THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE IN TARANAKI.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 July 1915, Page 6

THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE IN TARANAKI.

ADDIiKSS ]tV MR. R. A. UROWXE. | sfr. llrowne, Agricultural Instructor under the. Wanganui Education Hoard, delivered :i lecture on the above subject nt llawcra on Saturday. Tile speaker, in tile eor.r-e of his remarks, said Hint- in dealing with the future of agriculture in Taranaki he must lijst- of ail deiil with tile soil. Tile soil of Taranaki was a sandy one; not a sandy loam as it was often described, but a sand formed from the rubble brought Uown bv the rivers having their source on the slopes of Mt. 'Kgmont. When the land was at a lower level than at 'present tile rivers discharged their surplus material fanwisc round, the base of the mountain, and gradually tin; plains ns tliey were now known wen? built up. l-ater elevation enabled the rivers to cut deeper and deeper through the plain, leaving the terraces which all were so familiar with. Light and heavy timber and fern gradually decomposed on the rubble ami formed the subsoil, and the decay of organic matter built up a body of humus of no great thickness, but of great, possibilities when properly handled. Hut the soil in Taranaki had been too delicate an ! v.-,trument in many hands, and tbev l'rd often seen paddocks (hat wciV auvthing but ■■reditable. Dealing with the c : 'm;)te. he would treat it as more or less damp anil move or le<s cold in winter and siring, with a mild-grow-ing summer, followed by an annual soil draught, and later by a second spring of a few weeks, in late autiimn and early winter. Thev could sum up Taranaki conditions as necessitating shelter from the winds from the south-west, southcast. and north, and as necossital ing special attention to extra fodder iu tlfe autumn. KESKXT POSITION" OF AIJKICt'LTCiiK IX TARANAKI. •■We have to consider,'' said the speaker—(a) New pasture which, when all is well, does well from spring to mid-sum-mer: get;) ti'ed. a little later on; goes to sleep in the autumn; wakes up in April, to again retire early in .lime. A little care would mean steady growth throughout the year. (b) Rotation of Crops—Regins well, then drags wearily along with wrotiL' use of manures and wrong cultivation till tile delicate soil is tired out and full of sorrel and other weeds. Then fortunately, when nothing else will grow well, our loiig-i-ullV-ring soil is restored by pasture, whether well or ill put ill. T.eave it in pasture, and. all will be well again, as sorrel will give way to clovers and weed grasses to succulent ones.

(c) <lltl Pastures —than which there are not better to be fouml in New Zealand. Such old pastures respond amazeinglv to any reasonable treatment on account of the soil conditions suiting the activities of mvriai'.s of self-effacing little plants called bacteria, and again 011 account of the free entrance to our soil and subsoil of air and moisture.

(el) Tenures —We have various tenures that seem specially designed to check all reasonable development of the province. A lease is w, good tlilnjf stneo young men must and should always be Miming 011 to the lc rd, but tho short lease is an utter abomination.

(e) An Extraordinary Position—We Jjnvi!, in connection with tin- last-men-tioned, ail extraordinary position. If a man desires to improve his pictures, buildings. etc.. Thee is no law ill Xru' Zealand securing him compensation. Our keenest men are often in the position that with leases with two nr three years to go thev have difficulty in procuring finance to improve their holdings, and when thev do take the risks involved, have no chance.' of compensation. In Kngland for many years past, full compensation lias been provided for expenditure «n improvements, .unexhausted manures, etc. (f) Factory Shares —There is again an extraordinary position in regard to taking np shares in factories. A man can be compelled to take, up shares at full value and then cannot but partly realise on them. If lie lias to leave the district through unreasonable or unsatisfactory tenure, he is distinctly penalised. AO RIOU LTURAL EDUCATION. (1) We have experimental farms doing good work In various types of soil in the North Island and specialising aloug various lines, but not one lias seriously tackled the local problems of the dairy farmer. There is too much mixed fanning, and too much expensive preparation of tlws soil when easier and better methods 'Should be the aim. (2) The ificlds instructors of the Agricultural Department are not sullkieiitly in touch with the needs of the farmers as a whole. To a great extent their ell'orts seem to be eonlined to experiments designed to prove the best methods of growing some special crop. The weakness seems to he that 110 definite scheme of instruction to farmers has been elaborated. in Taranaki at any rate.

(3) The Education Hoard's Held instruction is of recent development, and you are all quite familiar witli all stages of the work. As no funds arc provided by the Department for salaries the position is that such work depends on direct and or&anisod support from the farmers. It might interest you to know that letters are constantly being receive 1 ?! from outside sources asking for information as to how classes arc organised and conducted. ( t) Relative <o this work in the rural vourse. in the District High Schools at Hawcra, Eltham, and Patea, the boys are given a strong bent towards agriculture, but developments are hampered by want of support. Railway extensions into the plains will doubtless improve the position in the future. Related is the instruction in primary schools in elementary agriculture and horticulture. You are all more or less familiar with local developments, which, however, cannot be treated in this lecture, but in passing ! should like to point out how hampered are edulational authorities by giants altogether inadequate to meet exper.ses. (")) A suggestion—A great want in this and in other districts would be filled by the formation of a, body combining the functions of the Agricultural and Educational Departments with representatives from the Farmers' I'nion, A. and P. Associations, and kindred institutions.

Tim chairman suggested that the Agricultural Hoard would fill the bill. Mr. 'Hnnvno contended that the local Taranaki farmers should have some say, for instance. as to the conduct, of (lie Monmahnki 'Farm. He could not at present make any suggestions, hut there should be some recognised body through whom suggestions could he made. Having dealt with the present conditions, the speaker came to what he termed the real topic of his address, viz.— DOUBUXf! THH CARRYING CAPACITY. This wonderful land of ours, said Mr. Browne, shall assuredly easily more than double its pre>eut carrying capacity by—(a) Sub-division of farms and pastures and rotational grazing with proper use of roller, harrows, etc. (b'l Suitable top-dressing alons scientific lines, as already delinitely laid down in our firh! \\"rk. which tn|Mlvc-Miii'' can be nda-'tieil for rapid or for lasting eli'ect.

of manuring as now worked out from our field activities. Such rotations win be made to give a maximum supply of feed in autumn and again in winter and early spring. 1 can now definitely state, that more and better crops can be produced e:ißily and at. less cost ami much less expenditure of labor than is usual at present. 'Moreover, the difficulty of weeds and rubbishy pastures will vanish and manuring in the t'orm of topdressing can be nuiik; a much cheaper process. (d) The growing of lucerne and othel special crops to provide abundant and succulent feed, among other times, in autumn and winter. le) The growing of winter crop.-) of ln.'.'ti feeding value and with lasting qualities. For example, .prairie grass and phelari; luilbosa should replace oats and rye. There is room for great ilevlopment in suitable permanent grasses in , this direction, and. the development of I such grasses as "Mouniaiiaki Prairie" should receive special encouragement. The man who raised this latter grass was as fully entitled to recognition and reward as was the man who raised the rust-resisting oat, but so far I have not seen any mention of this having; been dor e. (f) Hlreatcr care should be taken in purchasing seed. Repeatedly during the past tw ( , years I have found inditl'erent 'jnr.vth, of I've grass lucerne,- prairie, and other grasses, due, 1 should judge, most often to carelessness in the. basis of pure s!ntins of the plant dealt with, and due again to dealers selling old seed, and -oniofimes to selling seed wrongly uameil. "Provence" lucerne lias, for instance, been sold a.--. "Marlborough." 1 desire t>- make it. nlain that 1 do not blame the local merchants: tliey probably do the best they can to procure good seed, but I is was it matter for the fanners and the Farmers' 'l'nion to have the seed crops inspected before, they were cut. (g) The very important factor of culling dairy cattle herds I have not talked on, as it lias been so often dealt with that there is 110 necessity to do so again. ih) The extension of agricultural education and the elaboration of a.-scheme whereby amnlilication of agricultural knowledge, should take place from the lower school as nature studv, through the higher standards as horticulture, and the District High School as practical work in special branches. Then, would come the practical work of the agricultural college or high school, or the piatical work of the farm, assisted by Government. supervision, as required. TILE OUTLOGi:, "I expect iu the future -of Taranaki." concluded Mr. llrowne. "to see a land that is green summer and winter; a land of small farms —where fifty acres will lie counted a big farm—a land of good roads and motor traction; a- land of emerald pastures grazing good rjuaiity, well-fed and contented stock on farms well sheltered from the. winds. When this was all accomplished they would find the capacity of their land was more than doubled, and that this would be the mo<-:t productive province of productive New Zealand." (Applause.)