The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MAY 29, 1890. THE FARMERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2052, 29 May 1890, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, MAY 29, 1890. THE FARMERS.

The Temuka Caledonian Society deserve great credit for the efforts they put forth to promote interest in farming amongst farmers themselves. They have gone to the trouble and expense of bringing from Christchurch a gentleman in every way well qualified to give hints to farmers, but we regret to say that the farmers have not shown any great appreciation of the efforts put forth to instruct them. There was not many more than a dozen bona fide farmers present at the meeting, the audience being chiefly made up of townspeople. There is no other trade or calling so hard to more as the farming one. Q-et a specialist in printing, painting, carpentry, or any other trade, to give a lecture to members of any of these crafts, and we venture to think that very few of that particular calling will be absent, Every one is found open to receive information except the farmers, and more especially the farmers of this district. In other places they have their farmers dabs and farmers unions, but here nothing will induce them to do anything. They seem to resent any effort put forward For their benefit, and unless they see money go directly down into their pockets before their eyes they will not believe that any benefit is being conferred on them. We have decided to publish Mr Murphy’s lecture in full, but really we do not suppose farmers will thank us for it. Possibly they will not read it, and very probably they may regard it og a piece of impudence to try to teach them anything. For the last two years the Government have employed specialists in batter and cheese making, and have published books on the subject. These books have been forwarded to us for distribution, but though we abused farmers for not taking them away they are all in our office still, only two of them having been asked for. In the face of this yve do not see that a travelling dairy such as Mr Murphy suggested would do much goodj in fact there is danger that if the travelling dairyman went round the farmers would set their dogs gt him for having the impudence to think that ftp could teach them anything. One thing is certain, however. There is no class who stand in greater need of instruction than the farmers, and it is simply very foolish of them to abpw such obstinate imdifference when weli-meaat efforts are put forward for their sole and special benefit. Jfew Zealand is getting a bad name for butter, although few countries are blessed with greater natural advantages. The bad name is not due to climatic influences; it is due to the want of skill and knowledge of the butter makers, and the sooner they realise it the better for themselyee and the colony.