World-Wide Trend to Increase Output

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 246, 7 January 1928, Page 23

World-Wide Trend to Increase Output

A NEW ZEALANDER ABROAD

Farming in Other Lands

EVERYWHERE to-day in all parts of the globe the trend ot the man on the land is toward increased production and more scientific farming methods. Thus, conditions abroad, especially when seen through the eyes of a New Zealand farmer, make interesting reading. The Sun has been fortunate in securing extracts taken at random from the correspondence of Mr. A. J. Matthews, a Poverty Bay farmer, who is at present on a world tour.

It is at Panama, writes Mr. Matthews, where the Homeward-bound traveller secures his first glimpse of American methods of testimony of the possibilities of intensive cultivation. There the hillside cultivation, writes Mr. Matthews, is simply astounding to one not accustomed to it. Grapevine culture is, of course, the principal industry, but, so steep is the country, that the ground has to be backed up into miniature terraces to keep it in place. Yet, helped by a heavy rainfall and extensive manuring, the plants ,U> surprisingly well despite the little •lepth of soil. Throughout the whole of Europe simiy conditions prevail. Intensive culti-

vation is carried out on every hand. It is only by moving across to the wide open spaces of the new world, writes Mr. Matthews, that one sees farming on a big scale. CANADA IN FULL SWING Striking Canada in the fall the visitor was enabled to see the harvest in full swing. Travelling across country through the wheat belt farmers could be seen on the platform endeavouring to induce men to disembark and sign on with them for the harvest. At the time of writing men were pouring into the prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta from east and west, and it was estimated that over 30,000 extra men would be required. The men work from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m.

with only one hour’s stop at mid-day for lunch for a wage ranging from tour to five dollars a day. No “smokos,” such as arc customary in New Zealand, are allowed. Through Panama the New Zealander’s next greatest interest lies in London. Smithfield market is well worthy of inspection by the farmer. It is the clearing centre for frozen meat from all parts of the globe. It is there, writes Mr. Matthew r s, that the reason for Argentine’s supremacy in the beef trade can be seen. While the Argentine chilled carcases have a bright, fresh bloom, the* New Zealand frozen beef has a dull, stale appearance. Pork in Smithfield is in steady demand and

buyers there seem to consider that there should be quite a profitable market for New Zealand’s surplus. INTENSIVE CULTIVATION In Belgium and Holland, where practically the whole of the country is flat, the visitor is particularly struck with the intensive cultivation carried on. The farmers have manuring and cultivation down to a fine art and few patches of uncultivated ground are to be seen. There attention is chiefly directed to cropping with dairying and sheep-rais-ing only a very small side issue. A voyage up the Rhine provides convincing proof of what can be done in this direction. There, indeed, is an object lesson for New Zealand farmers.