INTENSIFIED FARMING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 60, 29 July 1912, Page 7

INTENSIFIED FARMING.

ADDRESS BY PROFESSOR W. T. MILLS. - WHERE SCIENCE COMES IN. "Intensified farming as a learned profession," was the text of an address delivered to an audience of about fifty farmers and citizens in the Town Hall, New Plymouth, on Saturday afternoon, by Professor \V. T. Mills, national organiser to the United Labor Party of New Zealand. Mr. W. Ambury, president of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, was in the chair. At the outset the professor endeavored to show cause for the removal of the line of demarcation between the farmer and the professional man. "We have," he remarked, "two general classes of workers in the world—those who are supposed to be workers, and those who are Bupposed to be professional workers. The old common idea of the professional man was the solicitor, the physician, and the surgeon, and after a while "it extended itself and took in the teacher, and then the civil engineer and the architect, and now it is on its way to include the farmer, and it will not be a I misfortune for the profession or the I fanner if that happens. The general line of distinction between the ordinary | worker and the professional man is that the man who is an ordinary worker I lives by the things that he does by his [ hands; the professional worker does things, the principal item in the perform--1 ance of which is his knowledge." Continuing, he said that, in short, the two "classes comprised the man who was> simply able to do what he was told to do and the man who knew how to do it and to tell others to do it. He then i went on to draw an analogy between I the work of a professional man, in the common acceptance of the term, and that of the scientific farmer. The professor stressed hi.? contention that there was no occupation at all within the reach of any group of men which had greater opportunity for the man of special training and offered greater reward for the man of special capacity. and> demanded more «arcful and skilful training for the. duties which were to be undertaken than the work of the modern farmer. The speaker then touched upon the wonderful changes that had taken place of late years in farming, stating that only a little while ago we did not know it was possible to enormously increase the productivity of farms by the application of science, as seen in the crossing of different species of grain, irrigation, • drainage, and so on. In this connection he instanced how in some of the great American grain-growing centres the output of the same land and the ' same labor had, by offering bonuses to farmers for experimental work and securing the co-operation of other growers, been increased a third to half more in value, and in some cases more than doubled by the adoption of intensified farming, and yet the use of electricity ' ( in agriculture, and the improving of soils . through deep drainage were in their in- j fancy. Proceeding, the. professor cited j specific instances in America where the'. value of lands had been multiplied and ' | the productivity of the soil marvellously , increased by the methods outlined. He added that the revolutions that organ- i isation. equipment and scientific methods had been able to accomplish in the process of manufactures were nothing to what may be expected in agriculture. Enlarging on deep drainage of farms in America,. Mr. Mills stated, that where hills and other typographical disadvan- . tages had intervened many of the great swamp lands had been drained by "delving down many feet below the 'earth's surface until an underground watercourse was hit upon. This was utilised to carry the water away. THE WATER QUESTION. [ Interesting also were the professor's remarks.on the enormous potential value of the water power in New Zealand in general and in Taranaki in particular which was running to' waste. He referred to the water power of Mount Egmont, and asked why it had not been harnessed, so as to electrify the whole of the surrounding country. The most important factor in connection with the land question was the water question. If the falls on Taranaki"* mountain were utilised it would mean light, heat, power, and what not to the farmer! Branch lines of the electricity thus derived should be carried within the reach of almost every farmer in the district. As an instance of the importance of electricity in farming he mentioned a certain district in America, which he had visited, where he was struck with the fertility of the comparatively poor soil and the health-giving proclivities of the ] climate. This he found had been brought about by the utilisation of electric currents to an advanced degree. " I cannot.." he remarked, "tell you how to do it. I only know that it has been done." the glass-covered farms (several stones high) of Chicago and their wonderful routine were described in detail by Mr Mills, after which he went on to tut. at the educational system of New Zealand. The great fault'in our schools wis, he declared, that as soon as boys got to school they v.-v.re trained to leave their homes and seek opportunities abroad. Then, when the Oovernnient required experts, it had to import them. Agncu hire did not enter sufficiently >nto the educational syllabus. Evenday it was becoming mon , , nl ,| mon , in ;_ perative that the farmer n,„st be a trained man. Tie musl l„. ; ,|,|e f„ r i„ .stance, to put in ilt , cleclrical plant of lus own and keep if i„ repair himself. In these ways would the service of the farmer he brought into the position of a professional man. Fanning, when properly carried o„, , v ,.„|,l 1,,' „ „,«,„. nI service, u . BW j.,| „.„.;,.,_ ~ K „ l . vi( , ( , f training and capacity. (Applause.)

"'I'HK <"Or\TliY WITH TIIK (IUKATKST: OIM'OUTUMTY" A considerable portion of the professors addrcs.s was devoted to a Keneralipjition on Hi;, land question. In icadinsr up to this point | H . declared -, sivoiu; likill"- for \cw Zealand. '-This'" he remarked, 'is the Ihine- i n V our ( . olln . try that I like. \Yw Zealand l,as a preatcr opporl nnily than anv other country on the face of t| arth. If she lias :. prater opportunity she has a more serious rcspon.-ihilil v than another country. There is no place on the earth where the n>ht (hiijrr Will he so easy: no place when', von are so near Hie place yon omrhl to he fh:i:i here. 'l| lr opportunity is ..Teaier. l„i(

! si '-'' lll;l1 ' f'ie man in A! w /ie.l.iml !■•:•-';) jhepcr 0p,.:.,!:. :■]>■.■ \ r . iv,•:!■]■ „,., n ;.'. ."< i,, |, !■■"••• ilcrV l-.vhos.- „,„■!; til" |'-| = e.->);er ..-.-J..IN-.:,. TJ:, s|ll ,, fcl , r . '■ceded Inrlher in ih■ - strain, the <.';■•' of jhN lowr'o !„;:,.- [hat \,,. v v danger was n.,< M ( ,in- the ri-ht way aliont (he land and educational questions. The former was ;\t- present an unsolved problem. ,\s re-rar-'s cdi!c«tie.:i. I i; "' connln ;.,,-■ ],, ~;,,.,.;,,.! ,;;,.,,. iiv J'., j ,: '" '■■'"<'■ i: ";, ;>■'!;_■';';! the f.u-ij.ry.' J Ln-llv. he S ),i,. f i. "This"is mv mess.. ! :'■■":■ ■"'■•.wl.nl:. lre,d of modem ljf, j N in tee direct bm „f makin- the fanc-r ■ either an ignorant, uinifor-med 'mworthv bitterly evoloiled producer of 1-.-.W m:it«.,-, s il<. ■»,«..! ,- !i:sn t „ ~,,, h , , ■?■''". "Y "ttl, for l; I!V! . s,rv;:-es. or '""" '" ( ' !l ' ( '- ; '-ec|ion of (he v/ay 0 f (,„, " n . ,:, 7.' r " : -» l «. ,? . i ' r«rmr.-s lif.. ],{. cn-afr sc.entifie training in |,is own class so f I''- 1 instead of liftmr mastered bv'tlm sitnaLon he vnll become master of if" Tfe added that this meant wider know-

Iw'go. and wider training meant that the whole educational life must be brought to play upon agriculture and industrialism.