SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 119, 7 October 1912, Page 6

SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS TO FARMERS. SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE. "Go on as .you arc going now. Fertilise your land more—the more you fertilise it, the more j;ou will get out of it. Go on testing and culling your herds—the better the cow, the more milk and the greater profit. There is no reason why you should not get £ls a year out of each cow. instead of £7 to £B. Go on developing your cooperative system, and look after your markets." In tnese words His Excellency the Governor crystallised his advice to the farmers of Taranaki in his address in the Good Templar Hall, on Saturday morning, under the auspices of the Taranaki Agricultural Society. There was a large attendance. Mr J. S. Connett,' president of the society, was in the chair, and extended a welcome to His Excellency on behalf of the farmers in the district. He regretted that time would not permit of Lord Islington visiting some of the dairy herds in the district, and seeing the advantages of systematic culling as had been carried out 1 y many of the farmers in North Taranaki.

On behalf of the citizens of New Plymouth, the Mayor (Mr G. W. Browne) expressed regret at the approaching departure of His Excellency from the Dominion. "During the short time," continued the Mayor, "he has been in the Dominion, the keen interest he has taken in all matters has endeared him to us. At every opportunity he has urged the towns of the Dominion at all costs to pay close, attention to town-planning, having in view the prevention of slumming, and to adopt the latest scientific methods of sanitation in the interests of the public health. To those engaged in agricultural and dairying pursuits he has been untiring in his efforts to put our farmers in the way of obtaining the best results. We are deeply indebted to him for the zeal he has displayed in getting into touch with every class of people and endeavoring to improve their | conditions."

j HIS EXCELLENCY'S REMARKS. 1 ' Rising to speak, His Excellency was I greeted with loud applause. At the outset he expressed to the mayor his deep sense of appreciation of the very kindly terms in which he had, alluded to him, speaking as he had on behalf of the citizens of New Plymouth. It gave him ) great pleasure to view some of the in--1 teresting features with which New Plymouth abounded. He felt sure that some of the questions to which the mayor had alluded would be taken up and would > divert some of the evils of civilisation J which abounded in some of the older { countries. It had been a great disappointment to him to be prevented by !l illness from attending the opening of the last Winter Show at New' Plymouth. He had that day visited'the "Agricultural Society's new hall in St. Germain square, and he congratulated the members and all the citizens on being possessed now of such a very fine hall. Though his I stay in New Zealand Was brief, lie had tried to' intimately associate himself . as much as he, could 'with the main factors of the''prosperity and' welfare of the country. He regarded the main' function of the representative '6f the Crown as the object o£ awii'kenioig the Imperial spirit by interesting himself in those industries ancb ; interests - .appertaining to the country in winch lie was stationed. > First of all, however, it was necessary for them to be patriotic New Zealanders. j If he had been instrumental in-awaken-ing and strengthening this spirit, his sojurn, although-.short, had not altogether been in vain, .He was not long in the Dominion before 1 he discovered that ) the industry upon which all the other j industries must mainly hang was agriculture. It was so easy for people in i the town to forget the main factors which lay behind the country's .progress. He had never ceas-ed to "point out totowns, however, that their progress was bound up inseparably' with the progress of' agriculture. - He believed that the J . whole movement of the country must depend on agriculture, which was the main foundation of the country. He was pleased to. meet such a large audience that day, for Taranaki was standing out in the very forefront of the agricultural districts, especially in dairying. From his observations he was convinced that the farmers, of the Dominion were becoming more and more possessed of a strong progressive spirit, which led them to realise tlnA "science, enterprise, and industry must be applied to the work of an agriculturist if he wished to reap the full -jprpfit-; of" his labors. An enormous amodiit of industry must be 'applied before-.tlic profus could be fulbf enjoyed. Farmizig-meant long hours, early and late hours, and this was es: peeially applicable.;to the dairying inIdustry. The : rusults' in the aggregate spoke well for-rthe perseverance of Taranaki farmers. THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS.

Dealing with other, essential elements of agriculture—seienife and enterprisehe said that Taranaki was standing well out in the forefront; - "The better you do your land," he remarked, ''the more you get out of 'it. ' The more you put in the land the,more you will get out, pro rata, thau.iil ajuy ; other branch of industry " . He..added 'that the profits on one acre- of intensely farmed land were equal to : th'6se. on !th'f ee'acres of roughly tilled land. He was glad to see that basic slag, which -hejiimself had found oh his own farms to.be a most wonderful fertilising/rrgo.rierator, was so popular iiiTavaikkii 'M'well as fertile land, hbw.eve'l7 if .vias r/eces'sary to have.fertile leasts us'well: 'Uy.'the testing of the herds, whjeli wits '.'becoming more prevalent; c-vijry. veaY'.'in., the district—there would bAviio:'less:tli(i'n'2s,ooo-co\vs tested here for milk" and : butter fat this season —they could weed out the "wasters" that did not gjv«. a .proper return. They did not. want'.-CQwa that "sponged", on the farmers' ..hospitality. He had read with interest r tlie remarks of Mr. Dingle that the average' of butter-fat in. his

company during the past year was 1701bs per cow. If tue average could be raised to 2001bs it would make a difference in profit of £ IS,OOO /to Mr. Dingle's factory. Continuing, the Governor said that in this ' •jrhmediate district there were cows producing an average of no fewer tliair 30001b....

; y TESTING %%& CULLING. If this progressive- spirit of cow-test-ing and culling,\vere'extended throughout the 1 Dominion:'there would he the gaiin <of an additional million sterling, aiul (hat with the same land and the same number of eows. In this distriet' the pedigree breeders were working in conjunction-with' the Agricultural Department and -supplying it with the pedigree of their stud stock. I . . -ipO-DPKRATE. Wd-Islington, then; wont >on to strenuously advocate the great advantages to I be : obtained -byi farmers■ by forming eo- ■ operative oone'erns.' > Taranaki, he said. , could fairly claim 'to be the pioneer of tluj farmers' co-operative system. To his mind there was no more real element in scientific farming than this saihe system;" Already in Taranaki tliere wej-e many co-operative butter and chdese factories, 'besides a co-operative bacon, factory, box-making factory, and freezing .work,s. 'By .this .system,-the ' full collateral profit

from all the operations of farming—it | did not fritter away in other districts. | They were able to "produce at a minimum i of coat and sell at a maximum price. : Tliey should apply the whole of their' lime to scientific production. In the | Old Country many farmers had to break up their time because their minds were (oo much occupied with the marketing of their produce. Here in Taranaki they were free from much of that. It was extremely important for farmers to have their undivided attention on their work, unhampered by the worries of selling. He pointed out the position farmers would be in, and the victims they would be to all the ingenuities erf . the markets, if they had to sell individually. He warned the farmers not to come back io the old exploded idea that the only way to get on was by competition with neighboring farmers' co-opera-tive associations. The royal road for farmers was co-operation, not competition.

TO FEDERATE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES. The day might come—he hoped it would l —when they would find at advantageous to form some federation of farmers' co-operative societies in the Dominion. This would be to the profit of every individual farmer in the Dominion. He urged his audience to engage in cooperative buying as well as marketing.' In some parte of England .there were co- i operative concerns at which the fanners bought practically everything they ' required, 'and it was for the New Zealand farmers to organise on similar ■lines. Continuing, the speaker said that it was perhaps unnecessary to emphasise the importance to the farming community to ihave most viligant agents watching their interests' in the overseas markets. They did not want flattery at tike other end. They wanted agents who would acquaint them with the exact and true conditions of the markets, and who were not slow to point out any defects in our products. This was essentially in. view of the fierce competition of_. other producing [ countries, and the fastidious taste 3 of the consumers at the other end.

His Excellency then made interesting references to the need for the adoption of a system of light railways in the Dominion and to our over-sea trade, especially with Canada,.both of/which subjects are reported in another column. In thanking hie audience for the patient hearing they had accorded him, Lord Islington remarked that he had very great affection for the agricultural class w.hwever he found them. His farmer friends in the Old Country were siinilar in almost every way to New Zealand's sons of the soil, except that the latter were in some erase--the more progressive. Wherever he Avent' "he would always carry with him the warmest and kindliest feelings for the many friends he had made in New. Zealand, especially among the farmers.

in moving a' Very hearty vote of thanks to His Excellency for his address, which was carried with acclamation, Mr. Hi Trimble said that none of those present could have'listened to: ."the address without benefiting in some degree from the advice tendered:. ._.'!l,arn-.quite, sure," -ho remarked, "that we "don't pay nearly enough attentipnto thf sciqn.tific side of fajrming, and I believe also with His Excellency that there nearly enough co'-opwatl'On.. _, I believe that the cooperative .system 'is'.only. in its infancy, and that the time is s nbt : .far distant when iMviir b6\Veix !mu cTi; : extended in all of tluV •lVrancht , s''of' : the" farming industry." - - - :.-.:■ - ...

: AT-10N. doVERNOR .PRESENTED WITH AN 1 __ ADDRESS. ,j 'At the conclusion of .his address to farmers- at jjlew. /Plymouth ,pp Saturday, His Excellency ,iibe; vas P re * sehte4.^itbsn,&o4refß% M-fi.-;J. ; .S. Copnett, pf: ; Agirie}ilturaJ; Socfety, -on -beljalf of the • farmewj of' the disr trjct.. ; Owing. .to. .pressure ;of .-ptlier «n- - to 'Waitara ltoad, at whim, place it; was originally arranged tliai'tiVe' presentation of.-the, should be ' njade. "May' ft' pease' 'Eb'ur' fcicellency," ■ran the addreStS, "an.hehalf of the dairy -fapmers Of ti/d district .we desire to ex.prjesi' oilir''^lfeasirfef' at'tire llbilour of] yojur ljftct vi'ift fot 6f ' inspecting sifte- ofsftock'-ol tlie farmers/ '}>fibi';'to '4-6Ul' l iiepJh'fcurei -from l tlije (N'eivfi'iSiiakM'. ''Since appointment as Governor it -tos beien exceedingly gratifying to the farminj* community v«£deW- -afti-feiown thjat His' Majesty's (Fepesentative has shiowna.'feni'. pradtjoali >interest in the welfarci 06i Itinr Dxwitiril'on.'.rfonerftUyi.iawl' pe'rhaps mfare ..paj'tiiculflj'iLyii-ithat ,;Qf, .the t' farmer. This vprjf, ; feature; <>f -yw,; •. E^ellewyfe..(Joy&i^or-, sl(ip, : ijfclie fann(>r t s.i|o,el.,indeed .gKiftified tjiat ,suo}i ;i bond of ..mutual interest exists.;.,, a'.' gatjipripg' of. the farming r tjojpmtyiiity. ■ tad.k" place, 'm'pre a.t . agricuit^rd]' jso\vs,' your Ek-ejeltcnc.V'Juis,'-.alwaysendeavoured', to be give, practical; advice, fromVoiii I,' 1 ,' abtindant ■reghrtllfig' tJie ill- ( diistry. It will be pleasing to y6u u tb' feel that during term, of office—an altogether t&'wilirtilti—*&!«.<•fee dairying industry lias incretrsed .very considefably'ttufi ia;in «l ! motet 1 prosperous conditi6ii', whilst , '{here l is'.hlsb abundant evidpiico 'o'f its'fiitufo pdtentialities.' The export from t'hel-Domiaidh Ifo -the Home kn«!iofr : ''butter.iilias .imrfeasod-iffrom D 575 t ins to dfiylS3; fonsvdiufiriy the-past.tell jearSi* aikki chaise:! fwtot; 2017 ito:. 24,nostras','dum>g': thepej'idd; an addition t» wlwli oife^-in^rlfflts,J>aß9,;dpriijg tjje past .;y^r>r;:absprl}e(i.-;C;Qi3^icicrfiblp. ;qui\ai-. t ties,, - j-Jie ;; yalu«Ei r of ; ; .prp.--duet^, ; |has, rmciMpased. fr^. ;( to. - and. coTjijiaig. ~'y'ear , Wjll- - -jnci^as^.ljotLin.qua-nßty. and. valiielV.. l .' r .j'.'.j'.'.\ ' .' . WrliiWl rc^-t]tiMj'gx^9e(lii}^Rt'.y'ouy ,.<!«- 'pirfcure^frQiij-ouf - ...Dominion. 'we'.desire to. e tpii&S b tir. gratificat'iCiA.at! 'the fact that yon.;'lia'caflei by" to O '' C "W. 'ttspohsrble posi-' t oil, and'Hve/thtet £lKt' He'r Excellency a nd your good self may be long spared tb : cjirry out anprdab^Jriclrrfiis' Majesty n ay be pleased to confer 'on you. ' 1 G oDrSAsrm a l ®!K XJRJ.-, And we subscribe ourselves his most . leva! on, iiekaif; of the farmjng <v immunity,- : of-Jbfi.^l-^rjc^-ni. ,• i; r J - j o lenitive, •]>iirvi',,Q#inpant; ( S. E'LLI.bT, C-iainr«vn .I^o;r ( tli,.'-Tara.naki' Co-operative Dairy " f. ' WHITEHEAD, 1 Oiaimwn Tiicoiungi Co-operative Dairy Cmipany ; ,T. IT.' Sniitli, Chairman Waitf ra Dairy 'Company; Waits m, October .'sth, 1.01^.!' His Exbfllleii'cy returned thanks for the piesenta-tirm, and assured his audience tl at it'WouM'klwiiyri occupy a prominont . pt sition- in'-his -liidttifl iii'rEnglamd;