The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 1927. FARMING INTERESTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 August 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 1927. FARMING INTERESTS.

Thu late Prime Minister had a wellworn slogan regarding, production, more production and sti.l more production. to do the country the

greatest service, ft .served its time

just as the companion slogan. sel- - more .sottlomont, ami still Micro settlement did. But both these incentives have lost their efleet, ecitaiiily their charm. As a South Canterbury journal remarks: T.ittle pood is to lie pained by our statesmen and our publicists impressing on the tanner the need to increase his production so that the country may enjoy sound prosperity. Certainly there are some to who.ni the lesson may he justifiably addressed, but the generality of the farming community realise that it is their duty, ns well as to their personal advantage to cause the earth to yield to the utmost. The remedy does not lie with the farmer alone, but with the whole mnimiaiift. It cannot be denied that the last decade has witnessed a tendency, on the part of all classes, to embark upon expenditure lightly without thought of the ultimate effect. This is one among many factors responsible for the present positon A knowledge of the complex working of economic laws is not necessary to the realisation that such procedure is not conducive to financial stability, either individual or communal. Economy in expenditure in all directions i.s the first step, and until that is taken no other measures will be effective. At the same time, it i.s well established that the Xorth island in particular is turning out an increased quantity of dairy produce, and so assisting to meet the financial situation rendered necessary by the drop in prices for dairy products. And there is no doubt that or uiomy in many directions is being practiced by the man on the land, no less than by the man in other pursuits. But. nevertheless, there is the call for more production all the same, and it is manifest, the .land as well -as the herds must have attention. A Taranaki paper points out that dairying exhausts the soil to a very considerable degree, and the constituents taken out of it must bo replaced. I-lerd-testiiig will assist in this direction, for a falling off in production may be attributable to the soil rather than the cow, and be rectified by the application of the feitilisers shown to lie most required. All this no doubt is wellknown to most farmers, but the fact remains that hitherto in this district herd-testing and the constant- utilisation of fertilisers have not been practiced to anything like the extent they should lie. The publication of proved results is calculated to help towards their wider adoption, and the Government subsidy now to he given to herdtesting associations -should encourage farmers to pay more attention to tin’s subject: Tf a farmer can increase his average production per cow from 2001 b, to 2501 b. of butter-fat in three years, or from 2501 b. to 0501 b. by judicious culling and breeding, and by systematically returning to the soil the constituents which dairying takes out of it. he will find dairying a much more remunerative occupation than often it i.s at present. And there i.s every encouragement for the man on the land to study the question of herd testing. The fullest, information on the subject is available for the asking from the Department of Agriculture, from which source also information is available to the man on the land on all matters pertaining to his industry. That is one material matter on which the Liberal Government in the past founded a very useful policy, and the succeeding Governments have continued to add to the usefulness of the work of so essential a Department. An Auckland paper has stressed this aspect of the matter, remarking that Xew Zeeland will owe much gratitude to the men who so persistent! v advocated herd-testing and the culling of inferior animals from the milk-producing cattle of this country ; for their war-

ranks in value uiih that ol the man who makes two blades of grass grow where only one grew belore. Ibe nan'll of these endeavours was only forced upon tile notice of (lie GovernmcnT by slow degrees, herd-testing here in it; infancy being carried out al the ex-

pense of private associations. But there is at last recognition of these pioneer effort i. tor Cabinet lias decided (o assist the work ol the lieriltesting associations ol (hr Dominion this year to the extent- of L'St)(!<). This serins to be a substantial sum, but wlicii theimmoiise value of henl-fcsl-

ing and culling is properly appreciated, it must prove to be money well spoilt so infinitesimal, judged by results. I tel the wonder will be that so highly-pro-lita.bh* an investment was not made

years before, ft. remains now for all districts where dairying is possible, to take advantage of 1 lie special lin.meial help afforded, and set about building up herd-testing associations. In all parts of the world where daiiyiug nourishes, herd-testing is a .special factor count lug towards success and expansion, and here in Westland it would lie a great factor, also, ill adding to the value and output of dairy produce, where herd-lestiiig generally brought into practice.