LECTURE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2051, 27 May 1890, Page 3

LECTURE.

On Friday evening a lecture was delivered,in the Volunteer Hall, Temuka, by Mr M. Murphy, the Secretary of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the subject being “ Farming.” •^heilepture^was-the.first of a series proposed'to be delivered under the auspices r:L r crf ,; .thec6aledpnlan JSbQietyr and the chair- 1 ~waß 'taken..by, _Mx .A.--, M.- ,01ark, the , "President,' seats being provided upon the ; platform for the directors, " Mr A. ;M._- Clark, in introducing Mr Murphyysaid that.. it ..afforded him,great pleasure - to occupy the'position <bi' chair:r man-that evening. The subject of the lecture I was the ■' most interesting that ' ' could' have been chosen -for a Temuka 7 audience, arid the lecturer, frorh his wide ■ 'experience could throw light upon many , .points' of. which they wore comparatively ignorant. Mr Murphey was greeted with applause and his address was” listened to with attention. At its close Mr Clark conveyed the thanks of the Caledonian Society to the lecturer for the exhaustive anti intellectual essay he had given them. Mr Murphy had opened their eyes to the position, and had read them a lesson v •; upon their method of farming'which he; trusted would bear frith, > Farmers were trusting too much to the soil, and a new era of things must be opened up, He vvss, pleaaed that the society of-which ho.w-aa-T 'president had' been - the first to ini reduce such an agreeable ;aud intellectual -method of spending.an evening. He was himself of the opinion that the sooner farmers combined and formed a club, where matters of common- interest could be talked-j-over, the -better it would be for them",'and lie Knew of no place where such ' a society was likely to flourish better than in Temuka. Air M. Quinn, vice-president of the society, thanked lh<> audience for their attendance. It was entirely due to their president; that tfie lecture had taken place, and although such a course was.a ne\v departure for a Caledonian Society, it was .a move in the right direction, and he trusted that it would be a prosperous one. The fol-owing is a digest of the address : Afier a few preliminary remarks, Mr Murphey said : LABOB. 1 feel pleased in being allowed this opportunity of directing attention to the

changes which are taking place throughout the civilised world, as affecting agriculture. It is good that we in this favored land should note these changes, and should frequently discuss their bearing upon ourselves and our interests. There never was a time in the history of our race to compare with rhe present. There have been many revolutions, and bloody ones too, but the greatest of all social revolutions which the world will have seen is that which has just been commenced, I refer to the struggle between labor and capital, and if this great question comas to be fought out to the bitter end with no keaner weapons than those of arbitration guided by common sense, civilisnioß will have scored a greater succssa than has ever fallen to its lot in the past, When we look for some of the causes of this great movemeut, at least so far as they affect the interests of those engaged iu tilling the soil, it will be found that the introduction ef labor-saving machinery is responsible for much of it. The introduction of machinery has revolutionised the business of agriculture., It has to a large extent dispensed with the human machine. It has increased the prodnctiye capacity of nil agricultural countries to such an extent as. to render the business of farming one requiring ihe closest attention to every detail if any profi' is to be attained. It may be asked how it is that with the lowering of the cost of food, coupled with the introduction of machinery all over the world, the cost of labor is now higher than it was a quarter of a ceutuiy ago. (I refer to European countries). To m> mind, one of the reasons of this anomaly is that labor in those days was disproportionately low, when compared with the price of farm produce. As manual labor in ihe field came to be less required, caused by the introduction of machinery, the demand for labor has enounously increased in the workshops, thus diverting the labor stream into other and betterpaid channels. Win New Zealand, may look on with compa atiya unconcern at the strugg'o now going on in other par's of the world to secure the eighthours movement, similar lo our own system.,; The jate;Mr Andrew Duncan little thought how soon his doggrel rhyme about 8 Hours woik aud 8 hours play would b?comii .the watchword cf the laboring millions of America and of Europe. .But whiliv wa view with' complacency the labor struggles/gojog on in other lands we must not shut our eyes to the struggle which'is being carried on throughout the world for mat'ers pertaining to The Governments of almost every country aie making huge efforts to instruct the people in the science and practice of agriculture. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES, ETC.

Agricultural societies,- agricultural unions, and farmers’ clubs are all working in llie.aame direction, and what does U all menu? It is simply a ’matter of sslfdefecce and. of self.-preservation. There was a time when men could with impunity laugh at tciecce «s appliel to agriculture. That mu’! before the Advent of Lbor-saving machinery before America had commenced the gams of soil spoliiNrs in their Vist plains of virgin soi l . Matters are ytyy different now,' So long as America, India, Russia, and other countries continue to' pour wheatiihto the "B itish markets at present prices, eo long ivill it be necessary for us in New Zealand, with our dearer land, to adopt the most approved method of producing the maximum of grain if we are to compote successfully. The farmers of New Zealand must realise the fact that unless they are also up and doing they will be left behind in the race. Every .district should have its. club, which should meet at least once a month to disQDsa matters affecting their own interests. There ‘ should be Nearly or half-yearly .meetings ipf ;-a general farmers’ union, when delegates from all societies and clubs should attend to discuss largo questions. In monthly meetings discussions might be opened by Ilia reading of pipers on such subjects as the management of grass lands, the breeding of stock, the hast crosses of sheep for specific purposes. \Vhat we want is communion of thought. That old conservative idea of keeping yOur knowledge to yourself is, as should ha, exploded. It is to the interest of all ■that we should produce the largest quantity of the best quality of grain, meat, and dairy produce. Therefore I contend thbt if rny system of farm management is superior to my neighbor’s, it is to my own

interest to icipari ray better ways to him,’ and thus by so doing to help to bring up our general average to the highest pitch of excellence. As the poet says > — “ And if a better way be thine, Record it frankly, or accept of mine.” .This is an. age of combination, not com‘petition, in New Zealand. The reason for . all this is simply because, we are not depending upon a local and a limited market for our produce. On the contrary, we have the markets of the world before us for bur staple products. The greater the general excellence,, the greater will be our individual chances of success, and thus it is that we should sow broadcast information on any improved method which may be found advantageous in our daily practice.

KEEPING ACCOUNTS. ; Farming must be made more of a business than it lias hitherto been. How many farmers are there who keep ragular records of there farm work and the results, and who take stock, say on the Ist May in each year? 1 mention May because the year’s operations will then be practically closed. How many farmers can tell accurately which crop pays best ? which class of sheep is moat profitable? what each cow is yielding in milk and butter ? What would bo thought of a tradesman who:carried on business in such a manner? 1 fancy he would soon find his balance at the wrong side of I ho ledger. Some time ago the Epyal Agricultural Society of England offered a very substantial prize foi the best system of farm accounts. The result was a very capital method—one divested of much of the mystery of .book-keeping from a scientific point of yiew, and quite within the capacity of the majority of farmers. The system requires a little modification to make it applicable to colonial requirements. I :ecenHy had oepaeion to aepompany the judges who visit several farpis which are cornp-uitig for the prizes offered for the best dairy farms with regard to m ,iua g®raent and the necessary surroundings, tin one of them I found that an accurate account was kept of the stock, (he number of cows in milk each month, the quantity of butler made each month throughout the year, and the ptice iodised, the dates of service and ca’ving, the ttock of pigs, and the cash sales. The receipts from each department were clearly set forth in

such a m iiim r as to show at a glance the general re.-mbs. DAIRY INDUSTRY. The lecturer dealt at soma length with the dairy mdu»try, drawing attention to the manner in which America and Continental countries were striving to gain the lion’s share of the enormous trade in dairy produce with England. The Victorian Government had also entered into competition and had provided a travelling dairy with the services of an expert, so that proper instruction might They also gave a bonus ef Id per lb for every lb of butter sold in the London market at 7lb per lb, l£d per lb for that sold at 9d, 2d for that at lid, and 3d for that at Is. One of the results was, that the Victorian butter was favorably known, while New Zealand, with better pasture, purer water, and a cooler climate, had a poor record indeed. The reason was simply for want of scientific and practical instructions. Mr Murphey combated the argument that the dairy industry was outside Government intervention, and instanced the steps being taken by the various Governments in Australia, America, England, and Continental countries to educate farmers up to the requisite standard in such matters. Owing to complaints made by the British Consul in 1860 as to the quality of butter exported, the Danish Government founded ten dairy schools. The output shortly increased from an annual value of £420,000 to over £2,000,®00. The lecturer considered that New Zealand should export butter to the value of £1,000,000 annually. He instanced the success of private factories, arguing that the want Jof success of the companies established was due to bad management. Ho was of opinion that the co-operative system was the best, where all shareholders where suppliers, and all participated in the profit. He considered that every districtcommanding a minimum of 1000 cows should possess a factory, centrally situated, and worked by water power if possible. The industry although adra rably adapted for small holdings, was also capable of being carried on advantageously on large holdings also, although the price of paid labour prevented people from trying the experiment. A practice found to work well in the Old Country was to let cows at per head to dairymen, the owner finding grass and so much hay and roots for the winter. In this connection attention was drawn to the benefit of attention to milking, and the following analysis was given of the products of the first and last pints of milk taken from a cow, Water. Solid. Fat. First pint 88.73 11.57 1.07 Last pint 80.37 19.63 10 38 LAYING DOWN PASTURES.

On the subject of pastures the lecturer su’d ;It is, thsrefore, obvious that the laying down of our pastures is a matter of considerable importance. The practice of cropping the land till it becomes too foulwith weeds and too po r to produce remunerative cereals is more prevalent in this colony than it should be. Hence it is that so many pastures of inferior quality may be seen. If wo are to have luxuriant pastures we must see that the soil is in a fertile condition before sowing the seeds. It is now an established fact that the best system of farming is that which maintains the soil in a continuous state of fertility. It is good fanning to have the land in good heart for a corn or root crop, and bo it is equally good praotice to have ii in tqudly good heart for laying do«n in seeds. The proper management of grass lands affords a ferule subject for ditcusoroQ, and one requiring much Ventilation, judging from what may be seen in many districts, one of the greatest evils being that of overstocking, whereby the "best grasses get speedily exterminated, leaving the inferior ones and weeds, which results in inferior pastures. It is just a question in some classes qf soil whether the same money’s worth of crushed bones or superphonphate, etc., if spread 0 n the surf ice, would not pay better than breaking up the land for cropping. In the majority of cases I suppose the latter is preferable, but there are cases when the advantage is doubtful, I throw out the suggestion for what it is worth.

WHEAT, It is a debatable question whether we can continue to produce wheat at present prices, leaving a margin for profit. I have given this matter much consideration, and I have come to the conclusion (whether righUy or wrongly) fhat under certain conditions, vye m»y do so j—-1. The question before us is, c»n we compote with America with her cheaper land and greater proximity to the principal markets] 2.’ can we compete with India where wheat may be grown in almost unlimited quantities, and at an infinitesimal cost ! My answer is, we can, but our wheat crops must be confined to the very best soils, soils which will give up an average of 35 to 4Q bushels per acre, In America the general average is about 9 bushels per acre, and year by year the home consumption is increasing so rapidly that the surplus for export must gradually diminish. 1 think that we have tpuoh rpore to fear from Indian competition. The. wheat growing industry io that country is said to be capable of vast expansion, as yet it is only in its infancy. When proper machinery is brought to bear upon it in the way of cleaning and grading, it will

become a formidable rival. Our only chance will be, as I have just said, to confine wheat growing to the. beat lands. The lighter description of soils will pay belter if devoted to growing turnips, oata, barley, and grass. Thanks to the frozen meat trade, we have a local market for our oats whenever it touches the point on which it cannot be sold to profit. The price may, I think, be fairly fixed at per bushel. In sending wheat to England care should be taken to send only the primest sample, The seconds will pay better if cracked and fed to sheep, pigs, or dairy stock. If the system were general New Zealand would soon regain her lost prestige, Bfechi, used to, preach that when porn reached a certain price in a falling market it then paid best to send it to market on four legs than op Wheels, \ atp glad to aay that some in this country are becoming alive to this fact. Had they not done so oats would now be an unprofitable drug. The feed ing of sheep on oats is a mathematical question, and ono which has been careully worked out by Lawes and Qibert. i [To he contvimed. ]