OUR STAPLE INDUSTRIES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 205, 8 December 1910, Page 3

OUR STAPLE INDUSTRIES.

RURAL NEW ZEALAND UNDER REVIEW. No. 7. By R. J. Eames. (All Eights Eeserved.) TARANAKI: THE PROVINCE PROLIFIC. THE SCALES AND THE BABCOCK TESTER. Although there is a general agreement that cow-testing is valuable it is rather surprising to find what a large number of farmers there are who eye-measure a cow's merits by the volume in the bucket. But where systematic testing has been adopted there has generally occurred a series of surprises. The scales and the Babcock are merciless judges. A well-known farmer, regarded as one of the shrewdest in the province, has a herd of 60 purebred Jerseys. To purchase them ''broke the back," as he puts it, of £2OOO. Naturally in a herd of this quality the production of the animals was watched closely; yet a season's testing revealed the fact that the owner had thought he had twenty cows better than the milker which was proved to be the most valuable. That has been a common experience. Under the old rough-and-ready style of culling a fairly big "moving brigade" was created,,and, with the adoption of a scientific method, that brigade is likely to be largely augmented. These are'the cows—many ot them most pleasing to the eye—which find their way annually to new owners, generally through the'public saleyards. An experienced dealer estimates that 25 per cent, of the dairy cows in Taranaki belong to the moving brigade. That appears to be an altogether, excessive proportion, and it constitutes a very serious problem. It has been suggested that some system should be adopted whereby owners' would be prevented from selling the duffers of the dairy as milch cows. The idea of "broad-arrowing" is, not very popular, but if the scrubbers were branded owners would at least have the satisfaction of knowing that if they could not sell their own mistakes thev" would be protected aginst the animals which have failed to justify their existence in other dairies. Farmers are beginning to realise what a gamble it is "to buy on appearances, and the tendency is developing to pay for cattle according as they are graded by at least a season's weighing and testing. IN -THE ROUGH COUNTRY.

Taranaki is the smallest land district in the North Island, but it must be understood that the beautiful meadows to which reference has been made occupyonly a small part of it. Every year, jt is true, the meadow area is extended, i but the rough and precipitous hinterland I after all sets a severe limitation upoi* the area of really first-class dairy land. On every hand there has been a most noticeable improvement during the past few seasons, and every year logging and stumping operations add more land to the grass area and vastly improve the prospect. To the east of the railway line there is a great extent of rough, ivnroaded country through which, even in the height of*summer, no .traveller would care to journey for pleasure. With the exception of a few blocks—Mokau- * Mohakitino, Eangitoto-Tuhua. Maraekowhai, Tamatumahoe and Whakaihuwaka (please preserve us from the perpetuation of such nomenclature!) Taranaki land district must now be regarded as settled. At Tangitu last yeai 88 settlers (wives and children totalling 452) entered upon their pioneering, and the hardships which have to be endured throughout the whole of the rugged back country make stories of monumental heroism.. The absence of suitable metal in many parts makes road-making an impossibility, and this adds vastly to the trials of those who are toiling valiantly to break inhospitable isolation in,to desirable dwelling places. Although we have said that Taranaki is "settled," it must not be supposed that the limits of settlement have been reached. That would be very far from the fact. Many farms which are now changing hands are being cut up into smaller and still smaller areas as the land becomes more valuable. .It has been found, too, that smaller dairy herds yield, on an average, bigger profits than larger herds. It will be many years yet before Taranaki reaches its limit of population, and land values in the rough country are a very variable quality. In the northern part fern land runs upwards from 8s an acre, and the price goes on increasing as one comes southwards. The best of the undeveloped country lies in what is known as the Ohura Valley, which has flats of about a mile in width. If it were not for the frightful roads this land would command "bigger money; as it is farms now used for dairying are as high as £l3 per acre. To mention bad roads naturally suggests the railway which the Government has undertaken to put through, but a visit to the locality supports the whispered suggestion that it will be years before Kohuratahi, a point 45 miles from Stratford, is passed. There is a. stretch of 27 miles, over the Tangarakau Gorge, which provides what is said to be one of the toughest engineering jobs with which our°railwav-bui!ders have had to grapple. NOXIOUS WEEDS.

With regard to noxious weeds it should he noted that the worst thing Northern Taranaki has to face is the hlackberrv. Between Stratford and the northern boundary there are places simply overrun with "the black peril." The vines grow to a great height and their penetrating power is enormous. Finding a little defect in a tombstone, a runner forced its way through tht» monument. It is related that on one place vines grew through the side of a dwelling-house; certainly they have pierced the hearts of men. Where the plough cannot be got in it has been found practically impossible to get rid of the pest. Gradually the blackberry is spreading southwards, and before long heroic measures will be necessary to check its pestilential progress. In this respect, of course, Taranaki is not peculiar. There are thousands of acres in other parts of the North Island which suffer similarly. TARANAKFS SHEEP.

With the exception of Westland Taranaki runs fewer sheep than any other provincial district in New Zealand, and the experience is that year by year the march of the Golden Cow presses sheepfarming still further into the back country. By way of example it may be noted that at the'Hawera sheep fairs 10 years ago it was nothing to see from 25,000 to 30.000 yarded for sale. Nowadays. seven, eight, and ten thousand is regarded as a good yarding. Next season a I well-known sheep breeder, who is now runninc 3000 sheep, intends displacing them by dairv cows. Of the 24,000,000 sheep in New Zealand Taranaki only has about 700,000. The Lincoln is the foundation of the flocks. It was soon discovered that by crossing with the Romney a very hardy sheep for the back eoimtrv was produced. When the Lin-] coins were kept uncrossed there was a.\ much heavier mortality than there ought to have been, and so the Lin?o!n-Romney and the Lincoln-English Leicester came into vogue. Other well-known breeds are fully represented, but the crosses named have been found, generally' Speaking, most suitable to the requirements of Taranaki. With the development of the I fa,t lamb trade Shropshire; Sdufehdown^