Farm and Dairy.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 17 January 1911, Page 4

Farm and Dairy.

AGJUCUf/Tt'TiF; A XT) ST ATl'] AID. Sonio particulars take 11 from a valuable report supplied to the BriJ tish Board of Agriculture by the 1 \ ice-Consul resident in Denmark, donliiiu; with certain phases of :iu:riculture in t-h.n-t country, go to show how the proud position the Denmark people enjoy in .such affairs has been ' sained. In the Danish i-uaget for 1910 a sum of ,31about onetwentieth of the whole Jiat.ional annual expenditure, was voted to the Minister for Agriculture for the various work carried out under his direction. There are agricultural high schools, veterinary and collars' schools, experimental laboratories, etc., that are maintained or subsidised by the State: but there are also ' many other ways in which assistance is rendered to the occupier of the laud. It seems Mat the Danes have developed the faculty of forming themselves into associations to an unusual degree; and the great success experienced in connection with the co-operative movement in that country has been largely on this account. tn fact, .such associations j have been common among them for i a, long period, some of the agricultural associations having existed in , their present form for more than a hundred years. The methods followed are that individual farmers take the initiative, and establish a society, which then receives State recognition, and is invariably subsidised in proportion to the amount subscribed by members. But the agricultural instruction provided at the high schools is the first factor in infllencing the people to work together in co-operative undertakings, for it is by such that people learn to appreciate the advantages of the adjmictorv and more technical institutions. The various schools, therefore, while being the outcome of judiciously-applied State aid, do much towards populating the country with agriculturists, and the people are bet or able to appreciate and utilise the aid. given 'by the State in other directions. In the report I referred to, it is shown that the I number of local agricultural sociotj ies in Denmark is 115. with a total I of some 8-1,500 members, who pay subscriptions amounting to £10,1)00. The State subvention to these local societies for tihe year 1909-10 (exclusive of prizes and travelling expenses for small (holders and pigbreeders) was £10,730. These societies have been founded at various dates from as far back as 1810, and their object is to promote general agricultural development by means of lectures and debates, cattle shows and exhibitions, prizes for well-kept allotments, local field experiments, the foundling of smaller associations for a special object, and so on. The State_ subvention above mentioned is contributed, towards defraying the expenses of advisers, the members of the societies being able to apply to the adviser for advice on special subjects on the recommendation of tihe Provincial Association of Amalgamated Societies. Tn addition, the State grant contributes towards the cost of prizes at cattle shows, lecures and plant- culture. Of 'these farmers' organisations the Royal Danish Agricultural Society is the oldest and most scientific in. Denmark. The Ministry of Agricnilture applies to it for advice (as, for instance, in drafting new laws bearing i on agricultural subjects'), and has | also deputed to the society some of the work connected with tihe agricultural societits bv means of representatives residing in caeh dist.iert. Other less prominent associations are •also enabled to keep in touch with the department to the •decided advantage of all concerned. The fact that, Denmark is a small coun'trv, thickly populated proportionally in , the rural districts, with small hold- ' ; ings, a people educated as to the { 'value of agricultural knowledge | makes iifc easy to understand how i these farmers' societies are so easily ■ and successfully worked. It might i be mentioned that there aro many 1 other associations with some special < branch of agriculture as their objee- j 'five, among whicthi are 260 horse- ( breeding and 1310 cattle-breeding ; societies, all of which receive State- I < aid, and aim at improving the qua!ity of the stock in their, respective i clisfridts. Matters pertaining to f

agriculture in that country are therefore on a very satisfactory footing, and there is decidedly an object lesson for many other countries Itihat only assist agricultural education in a begrudging manner. Any State aid that fosters its primary industry can only he productive of the highest good. Our own country has made commendable progress in dealing with agricultural matters, but iH would seem that we are not yet quite in the front rank.