WHEAT GROWING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1592, 27 July 1916, Page 2

WHEAT GROWING.

Hill JAMES also had something to say in respect to wheat growing. He prefaced his remarks by saying that “the progress in rural education, while helpful, is not sufficient to immediately restore the lost wealth to the country. It is the present day farmer who must do that. Talking of wheat-growing,” said Sir James, “one Labour member was reported to have said that it was the duty of the Government to force the farmers to grow wheat. What a curious commentary on a member’s knowledge! It is a fact which has been pi’oved that with wheat at os it takes from 23 to 25 bushels to pay expenses. Anything under that is grown at a loss to the farmer. Wealth, the creation of which benefits everyone, is the difference between the cost of growing anything and sale —the profit, in fact. The country is poorer if the farmer loses by the transaction. Lor the moment the people may get cheaper flour; but the land has had so much taken from it of its stored

weal Hi, which it will take money to replaee, and it the crop has not paid to grow, the farmer must, necessarily restore it from his capital, or, which is much the same thing, from his profits on other crops, if there are any. They may pass as many Acts of Parliament as they like, but they will not get farmers to grow wheat at a loss! It is infinitely better to buy wheat from Australia, where it can be grown cheaper, and turn the land here to more pi’olitable use. How are we going to make the most out of the crops we grow ? One way is in connection with agriculture —to increase the use of machinery, and also the motive power. The inventive faculties of the implement maker have during the past been at the service of the farmer. My first ploughing was doin' with a single-furrow plough made in Scotland and dnnvn by bullocks. My first sheaves were band-lied with strips of (lax. Think of what a change l although we have not reached the stage which the Australian and United States farmers have, favoured by their climate, where they use a header which strips the grain and threshes it in one machine. A New Zealand farmer was watching this process of heading grain in California, and asked what they did when it rained ? In reply he was asked another question: ‘What sort of connfry do you come from that it rains luring harvest time?’”