FARMING IN ENGLAND.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 259, 25 October 1928, Page 6

FARMING IN ENGLAND.

MR. LEESON’S IMPRESSIONS Comparison With New Zealand. “ No Place Like Dominion.” An interesting outline of farming conditions in England was given by Mr. J. E. Leeson, chairman of directors of the Morrinsville Dairy Company, during the course of an address to the members of the Morrinsville branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union on Saturday evening. Mr. Leeson said that while in England he visited the large Rugby cattle sale, and the prices realised made his mouth water. The dairy cows were sold one at a time and were first of all weighed. One fat bullock of 1300 pounds live weight brought £39. Cows that he would be glad to get £6 for in New Zealand brought £26. Mr. Leeson said he was not impressed with the quality of the milking cows. The every-day average farmer milked cows of poorer quality than would be seen on New Zealand farms. Many were milking £2O cows that he would not look at. The Home farmers did not seem to take the same scientific view of farming as was usual in the Dominion. The reason was that they had the best market in the world at their back door; They were not forced to co-operate to market their produce. Mr. Leeson described a 140-acre farm in Northamptonshire at which he stayed for a week. The price was

only £25 an acre and the quality of the land was good. Fifty acres were arable' and 90 acres were in pasture. Of the arable land 15 acres was in wheat, 10 acres in barley and the remainder in oats. The buildings were worth more than the land. They were solid and pretentious, with barns by the chain, a huge hayshed and several implement sheds. The 90 acres of pasture carried only 13 cows and 48 ewes. The cows had a generous ration of concentrates in addition to the grass.

It was worthy of note that the 48 j ewes produced 76 lambs, said Mr. Leeson. • These were expected to realise from £3 10s to £4. The rates ruling for shorn ewes at Rugby were | £4, fat lambs bringing between £2 and £3. Home farmers were grumbling at the low prices for pigs. The sum of £ll 12s 6d was received for a chopper, and it was thought that the pig was worth at least £l3.

The Government was sympathetic to the English farmers, Mr. Leeson went on. The Farmers’ Union was a strong body and was very practical. It had now taken over the payment J of farmers’ rates, thus giving a con--siderable amount of relief. j “I do not like to brag, but I think | the New Zealand farmers work far J harder than those at Home,” said Mr. Leeson. On the farm he visited there Iwas the owner, his son, a cowman, horseman and three youths to do the (work. They did not start milking until 7 o’clock in the morning and the cows were turned out at 5 o’clock at night.

English'farmers were complaining bitterly of daylight saving. Men were employed for an eight-hour day, and it was necessary to pay over-

time. The estimated annual overtime bill was £2,000,000. It was the same story as in New Zealand. The farmers were a minority, and their voice had been lost in the demand of the majority. Daylight saving for six months every year was now law.. Mr. Leeson said he had visited four dairy schools. At one there were nearly 100 pupils of both sexes. The farmers’ daughters were taught how to make good butter. Fine herds were kept, and everything was quite up to date. The scientific aspect was given prominence.

The speaker said he had been interested in intensive topdressing in England. In most places the grass pastures were poor. He had never seen any grass in England like that round Morrinsville. However, there was increasing interest manifest in fertilising. At one school where experiments were being carried out Bcwt of slag or phosphates was put on and thereafter lcwt of sulphate of ammonia, which contained 27 per cent, of nitrogen and cost £ll a ton in England, was applied every month. The paddocks were eaten down bare. It was thought that this system would save the feeding of auxiliary fodders.

Few milking machines were used 1 on English farms, said Mr. Leeson. The farmers seemed to be dubious ‘ about them. One elaborately-laid-out farm he had visited had 65 cows, eight machines and eight men attend- \ ing them. In addition there was a man in plus fours directing the operations in the shed, the speaker-- added amid laughter. ; Living conditions for. farm labourers were better now than they used to be. The men were paid from £2 12s to £2 15s for an eight-hour day, which would go as far., as £4 in New Zealand. “ Never anywhere in my travels have I seen the grass grow like it does here,” said Mr. Leeson in con(Continued in Next Column)

elusion. “ I am satisfied from my investigations and after attending the World Dairy Congress, that no country in the world can teach us anything about milking cows or the dairy business; and I am convinced that there is no more pleasant place than New Zealand to live in and nowhere where there is a better chance of making a living. I am only too pleased to be back again.”