Round about the Farm

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 98, 16 July 1927, Page 27

Round about the Farm

GROUP FARMING FERTILISERS COUNT FARMING POOR LAND MAIZE PICKING SIMPLIFIED

Courting Profits With Fertilisers. —There was a time in New Zealand when the successful farmer was the man who bought in well and sold out for cash when times were good. Today the only profit is that taken from the soil. For years farmers preached of the value of fertilisers, but to-day in everincreasing numbers they act, and fertiliser sales during the last six months, largely as a result of lower prices, have registered a considerable increase. In some districts they have almost doubled. Nor have farmers been disappointed. Correctly and economically used fertilisers always warrant the expenditure. Convincing testimony as to their value is given by Mr. H. A. Lurman, of Otorohanga. Manuring and cultivation gave him a return of 81 tons of mangels to one acre. This is how he did it: In the autumn prior to sowing the land was skim-ploughed. Then it was top-dressed at diffeernt intervals with 5 cwt. super, 2 cwt. of kainit. With 121 b. of seed to the acre, 3i cwt. of super, 3 cwt. of blood and bone, and

* cwt. of sulphate of potash was put down. The crop was singled, hoed and top-dressed at different intervals with nitrate.

Low prices for superphosphate, according to a recent price-list published by the New Zealand Farmers’ Fertilisers and Kempthorne, Prosser, Ltd., will prevail till at least October of this year. Maize Picking Made Easy:— Considerable interest is evinced by Victorian farmers in a mechanical maize -picker imported by the Agricultural Department. Recently a party of over 600 farmers attended a trial. The machine, drawn by a tractor, picks, husks and bags the cobs. It covers five to six acres a day at an estimated cost, allowing for depreciation, of 5d a bag, as against the estinla ** €d Victorian cost for hand-picking of 7d a bag. It works with the greatest ease on the heaviest of crops. K Cd out with a five-horse team on •ugh and large yielding crops, it proved too heavy. New Land . For Settlement:— Right at Auckland's back door thousands of acres of land lie idle. Lnorts have been made by the Government to induce settlers to take it up, but, apart from a few isolated attempts, which ended in failure, nothing has eventuated. The land referred to is at Riverhead, miles in a straight line from P° s t Office. The Crown holds over <O.OOO acres of gum land, so poor that even Auckland businessmen have not been able to see a profit in it. Within three months, however, there is every' probability of the Crown Department again offering the iana to settlers under the new Act

which allows settlers to take up land r . ltbc,ut; liability for rent, and, provided ney execute a certain amount of improvements, to acquire the freehold after six years. Similar land offered at Rotorua last month drew eight applicants. Occupation is not compulsory. Cut xrp into suitable areas there is very possibility the Riverhead land If 111 d raw a large number of appliesrM°r? 5 ’ Recent experiments of Agriv Department officials in the orth have proved the possibility of ringing in what were previously considered waste lands. The chance now awaits the settler to prove whether such experiments can be applied with profit to commercial farm lands.

Farmers’ Finances in U.S.A.:— The Farmers’ Union since its inception has been a keen advocate of agricultural banks. Lately under the leadership of Air. Poison, the Dominion president, that body has put all its weight into an endeavour to get the Government to act. Only to a certain extent lias it been successful, however, and the Rural Credits Bill put through by the present House was largely brought about by the insistent agitation of the union. The Farmers’ Party, which promises to finalise and publish its platform next week, is also giving serious consideration to an agricultural bank proposal. U.S.A., with its usual hustle, has already followed the example of Denmark, and glowing reports come to hand from that country. Read what “Farm Journal,” one of that country’s leading agricultural publications, has to say about them: “There is no reason for pussyfooting about the Federal Land Bank system. They are a big, bri 11 iant success. They have accomplished what they set out to do, namely, to provide a system whereby the farmers might cooperatively borrow money from the world’s markets at the lowest rate of interest.

“That is precisely what the buyers aro now getting. The last issue of 100,000,000 dollars Federal Land Bank

Bonds sold like hot cakes with a 4£ per cent, coupon. Fight of the banks are now lending to the farmer at 5 per cent., two at 54 and two at 55 per cent. There is now 1,180,000,000 dollars in loans outstanding. “That means that the banks are an outstanding success, and we don’t care who knows it!” The American farmer still complains of hard times and almost insurmountable difficulties, but the above figures are seemingly a clear enough indication that the establishment of the farmers’ banks has been justified. Co-operative Effort on Farm:— Used in season, for the greater part of the year, most agricultural implements are little better than useless junk on the farm. Yet they are essential to success. Capital expenditure makes their acquisition a problem for the average farmer, and the majority have to resort to the time-payment system, while the lesser favoured are unable to deal at all. In fact, the greater part of New Zealand’s farm lands to-day suffer from a lack of cultivation. Expense, right along the line, that is the factor besetting the farmer, and his best friend in combating it has been proved to be co-operative effort. Yet, while co-operation has been brought to bear on marketing and manufacturing of produce, little has been done in regard to actual production. In the actual management of his farm the farmer is generally one of the most independent of individuals and, only as a last resource, will he seek the help of his neighbour. Yet, undoubtedly, greater co-operation would be largely in the interests of economy and increased production. Take modern farm machinery, the need of every man who would woo success. Would it not be possible to do more in the direction of group farming in New Zealand.? It works successfully in other lands, notably Denmark and France, so why not here? Tractors and big threshing plants, though admittedly beyond the reach of the average man on the land, could be acquired by co-operative effort and, properly handled, made available to the farmer at a minimum rental. Small co-operative groups with a minimum individual expenditure could have access to ploughs, drills, planters, mowing machines in turn. Or. better still, joint and several guarantee societies as in Denmark, buying in the best markets, could do much to eliminate the excessive time payment interest charges, and let the farmer acquire the smaller and mo-e commonly used im- > -epients at a minimum cost. Again, groups of small farmers, by .o-operative effort, could arrange for practically %al! their cultivation and work requiring the use of heavy implements to be done by a man using co-operatively owned machinery. Payment would be made by the individual according to services received. It might be argued that the need for planting and similar seasonal operations at certain periods would make group-farming impossible. That argument can be effectively combated. however, by the fact that where private contractors do the work of several farmers it has proved quite satisfactory. Effectively operated the system would certainly leave the individual with more capital to utilise in other directions, and give to many access to machinery not possible under existing conditions.

farmers take note With the limited means at n»s disposal in his country home, the man on the land is often confronted by problems he finds 5i7l se,f unable to solve. THE SUN, with its practically unlimited avenues of information, »• here to supply his need, and. On request, will endeavour to provide the answer for all questions affecting the man on the land. All items of interest forwarded with a view to publication in these columns will also be welcomed.