IS LAND WORTH FARMING.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 412, 25 November 1884, Page 2

IS LAND WORTH FARMING.

A complete revolution in the system of farming seems at' the present time to be, imminent in the Mother Country. British agriculturists are in, grievous,, straits owing to the almbst'a'bnoriiialiy l low price of wheat. The conviction is bejng forced upon them, that it is useless lo keep plodding .on in; the paths / trodden by their forefathers for manj ' generations,, and that it is absolutely. ... necessary to take a freah departoirej f The ' Farmer,' an ably edited paper devoted to the interest of the farming community generally, under the aborb heading reviews the position, arid tenders sound advice, which, in our humble opinioa, our New Zealand agriculturists would do ; well to follow 9 an<i we therefore reproduce .it. Our contemporaiy writes :~ 'j The farmers' work of ihe year is done and he xs now taking bis wugo* out of the harvest, i'he furrow and /the market/haTO to square up accounts, and what is he farmers' balance ? He will get in straw and corn off an acre of wheat some L 7 10. HO, where he grows four quarters to, th& acre and sells it at 36s per quarter. After paying rent, labor, manure bill (equivalent to straw,) and taxes, is there aaj balance left to reward the farmer for. his own skill and capital? In reply to ibis qWstion there* cannot fail to te a cgaaensu3,o£ppinion that evein a good, full average season does not oav . to grow wheat at 36s perquarter, arid that to make land worth farming, itimaMbfeapn&clL to. other purposes. This, autumn let th* British farmer give his. verdict and deTCte has acres to a more profitable employment than 2 that of growing a wheat crop. USeooa an. ' *■* sons do not pay, how can bad scasoLs give A profit ? But, in making a oltonge from wheat what can be made «, F ofitable -substitute? If America, India, Russia, Australia are all eager to supp^. England with frhWat 30* & ; 4ta per qu W ter t what other articles are t W tlAatoanhQ produced better at home,lfeS abroad ? They are not flax-, beet-sugar iruit wool, or garden vegetables. Notary them are' meat and milk. The fanned reward not to be obtained directly, l^growfn" for human consumptid^ tfnt indirect , through growing graift-wd grasg xoots Jj forage for the tw^tog of stock and pVoduction.ot mUki tatter, and, cheese, il S ' > every falser to become, a grazier and stock-' ' keeue? and dayman? The Answer is "Yes » \s the arable former to be improved off th* face of the English earth ?.The answer feanS? " Tes.'' The arable farmer may and m^T thing else, or rather th^ breeder and feeder of cattle, the pro.d.i W . of milk that shall run a healthy awl cjftap stream of food through every e^tvy parish and city street. . aC mwofecturera of butter and cheese nvj&t fS ' thd purposes of their business, be nis» j^rtfyY ■ arable farmers. This necessity invokes a great and serious .change in fa.vwan» land to make it pay. It means mUrig°less than changing the present m» of farmers. It ' means more capital aw* m.ore men per acre Smaller holdings aud. larger stock-building* as the ?\U^ great contractors, masters ~ Q? AMge. tracts,, ai\d owners of cattle and s.hee^> by the thousands, as .the exception Far this new race of farmers the existiii^ class cfm and should furnish the main.' esa^ ' tangent, and recruits active and enterprising may be expected from the rank* ©FconS mere* and labor. Amateuc feimers with capital are «• not wanted, f %\^ example is a bad one, for iUs fta* of., spending mime* ' without an- w^ate. ueturn. ' Time how ever, , & v^nJejcMp. landlords as well' as in s«mexs— to.make at on.cc this great chano-* For the. stopk-crops* thaf will ; be irpwnMW' * the future, nmXhs are wanted to eftrtiL«r? £ «-"-««&? able emptoymon^ and if may he ThSf. s U Stock Bank, will be Sed fn P ST® aptb^oproporfioaefwirb 6^

reduced land area as to make them eligibl for present farmers who have larger occupa tS6irbuti.iisumcient capital;: The third step nnd the most important, is that presen farmers shajl reduce'/ lo some extent, th< breadth devoted towheat,and keep an extn Bcore of ewes or,f:l^lf a-dozen more cows This they may wfll:db^Tvith e Jhe capital t< be saved from a s ifedaced labol bill, the bug bear oE modern^ farming.?;', Anyhow, somt thing has to be •doDC,.this ? .autumn to mak< land worth farmingT" The English wheai crop has been weighed and found wanting ii profit. " ....,,