FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 279, 4 May 1915, Page 6

FARM AND DAIRY.

Mr. ('.. V. l'oarce. M.!\, who re.mi'y J bad ar e::S ai!e.l U'i|> through the South dA/n South '(vi.A AAAham-o). _ Sirt \ that e-.i!. oAa total yarding of l:alO raess * ,'',]'" '" AA AAtAf' t!:e best breeders i down that way wa re represented at tub; lifiv lionler-I.eiee-iter rams, and although they realised fairly ;-,ali?factov.v prices, they were too much knocked ! about after their lorn: iournev to >.'.iow jto anv- advantage, "in cxam'umg h v s I sh-cp. M-veiMl bvecler.i agreed that V.Y. f rear.- bad smra'eded in proilueing a | tvpe of the ilordor-Leicoslo, thai .he lai ' b>een aiming at for some time, viz., a. ; more compact sheep, and it more orcn character of wool. Keferring to J-outh- ; land. 11 r. Ikaree said that cue of the o-atstau.'ling there was the spreading of ragwort and Californ an j tiiistle, and no one appeared to be pay- : ing any attention to it or attempting :to get rid of it. Even the by-streets of . Invereargill were yellow with ragwort. ! From his observations in that locality he was very much afraid that anyone from this district buying chad .from many ■ parts of 'Southland would he only sow- ', ing the place down with Califoruian thisI tie. There wore localities down Konth 1 j where it was quite possible that the ■ i Califominn thistle miyht not do much : | harm; for instance, in those localities i where the soil was poor and where the I j thistle might not grow more than a few [ j inches high. In such, cases the sheep : ) would feed in it, and it would possibly ] he valuable in supplying green food in ' dry seasons; but m the rich land..; of ' Taranaki it was altogether a different ' matter, and settlers here should he very j careful to see that it does net get a ■' hold. The freezing works were at high ■ i u „.'... ju,„ n,,,.i, „? d,,'.;,.

pressure, and it was the flush of their fit limb c ci=on Tin «i on \ a life than in the north, but as soon as tin Sl.O 1 n h lonh tli fin hi-, ill nihil it to tin mi i the «(!{ \m n u i if mil or tin she |) r oin" bic fr it tiny • hid to h< Id tli in tt o 1 in v Co ii|i 11 ti\ in til tin si pus teiid to con ( in tlui mil t r t tin fio (i n i it oi* o° tlu u tn ei n quiil \\ a possio'p Ihi\ will not nil low Ion" lln\ h I tin i tons full ntci 1 lllm' opu ton arc concluded, but until then they must j;tt tie ciiii"! uni Villi that nt inoi i s loi nit txicnt foi >mi h =| ft 11 mg ti in up \ ith fro n melt iin tb th (it lb mi boats— J* it ft ud tic f "t th't tlu Inn nl ( nil mint is pmng shipp ng lompaniii 10 pi icnt extra fie ght on fro ui meat . BOOK "STI PING rOK riRMPKS | Awth t! ih Ji prici of 1 mil now nili g in Nov / eiliid it l mpoitiit tint ' the man on the land should devote nion jatlinti<n U Hi si bi it of boi' la, l lin i nil n ih milio 1 i f cil till if i< nmi piobibh lui 1 iloi m a i k oi vi u» bick, whin a loss !on on b in i of laim n' v i-> k ii|iui 1 sited for by an accretion in am < < 1 di t uon [ln \ i'iu of. tin liil vii in (mi ci (■) low mil the letu n w i il i ost is inuih as it is todi\ Inli i sum i iiniii i nc(s i diHupaiuy nas not «f much vital consequence. But the time liu-i now' arrived when those who are working the land should know to a greater decree and be able to sliow to wdiat extent each branch of the'r .farming operations is paying. If such information were available, many farmers would, there is little doubt, make some radical alterations in. their 'present ways. This question of better methods of accounting for the 'tillers of tlie soil' is a subject of greater consequence to the general community than appears at first sight. In an agricultural country like New Zealand, whore > .tlie chief exports come from the land, it is very important tbat the utmost value should be obtained. Anyone with ! a knowledge of farming as carried on I knows well enough that tlie average resident in the country is -very uncertain as to which department of his work : really nets liim the best return on his I outlay. A haphazard opinion will be | volunteered that the pigs paid well last I year just because he disposed of a large

number at one time and received a good I cheque. Probaby the yield from the paddock of oats was in reality better. 1 : but because a certain quantity was used [ j by the stock and some was given to a ; | neighbor in exchange for a few cows, '! and the Ijalance taken by the store- '! keeper as contra, the proper appreciation \ of the true value is lost. Cases like ' [ these are repeated constantly. Definite 1 information and a proper analysis would surprise most of our country friends. They admit readily enough that it would , be folly for a city merchant to run a ' I number of departments or branches !! without ascertaining the precise profit . j earned by each. But when it comes to , I applying tile same principle to his own '. | domain, the farmer raises all kinds of ' i objections. A sinvplilied. system of baokI keeping lias been perfected by <iilliy's ' | College. It is taught by correspondj once, and is made so simpie that it can |be fnastcrcd in a very short time. It • enables the farmer to see at a glance i what departments of his farm are pay- , i ing best, what are the least profitable—- ' j where expenditure needs cutting down—- ' j what are the best times for buying or , I selling—all the very points that the ; j modem farmer can't afford to arrive at ' I by guesswork or rule-of-thumb reekon- ; j ing. 'Quite a small fee is charged, and we are. sure that a few pounds spent on [ I this ideal system of book-keeping would save probably hundreds of pounds in I the course of a season or two. We . i know from experience that the trifling ; j outlay in time required to inaugurate and maintain a satisfactory reeordVould [[be repaid over and over again. This j step would prove a boon not only to the ! great farming community, which com- '•'. prises the backbone of this country, but I it would benefit the Dominion 'as a : | whole; for it is obvious that the greater | i the. yield from our natural resources, the J better it will be for all. Perhaps one '' of the reasons why the farmers have ' not gone in for more business-like meth- • ods in respect to keeping a record, so

to speak, ol their operations is tlio difficulty of obtaining the necessary information liow to start. (lilby'g CoYrcspondenee Course, does not require an elaborate! set of books—just the diary, journal and ledger. A few hours at'ni','ht ior a few weeks wiil soon enable the farmer, his boy or girl to learn to keep his farm' books perfectly and simply.—ddvt. ■■