OUR STAPLE INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 129, 18 October 1912, Page 4

OUR STAPLE INDUSTRY.

During the course of his address to farmers in New Plymouth the other day, his Excellency the Governor tendered some capital practical advice to his hearers which it is to be hoped will bear good fruit. "The better you do your land," he said, "the more you get out of it. The more you put in the land the more you will get out, pro rata, than in any other branch of the industry." He.' added that the profits on one acre of intensively farmed land were equal to those on three acres of roughly tilled land, and that as well as fertile, land they must have fertile beasts. Tie then enlarged on the benefits that followed systematic testing and culling. If the Governor's advice were generally followed Taranaki dairy exports would soon be doubled. As it is, we doubt very much whether in butter-fat production we are making any progress. Bigger returns certainly are being obtained but they are due more to the increase in prices than to ail increase in the quantity of butter-fat. Some districts, we are aware, are making substantial progress. We have only to turn to Tikorangi to find proof of this. There the farmers are imbued with up-to-date ideas and enterprise, and are now reaping the inevitable reward. In 1910, for example, the butter-fat received was 245,1031b5; next year the quantity increased to 266,(559' ibs, and last year the figures were 307,0031b5. ' There are other important factors that slow tlic position in an even better light. In 1912 the fat was drawn from an urea of about 300 acres less than that of 1910, or an increase of fat in three years of over 25 per cent, from less land. In 1905 the fat received was 200,4171b5, obtained from an area exceeding that ©f 1912 by 400 acres. Just after that top-dressing became general throughout the district, with the result that there has been an increase in seven years of almost 50 per cent, on a smaller area of land. This case, unfortunately, is not a general one—it i? exceptional. We quote it to show what can l)Q done by properly treating the pastures. In many other factories the reverse position is shown —a steady decrease in the butter-fat supplies. The figures of one important factory not far from New Plymouth show —1910, 703,591 lbs; 1911, 619,6711b5; 1912, 599.3101b5. Another factory towards Opunake exhibits a similar falling off, namely—l9lo, 267,9991b5; 1911, 244,4891b5; 1912,240,888 lbs. Further down the line, the position is no better. Thus we find that for one large factory serving an area of country that is increasing in extent rather than decreasing, the figures are—l9lo, 1,170,9041b5; 1911, 1,122,5801b5; 1912. 1,151,2381b5. Other factories in the same district are barely holding their own. This should not be. It is admitted that manj of the farmers are improving their methods and obtaining very much better results, and the increase should be reflected in the general returns. That they are not, conclusively proves that the rest of the farmers are actually going back in the matter of butter-fat production. This is a . very serious position, and one that should be faced without delay. That it has not been noticed and arrested before is probably due to the good prices that have been ruling during the past two seasons and the consequent improvement in the factory cheques. The remedy was pointed out by the Governor—the employment of improved and more scientific methods on the farm, in regard both to pastures and stock. The day may come, too, when there will be less speculation in land in Taranaki and more settled conditions prevailing, when every farmer will take a pride and a pleasure in developing his holding to its utmost capacity, and lose the desire to sell and trek elsewhere. If that time ever comes there will not be a more contented or prosperous community than Taranaki anywhere in the Dominion, or out of it, for that matter.