THE REVIEWER.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 981, 11 June 1879, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE REVIEWER.

" THE FA KM AND SELECTION.

i ' \\ v. have ln:-_n favored with a copy of .1 neat little in* the above title, written i>y Mr. Abraham Linwlue, of Kirk's Melbourne, and published by Messrs. M.'osina and Co. As its title implies, it has been issued in the interest of fanners, and has, we are pleased to learn, met with a ready sale, a second edition of 2000 copies having been exhausted. "The Farm and Selection" contains information upon almost every operation in connection with farming. The author in his preface, after remarking upon the easy facilities with which land can be acquired, says "It is unquestionably true that the Australasian colonies arc occupied by a larger number of amateur farmers than any other portion of the world." If this be true—and who shall say it is not ?—there can be no gainsaying the fact that some such publication as that under review—a small pocket volume containing a ina-v? of information compressed into a small com and couched in plain language—was necessary ; and who better fitted to compile such a fanner's reference book than Mr. Abraham Lincolne, a practical agriculturist and a known and experienced writer upon agricultural matters? That farming should be followed in the colonies by many to whom the term "amateur farmers" fittingly applies is not surprising. Land has been easily obtainable, and many who liming by dint of perseverance in other spheres of life—at the desk, behind the counter, at the carpenter's bench, &c.—saved sufficient from their weekly earnings have freely purchased their small plot of ground and sought, by adopting fanning as an occupation, to become their own masters. That many of these " amateur farmers" have proved highly successful agriculturists few can deny. We have in this Colony—although the proportion of amateur fanners has been small—seen men who have had no practical training as farmers succeed and become flourishing agriculturists where men who have followed the occupation from their boyhood have plodded along year after year without apparently becoming one whit more wealthy or making the slightest advance in life, and still they have been careful, hard-working, : and painstaking men. Many may attribute ; the success of the unskilled tiller of the soil : to good luck, and the failure of the practical i | farmer to adverse circumstances over which , he had no control. This explanation mav \ hold good in some cases, but we scarcely ' think it is the correct one in the majority of ' instances. The true explanation is to be 1 found in quite a different direction. A high ] authority has said that " reading makes a : full man," and in no particular does this 1 sage remark hold good to a greater extent j than in regard to farming. Herein lies the J

explanation of the success of the " amateur farmer" and the comparative failure of the bom follower of the plough. The unskilled owner of land, feeling and knowing his lack of practical knowledge upon farming carefully seeks by study to obtain the information required to render his adopted occupation successful. He reads agricultural papers, "studies every new theory proby putting these to a practical "test acquires -a knowledge of the most approved modes of pursuing the different branches of his calling. He knows that science has done much of late years to aid the cultivator, and is not too bigoted or selfsuiScient to listen to the dictates of reason. The practical farmer too often, on the other hand, refuses to listen to any innovation upon the mode of procedure followed by him from his childhood and handed down to him as the correct thing by a long line of ancestral farmers. He too often pooh-poohs the remarks of scientific men —men who - have of late years sought, and that, too, not in vain, to elevate farming to something higher than mere ploughing, sowing, and reaping—men who have proved conclusively that Nature may in a score of "ways be aided by artificial means. Too often, we fear, the teachings of such men are cast aside with the remark, "What does he know about farming ; he is only a theoretical writer, seeking to make his living by book-writing. Jlv grandfather and father were farmers, and knew how to farm, and I shall follow the course adopted by them, for I know by my own experience that they were right. Farmers of this class are to be met with every day, and everywhere. They have been farmers all their lives, and cannot be brought to acknowledge that any improvement can be made upon their mode of operation. This is undoubtedly an age of progression, and in no direction has this fact been more strikingly exemplified than in the management and total subjugation of the sc.il. It therefore becomes necessary for every farmer to read and carefully study everything set forth in regard to agriculture if he desires to keep pace with the rest of the world. He must not cast aside every new theory propounded with the sneering remark that it is a " new fangled notion." He murit, by putting every new suggestion to the practical test, ascertain for himself whether or not it is likely to prove of advantage to him. He, like all other men, must not be above learning. It is true that every new theory put forth is not applicable in all cases; the thoughtful fanner will readily see for himself what is likely to be of benefit to him. Particular lands, like particular diseases, require special treatment, A trial will show the studious farmer anxious to acquire.knowledge what is applicable to his case and what is not; but because one new theory fails he should not cast all aside as useless. The little book before us, though designed chiefly for the instruction of "amateur farmers," contains a mass of information, original and selected from high authorities, that cannot fail to prove interesting and useful to all engaged in farming, and should find a place in every farmer's library. Every operation in connection with farming is treated upon in a brief and concise manner, each item being arranged under a striking heading. If there is a fault in it, it lies rather in the brevity of the information than in a pro- - - .t or hign-soundmg pnite. The little book contains r.ir.-.-h that is new with much that is old and well-known, and altogether forms a very handy compendium of useful information.

Mr. Lincolnc has previously i>.sneu wvrkn upon farming, and thesi he siipplemfnis with monthly circulars s-.--ttin.fj out plainly the work for the month. \V~ hint <>uc of these circulars before us, and though of course the instructions it contains are not altogether applicable to this Colony, it must prove beneficial to the class for whose benefit and information it is published.

THE SHEEP ACT AND MEMO- ! AJSDt'M ON PARASITIC INSECTS WHICH IMJTESL' SHEEP. Wk have before us a very handy, neatly printed, and carefully compiled pamphlet, prepared and issued wider the authority of the Government, containing, in addition to

the Sheep Act of last session, a vast amount of information alike interesting and useful to flock-owners. It is divided into four parts—First, " The Sheep Act, 187S second, a complete republication of all the Proclamations, Orders in Council, and Gazette notices in connection with the Act that have appeared from time to time ;

' third, copies of books anil forms used by Inspectors of sheep ; and fourth, the memorandum prepared by Dr. Hector on the parasitic insects "which infest sheep, producing skin diseases and depreciating the value of both sheep and wool. The work has been very carefully compiled with a view of placing the whole of the available information under these heads in a clear and concise manner before owners of sheep, and the Government are deserving of every credit for having originated the idea of putting into pamphlet form so much useful information. Though there is not much original information in the pamphlet, the greater portion of Dr. Hector's memorandum having been culled from various sources, the publication is one that should meet with the approval of those for whose especial benefit it has been compiled. The fact that such a variety of information of a desirable nature for flock-owners to possess is compressed within a volume of some hundred pages, forms a strong recommendation in its favor,- for by means of it much time may be saved that would otherwise have to be devoted in hunting through files of Gazettes, &c., for information upon several heads necessary to be carefully noted. But while the pamphlet will be found highly useful as containing in a concise form the law relating to sheep, their transport from place to place (a very important matter to be noted owing to the very heavy penalties which breaches of the Act entail), their inspection, &c., the pamphlet possesses the additional attraction of a very clear exposition of the diseases that sheep are prone to, with details as to their origin, progress, and results, and hints as to the best modes of eradicating them. Though the information contained in this portion of the pamphlet is neither new or original, it is highly interesting and useful. By far the most original features of the pamphlet are the wood cuts, giving magnified representations of the various parasitic insects that insects that infest sheep—hideous and almost indescribable little creatures whose ugliness is only exceeded by their power for working mischief. Of these many minute details are given, including notes upon their natures, habits, modes of propagation; and effects upon sheep and wool, accompanied by directions as to their treatment. We regret that the lateness at which we received the pamphlet precludes. the possibility of our republishing any of tho information contained in it, but we. shall return to the subject in our next issue, ancl endeavor to cull from its pages something useful and interest-

Jug, In conclusion, we would remark that the pamphlet contains one very. objectionable feature. We allude to the advertisements of patent medicines given at -the end of the work. The Government have no right to interfere with the business of newspaper proprietors, whose journals have to depend upon advertisements Tor their success. The Government niight with as much fairness enter upon any other line of business—the sale of sugar, tea, &c. But the "matter in question is objectionable in another respect. The very fact of these patent preparations being published in a work issued under the authority of the Government is calculated to be viewed as a guarantee of their genuineness and superiority over similar preparations of other persons. The principle of Government in any way interfering with private enterprise is a pernicious one, and it is for this rea alone that we have referred to the matte: