DOES FARMING PAY?

Shannon News, 9 August 1927, Page 1

DOES FARMING PAY?

At 2001 b of Fat Per Acre HOW IT IS DONE It would be highly interesting to be able to make some comparison between the returns given by the “Morrinsville Star” of a Tatnanui farm and farms in the Manawatu. We are in the habit of quoting the butter-fat producI tion of individual cows and herds J but what really counts at the end j of the financial year is the return ! pc« r acre. If any of our Kaij l-anga dairy farmers can equal or j hotter the -returns submitted to ' the “Star” "by Mr H. V. Henric- ! son, of Tatuanui, “Rusticus” would ho very pleased to publish the particulars. The land of Mr Honricson’s farm is drained swamp, well slielered on the southern side by a belt of pines, while lawsonianas have been planted on the other l’rontagesr A vast improvement has been made by Mr Tfonricson during his occupancy of the farm. He first acquired the block in 1914 when it was rough and unimproved and partly covered with a growth of tea-tree. The land was brought in and the greater portion laid down in pasture. After two and a half yeais the farm was disposed of, but in 1923 it came back into the original owner’s hands. It was then only partly fenced and drained, and its carrying capacity about half of what -, t is to- j day. Four years of topdressing have improved the farm out of sight and it would be difficult to find a betterlooking property. The block has been divided into 13 paddocks. These are topdresdsd in alternate years, twice and once, so that one year they receive 4 cwt. to the acre and the next 2cwt. This expense is more than compensated by the increased yield of the herd. No crops of any kind are fed to the stock although hay and ensilage are made for winter feeding. The herd is a mixed one, comprising 98 cows. The return for the last season was 32,0001 bof fat, or 2001 bto th e acre. This figure is a record for the farm and a particularly creditable performance for such a large acreage. A spec-al feature of the farm and one in which Mr Henries on takes a justifiable pride, is th e piggery. This is specially constructed, the pigs for fattening being kept in an orderly row of sties with concreted floors and troughs. Four runs are provided for the breeding sows and boars. The pigs, of which there are 130, are fed on specially prepared meal during the winter which enables them to be in good condition in the spring when a demand sots in. It also enables the sows to be brought in at least a month earlier. A special electric plant was installed for boiling the food and keeping it warm, and, as this is the only one of its kind in the Dominion, power supply authorities are watching it with considerable interest with the view of introducing it more extensively to the farming community. Two vats, if a capacity of 120 and 200 gallons are kept continuously heated autonaticahy. The heating unit consists of a series of elements inside and und/rneath th e containers. . For four hours raild, when the peak load occurs, the power is switched off auto- ■ maticaclly. The material is boiled n the smaller containers, and there transferred to the other one, where it is kept hot. Mr Henricson says •die plant is giving him every satisfaction, and co ts only £3 12s a month. The cost of installing was less than for a steam boiler and has the advantage of not requiring constant attention. In marked contrast to many fan - houses is the neat bungalow, equipped with wireless, set amidst closely-crop-ped lawns. The farm might well be termed a “model dairy farm.” It is certainly a modern one, and provides an emphatic answer to the question, “Docs farming pay?'*