SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

Shannon News, 8 July 1924, Page 4

SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

PLEA FOB INSTRUCTION OF INSTRUCTORS.

At the recent social of the watu A. and P. Association, which was attended by the Governor-Goneral and the Prime Minister, -Mr F. J. Nathan (Mayor of Palmerston North) in proposing the toast of "The Visitors,” after having extended a few words of welcome to His Excehency Lord Jellicoe, the Consul-General from the United States of America, and Consul from the Argentine, and wel- ; coming also Mr Elmslie, British Trade Commissioner, made an appeal to the Minister of Finance to support the Minister . Agriculture by making such financial ' arrangements as would permit the Department to build and equip a scientific laboratory and dairy school. He was pleased indeed to hear the remarks by Mr Dalrymple in ■proposing, the toast of "The Department of Agriculture,” and, continuing, said:— V “I listened with pleasure to the remade by Mr Dalrymple on the question of the establishment of a . school for dairying and a laboratory for research work. In this hall twelve months ago I made a strong plea to the Minister of .Agriculture-for .funds for the same purpose. The Minister ati that time said it was , impossible, with the finances at his disposal, to do anything. To-night we are more fortunate. I have on my right the Hon. Minister for Finance, and appeal to him, on behalf of an industry that is worth twenty millions per annum to this country, to let us have the benefit df scientific training and knowledge Which to-day w.e arc without and have not means at our disposal of gathering. • The only laboratories established in this country under this-head are in the hands of .two companies, and havy.iiig- intimate - knowledge of the work ;wh'ijph they have performed, I have no ■’ ;’heifsation in saying that the expendia considerable amount of_ ih'oney in this direction would be well repaid by the knowledge that would be gleaned by that training. At the moment, none of our dairy staff and >1 speak now of the instructors—lias j any means whatever of getting any j scientific training at all. For many J years now we.have been pleading with , th e various Governments to establish a college,'for the instruction of dairy factory managers* and I, appeal again to the Brime Minister and Minister oi Agriculture. to do something .in this • direction because it is so needful, and; has been such a longfelt wamt' "There .is one other paint I would like to addiress myself this evening, and that is the point referred to by Dr Reakes, Director of Agriculture, who, in responding to the toast of “The Department,” advocated the grading of cream and milk. This reform is mQst desirable.'. Whilst you listened to many remarks as regards the quality of the New Zealand butter and cheese, —•many people claiming that it\is the; ■ pest in the world—it is a matter yof agrave concern to those, who like my* ! *self are intimately interested in this industry, to have to say to you this evening that there has been, without any doubt, a'serious falling off in the quality of the butter and cheese that has left this country this past season. The Prime Minister has told you of the huge growth of our exports—from four millions ,to sixteen millions since 1914—and Mr Elmslie will perhaps be able to give'you the figures when he ■ responds to this, toast of the very large, increase in imports into Great Britain in butter and cheese during the same period from foreign countries—by that I means such countries as the Argentine, Siberia, . and Euro-, pean countries —k> thatl we can look in the. future for very much keener competition than' we have had in the past, and, speaking with a sense of - respon- : sib.ility, I believe that we will have to face lower values for our produce in the future compared with what we have received in the past. This means that every possible attention will have to be paid to the quality of the butter and the. cheese which we export from this ’country. Therefore we would welcome any legislation that will come to make the grading of milk and cream compulsory, but I fail to see how any grading whatever can .oure the evil .that exists unless the Government are prepared to go a step further than, that, and that is to pass necessary legislation which would prevent a supplier, whose nlilk or cream has been rejected from one factory, from leaving that factory and diverting his supply to another factory, because so long as a man can divert his supply -from one, factory to. another, just so long as. that happens, there can be no proper control over the quality of the milk or cream going into the, factories.

Possibilities of Pork. "The Right Honi. the Prime Minister, in speaking tlo you to-night covered practically the whole ground of the dairying industry, but none 'of the speakers this evening has touched upon what I look upon as the most important part of the dairying industry which in this pountry is very much neglected by the dairy farmer. I refer to the pork and bacon industry. At the present time this ,is of very little moment to the country, and I wonder if you appreciate that England imports over £50,000,000 worth of pork and bacon, and of that huge trade how much have we ? From America alone last year Great Britain imported £ 2 7,0 01), 00 0 worth. I contend that we in this country should be sharing this business, but just so long as the farmers, of this country will limit the output of pigs to the amount of whey or skim milk they are drawing from the factory, and will not provide any other feed for the pig, then the same -state of affairs is going to exist. You farmers will admit that the pig .is the most sensitive animal you have on the farm to heat and cold, and yet wha;t provision lo you make to house or care for them, and what feed do you grow for them, and, what care do you pay to them? The output of pigs from each farm should be at least two hogs for every cow-that is -milked,

and with very few exceptions, hardly one of you are turning out one hog to' the cow milked. This industry should be, ini the next few years, ■ worth at least from £5,000,000 lo £10,000,000 per annum, and in view of the competition that we are bound to meet, and of the lower values tlhat are bound to come, it behoves each and every one of you to give attention/ to what may be called "the side issues” of your business. ; PILES—‘‘INSTANT RELIEF.” "Your treatment is wonderful. It gave instant relief, and the first lot cured me.” Thus concisely writes a Feilding resident. He adds “Yeui don’t know how thankful I am that I noticed your advertisement.” ,