AMERICAN FARMING

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 34, 3 November 1937, Page 13

AMERICAN FARMING

New Zealand Produces Better Mutton and Beef VISITORS VIEWS Though New Zealand inight have a lot to learn regai'ding irrigation from Ga'lifornia and other parts of United States of America, the fact that we could teach the Amerieans something in the liroduetion of meat was noted by Mr E. Davies of Auckland, in an interview yeBterday' when visiting Hastings. Mr Davies recently made a flve months' tour of the United States and Oanada and he availed himself of the opportunity to compare various aspects of development in the countries he visited with that in New Zealand. One of the most striki'ng features in America wa3 the comprehensiveness of the irrigation sehemes, said Mr Davies. The whole of the Californian coast, given ample water, was highly productive, but where there was no irrigation, the land quickly reverted to desert, Market gardening was carried out ou u large scale, and one farm had 25,000 acres of lettuce.

California, indeed, was one of tho garden States of American and speeial produce trains took fruit and vegetables to all parts of the country. It was possible to travel for miles and see nothing but fruit on both sides of tho Toad. Spraying of the orchards was done from aeroplanes, which precipitatea n fine dew over the whole arca, this method being economic owing to the Jarge areas of the groves, which were kept in excellent order. AU bore the appearanCe of being freshly raked, and the ground was clear of weeds, preventing pesta being harboured. Mr Davies was surpriee.d to notice the sisse of the grapefruit, about eight inches in diameter. This fruit, grown tn Florida, cost nearly as mUc-h in U.S.A. as in New Zealand, but the product sold in the Dominion was of an inferior variety, coming from Jamaica. Work wa^ highly organised in the big gardons, and mechanical hoes, arawn by a tractor, were used in potato fields. In spite Of all these methods, the vieitor found that, to his taste at least, tho vegetables were not as well flavourpd as ours. Mr Davies also found that the flavour of the beef and mutton did not equal the New Zealand meats. "In fact," he added, "their cattle do not appear to be as good as ours, and I did nqt see anythi'ng over there to equal what is grown in the Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay districts. Many of the menus in the more expensive hotels mention the ranch froih which the steak came, just as a wine-list might name a rare vintage. But with all their advertising, we have them beaten when it comea to a question of meat. The rainfall in most places is not so well spread oa-er the year as in this country, and they were amazed when I told them that our pastures were green arid swect for 10 or 11 months, " i