VICTORIES GAINED OVER THE SOIL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 71, 10 April 1937, Page 11

VICTORIES GAINED OVER THE SOIL

"No People Has Ever Done Very Much Good in the World That Did Not Make a : Job; , . : Farming Its Land" ,

rpHE SOLDIERS, SAILORS, politicians and courtiers cannot complain of neglect by the writers of books — but tbe men of tbe countryside, tbe farmers, bave received scant consideration. Professor J. A. Scott Watson and May Elliot Hobbs make some amends in tbeir book, ''Great Parmers." Tbey tell tbe story of men wbo bave gained victories over the soil, wbo bave bred fine eattle. Agricultural inventions, too, are included, as tbe following story proves: — "Tbe year 1828 saw tbe first notice of tbe first successful reaping macbine, tbe inven* tion of Patrick Bell. Bell was one of tbe large family of an Angus farmer wbo bad worked bis way as a student of Divinity at St. Andrews, eking out bis resources by teaching and by farm work; be later became minister of tbe small parisb of Carmyllie in bis native county. As a lad be bad a tuni for mechanics. "It was in 1826, wbile walking in bis f atber 's garden, that a pair of garden shears, sticliing in tbe bedge, gave'bim bis idea — tbe idea tbat mecbanical scissors ratber tban mecbanical scythes migbt be made tbe ■ basis of a reaper. He set to work making wooden patterns, and bad them copied in iron by1 tbe local blacksmith; he tried and xejected, and tried again. "His cutting-macbine, wben finally made, . . was tested in. an old barn, witb an artificial crop of oats planted stalk by.stalk in soil brought in from tbe fields. Tbe nest step was to add a travelling canvas to deliver • tbe cut stalks in a swatbe alongside tbe macbine, and a xeel to hold tbe waving crop against tbe cutting mecbanism. Tbe next trial of 1828 may be described in Bell's own words: — • " 'Before tbe corn was perfectly ripe. (I had not tbe patience to wait 'for tbat) my brother . . . and I resolved. to bave a quiet and unobserved start by oursclves. Tbat could not be got wbile tbe sun was in the heavens, nor' for a considerable time after be was set; and accordingly, about eleven o 'clock at night, in a darkish autumn evening, when every man, woman and cbild were in their beds, tbe macbine was quietly taken from its quarters, tbe good borse Jock was yolced to it, and we trio wended our way across a field of Tea to one

of standing wbeat beyond it — my\ brother and I speaking tbe meanwbile to one and otber in wbispers . , ■ Tbe macbine moved forward . , Tbe wheat was lying by tbe" side of the macbine as prettily as any tbat bas ever been cut by it since. After, tbis we took it back again to tbe .end of tbe ridge, and made it cut witb tbe open edge to ascertain bow the swathes would' lie' upon the stubble, witb which being well pleased we, after some pardonable congratulations, moved the macbine back to its old quarters as quickly as possible.* "A contemporary wilter, computing tbe financial benefits of a reaping macbine to tbe agricultural industry, arrived at tbe conclusion that over tbe wbole of tbe Great Britain a saving of £1,000,000 ,per year was possible, and tbat a premium of £20,000, or even £30,000 would not be too high an > • encouragement for such an object. Patrick Bell, bowever, reaped no pecuniary reward. A sum of £50 awarded to him by the Highland Society in 1828 met, in part, tbe expenses be incurred in obtaining a copy of tbe original macbine. "Tbe iuventor did not take out a patent, a deliberate abstention in order tbat tbe implement migbt go into tbe world free of any avoidable expense. A public-spirited : nobleman, indeed, offered to bear tbe expense of a patent, but tbis offer Bell refused. "Bell took his M.A. degree ,and became a Presbyterian minister. He lef t for a stay in Ameriea in 1833, and his reaper, oddly enough, lapsed into : comparative obscurity. As be bimself later wrote, bis invention was like a child born prematurely into a world which was not ready for it. *- "No people bas ever done very much good in tbe world that did not make a job of farming its land," state tbe authors in tbeir concluding chapter. "There are still to-day a few people wbo live like our own dim ancestors, collecting the seeds of wild grasses and hunting for frogs and snalces, Tbey spend all tbe days and years of tbeir lives trying to find enougb to eat, and tbey often fail. Tbey are perishing fast, because they cannot farm "Again, the citizens of the United Stjjtes are alarmed to-day because tbey see millions

i " ' of acres of their rich soil turning to,desert. They realise tbat tbe catastropbe is of tbeir , own- making, for tbey bave failed to under- * stand tbeir, land, or even to do, their plain ' duty ' by .it. In some bf our own'.Afric'anColonies 'tbe same causes are operating, and • ■ • tbe same results can be ' clearly f oreseen. • , We must; wbile tbere is yet time, teach tbe ' pcoples of tbese countries the principles of. , , ^ farming.' "Again, in India tbere is a population already ten times as big as tbat of England and still increasing rapidly. Tbe people are poor, and land is precious. There is only one way to r8lieve tbe poverty , of tbese •masses, to give, th'em leisure, education, and tbe opportunity to develop tbeir culture. Tbat way is by better farming. "Many peoples bave been tempted, in times past, to make sbort cnts to prosperity. to beat tbeir plougbsbares into swords bad to live in luxury by tbe sweat of tbeir slaves and captives. But tbis plan. apart from proving ruinous to tbeir morals, bas not proved a perm'anent success. "Tbe greatest object lesson on tbe other side is to be seen in Denmark or' Holland. Tbere men bave fougbt tbeir battles not witb tbeir "fellow, men, but witb tbe moor and sea. Tbeir acbievement is not small. They bave come near to abolishing poverty; tbey bave won leisuer and education, comfort and freedom. And tbe foundation of tbe wbole edifice bas been better farming. "We ourselves bave squandered a good deal of land in tbese past sixty years — poisoned tbe soil witb smoke, covered it witb slagbeaps; let our rivers silt up and , drown tbe land tbat our grandfathers painfully laid dry. we bave let tbe "thorn and bramble como again on land tbat they cleared witb much sweat. "But at last we are beginning to be a little asbamed, and are giving a measuro of encouragement towards repairing tbe damage. The damage can be largely repaired; we bave tools and resources tbat even Mechi, in bis wildcst dreams, never imagined. . We can drain and lime again. mend tbe fences and , rebuild tbe steadings. And wben we hvae finished the task in tbe home paddocks we sball still find plenty to do in tbe outlying fields of tbe Empire."