and Italy, and the milk is also exported to the value of i' 76,000, nearly the whole of which goes to Great Britain ; also a sort of children's food, with a basis of milk, is exported, one third of which goes to England. The farmers themselves select managers for their cheese factories, and the standard of quality being maintained there is no difficulty in selling the produce, for the competition among the cheese and butter merchants keeps the price up. — Sydney Mail.