The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JANUARY 97, 1908. AN ADDITION TO THE MINISTRY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2098, 27 January 1908, Page 2

The Gisborne Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, JANUARY 97, 1908. AN ADDITION TO THE MINISTRY.

The announcement made by the Hon. Mr. McNab to a representative of this journal concerning the Agricultural Department is one worthy of more than passing notice. After a little more than -a year at the head of that Department the lion, gentleman has come to the conclusion that its functions are increasing to such an. extent that in a very short time the work will be of a magnitude to demand the sole attention of a Minister to administer it-. Mr. McNab is perfectly correct in his contention, and he might have added that it is eminently fitting that agriculture should take the important position, thus implied in the public services of the Dominion. We may also add that the appointment, of the hon. gentleman himself as Minister of Agriculture would meet with general approbation. Whilst- this large landholder from the South has been puzzling the country at largo, and almost driving the fanners crazy by Iris revolutionary methods of “settling Hie land question,” he lias at tlio same time been doing yeoman work as an adminstrator in reorganising the Agricultural Department. When lie took office, Mr. McNab found himself in charge of a department that hid simply been made the butt of all the others. If there was to bo any cutting down of expenses, the Agricultural Department was, always the first to feel: the pinch; if there was a group of political time-servers for whom it was desired to find billets', there were always snug quarters for them as daily instructors or stock inspectors. The ignorance of many of these men, concerning, the work they had been entrusted, with was often phenomenal, and frequently excited the ridicule of the fanning community. Despite these drawbacks there were amongst tlio heads of divisions men who were struggling and, to some extent, succeeding in doing good work, but theirs was a heartrending tick in the face oi public and parliamentary apathy. •Mr McNab has changed all this and l although a. good deal still remains to be done it is remarkable bow much he has accomplished hi his brief period of control. 'So far .it has been chiefly work of organisation, but direct innovations are ju&t being introduced which should have a marked effect for good on the interests of the producer. Mr McNab describes ■the work as a mammoth undertaking and the description, is fully justified. To mention only one feature. The Minister is determined that in the interests of our export trade in butter he will have every daily yard in the country inspected and compel ■such alterations us will ensure that all milk produced 1 , whether for export or for local consumption. 001110 s from clean and sanitary surroundings. Anyone who understands the subject recognises that this in. itself is a superhuman task. Then there is the proper inspection in England of our produce on arrival, the building up of State dairy herds, the promotion of fruit canneries, and many other branches of work which are in some cases merely the preliminary to larger schemes that must ultimately be undertaken.

Few people realize the .amount of useful work that can be done by such a department and of those who fully appreciate and take advantage of

what is at prcsont being done few have any conception of what subsequent developments anay bo. The United States Department of Agricull uro provides an admirable example ol' tho full scope lor an agricultural department in its mission of helping the farmers. It has experimental stations throughout tho country which accomplished very important work that is quite independent of the farms and colleges organised by tho various states, Uncle Sam's dominion is so vnsF/ and the conditions of various parts of the country so varied, that the experts under tho control of the Secretary of Agriculture are constantly engaged in experiments to ascertain what will best suit the soil anil climate of different localities. Explorers are sent to all parts of the work! to gather information that may bo desired, and tho results of their investigations have at times led to remarkable results. For instance, we may quote wliat lias been done in parts of Arizona and other parts of the great/ American desert, where tho rainfall only amounts to a few inches a year. Ono of tile officers of tho Agricultural Department while travelling in Algeria discovered a wheat known as durum, which thrived only in that locality and in some parts of Russia. It grew in places that were semi-arid, and though not so good for ordinary Hour as some other varieties, was especially useful for macaroni. This was transplanted to the outer edges of the American desert, with tht result that thousands of acres that were formerly monopolised by the cactus plant are now producing immense harvests of durum wheat. Largo quantities of tea are now being grown in the Southern States, the varieties having been studied and selected by those experts. Attempts, too, are being made to breed an orange that will stand tho rigorous winters that prevail outside of ,such States as California and Florida, and already a variety has been produced, the tree of which will stand 10 degrees of frost. The' fruit is toO' bitter for ordinary use, but can be utilised' for marmalade, and the American experts are confident of being able in tho course of time to improve the flavor. The experiment stations carry out work embracing .all branches of farm work and the farmers of tho country have been gradually educated up to the point where they assist tho department by their active co-operation. This is an, important phaso of tho question that has been wonderfully developed in Canada where the farmers of the Eastern provinces conduct experiments on their own farms under the organisation and supervision of the Agricultural Department. After all, it is little use any government endeavoring to assist tho farmer if .that individual refuses to take any interest in tho work that is going on, and field experiments should always bo conducted as far as possible by tho farmers themselves, under the instructions of State Officials. It is on the purely scientific side that the : State can be of the greatest assistance by conducting experiments that cannot be undertaken on an ordinary farm. When the N.Z. ' Agricultural Department is fully organised it should be possible for a farmer to receive definite information as to the class of crop most suitable to his paxticlular soil, the particular variety of wheat or other cereal that will suit his special conditions, tho most useful manure for his needs, and similar information in regard to stock. It is, of course, quite .true that an ounce of practice is worth .a ton of theory, but the practical man. who utilises on his farm the latest information gained' in tlio chemical laboratory is the one who will meet with most success in the stress of modern competition. In fact, the work that has already been done by the officers of the Agricultural Department, admirable though it is up to a point, is only a tithe of what is lying waiting to be done. It is not surprising, therefore, that Mr. McNab has come to the conclusion that the work he has taken up is .a mammoth one, but it is just as necessary as it is great, n:d the Government must carry it on. Sir Joseph Ward hinted the other day that the necessity of add L ing to the Ministry would have to be faced before long, and in such an event there is no department that has such strong claims to greater recognition as that of agriculture.