AGRICULTURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 321, 10 July 1912, Page 5

AGRICULTURE.

DAIRYING, PIGS AND FRUIT. By Telegraph —Parliamentary Reporter. Wellington, Last Night. Before resigning his position in the Government the Hon. T. Mackenzie presented to Parliament his annual report of the Department of Agriculture, Commerce and Tourists. "Realising as I do," he says, "the enormous possibilities in the fertile soil of our country, when their natural reserves of plant fqod are properly conserved and arc utilised to the best advantage, it has been very gratifying to me to know that solid advanc;; is being made in the methods of farming in vogue. This is a particular sonrce of pleasure when it is remembered that the increasing appreciation of scientilic methods is largely the result of the work of the officers of my Department." The absence of harassing methods of inspection, combined with the rapid development of the operative experiments and lierd-test> ing work, is bringing the farmers to realise as never 'before that, the Department is solely concerned in advancing an industry of which he is a component part, and 'which is the mainstay of the country's prosperity. "The most notable achievement in the past year's work," the Minister adds, "has been the expansion of the activities of the experimental farms to include the practical training of the sons of farmers in the most modern methods of farming. The need of such a service lias specially appealed to me, and as soon as the necessary provision and arrangements could be made I initiated the scheme of farms o.f instruction. When these are well established I am convinced that they will not only prove popular, but will have a farreaching influence on our primary industries."

NEW MARKETS. The Minister goes on to say that the trade being developed with the markets on the western seaboard of Canada and the United 'States, by .reason of the special subsidies by the Government to the Steamship Company, which has established services between New Zealand ports and Vancouver on the one hand an(l San Francisco on the other, is developing at a very satisfactory pace. Excellent opportunities have thus been presented of catering to a keen and expanding demand for some of our leading products. Some difficulty 'hits arisen as to the refrigerated space available for New Zealand butter for the Vancouver market. This is largely in the hands of New Zealand shippers, who have failed to secure the necessary space, owing to inability to book it well ahead. The Minister adds: 'This is receiving my attention, and I have no doubt the Union Steam Ship Company will be able to give better facilities to New Zealand shippers for booking space daring the coming season.

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY, "The weakness of the industry," the Minister remarks, "continues to be want of a clean and uniform milk supply. While many of our dairy farmers are delivering their milk in a satisfactory state, others are not taking the caTe of it they should, and are thus lowering the milk of their more careful neighbors to the unsatisfactory level of their own. Educational work is the only means of bringing about the desired change, and this I am determined to foster and amend." FRUIT-GROWING.

On this subject the Minister remarks that some idea of the expansion of the industry may be formed from the fact that 200,000 trees were planted out last season in one district alone. In the same district arrangements are being made to plant out at least another "200,000 trees during the coming season. "This development," lie adds, "is being brought about with a view to establishing an extensive and regular export trade in the best commercial varieties of apples, a trade which oweß its institution largely to the assistance given by my Govern-! ment in the shape of subsidies and bonuses. Tt is a mistake to think that the English markets offer the only profitable outlet for our exportable surplus. It has been proved this season that profitable returns can be assured from both South and North American markets. Enquiries were received from South America for 80,000 cases, while a shipment carried in cool storage to Vancoui ver was landed in excellent condition, and sold at good prices. The yield of the orchards during the season was excellent. In many cases local markets were glutted, and low prices were in consequence returned to, producers. This unsatisfactory state of affairs would have been largely obviated had growers some extensivb system for marketing their fruit. A weakness of the local marketing has been the rushing of large quantities of apples, often immature, on to an already well-supplied market, instead of spreading the supplies over a longer period. In this connection the. question of cool storage should receive the serious consideration of our growers."

THE PIG INDUSTRY. "For the first time," remarks the Minister, "the production of pigs lias proved the most profitable enterprise of the farmer's year. It is gratifying to me to know that the pasteurisation of skim milk and whey, in order to cheek the spread of bovine tuberculosis among pigs, a movement which I have endeavored to foster in several ways, is steadily gaining ground."