FARM INDUSTRY.

Wairarapa Age, 8 March 1927, Page 7

FARM INDUSTRY.

ITS PLACE IN NATIONAL LIFE. ADDRESS BY MB. A. H. FALLOON. NEW ZEALAND PROBLEMS. A particularly interesting address on farming was delivered at the weekly luncheon of the Masterton Rotary Club yesterday by Rotarian A. H. Falloon. Of the half million or so of plants about which something was known, Mr. Falloon observed, only about five thousand were at present put to any practical use. It was quite possible that the utilisation of additional wild plants might yield results of great value to humanity. Luther Burbank had done more for his fellows than all the miners that ever dug for gold. The rice weed, from which was derived the rice plant, had fed the millions of China and Japan, and made those countries the cradle of civilisation. Similarly the discovery of wheat in the region of the, Euphrates and the Tigris, some of years ago, had spread to the western world and from it plant breeders had evolved species of grain which were suited to the varying climates of every wheatgrowing country in the world. Wheat had also helped in the early prosperity of New Zealand, but owing to high labour costs it could not now be produced as cheaply as it could be imported. After citing other instances, amongst them the introduction of the potato into Ireland, the speaker went on to observe that plants were the rock-bottom of any nation’s prosperity. Without the food from plants of what use would be the mightly factories of England and America? Ninety-seven per cent, of 'New Zealand exports last year, which were valued at £45,000,000, were derived directly from plant life. MAINTAINING FERTILITY. To maintain a high class of vegetable life required a highed standard of soil fertility which could be attained only by intensive cultivation and top dressing. There was little doubt that the pioneer settlers thought that in New Zealand they had an inexhaustible supply of wealth, but the present generation was beginning to learn that nature could not go on indefinitely providing food for man and beast without repayment. Nothing stood still; it either improved or deteriorated, and man could assist nature and himself by improving through artificial means the quality of the pasture. There were many other plants used in farming, but the grasses weao the most important. Agriculture in New Zealand was not a paying proposition, observed Mr. Falloon, owing to high labour costs. He did not think that the main food supply could be produced cheaply without a rural peasantry. This was not the ideal state, but every country that had prospered had benefited from a cheap food supply, through the soil being extremely rich, or through having a lowpaid rural population.

Reverting to the breeding and rearing of stock, Mr. Falloon stated that the majority of stud stock breeders were working not so much for their own personal gain, as to improve the particular breed in which they were interested. The breeder was working very close to nature, and as he bred he marvelled. The Clydesdale, weighing a ton, and capable of drawing the same weight, was of the same family as the Shetland weighing 120 pounds, and the thoroughbred which could run a mile in a minute and a half; while the merino with its fleece spinning 70 hanks each 360 yards long to every pound of wool was closely related to the Lincoln with only 28 hanks to the pound. Likewise were related the Tat-tail sheep of South Africa, which owing to the climate carried all its fat on its tail and the Southdown weighing 601bs. at five months old. The climate and the vegetation of the country bad helped man to breed the best stock, but he still had to work hand in hand with nature. Without the master mind, all breeds and types would revert to their natural state, the reason being that they were not yet old enough. Man had. done in a century what it would have taken nature probably twenty centuries to accomplish. If a breeder aimed for a certain type and rigidly culled any animal differing from that type, probably in fifty generations he would have a fixed type which would continue to breed true. Howe ver, types changed with the breeders ideals and as in all other work the ideal was never accomplished. As knowledge increased so the ideal got further away, but the type of animal was improved accordingly. CONDITIONS OF PROSPERITY.

Unfortunately at tho present time, continued Mr. Falloon, many of the farmers were not in a very prosperous position, the average man on the land not receiving 5 per cent, on his capital invested. Probably they had themselves to blame for the high standard Gt living which was being encouraged. Tho pioneer settlers had set a splendid example of thrift and perseverance which it would be well for the present generation to emulate. The country’s wealth must come from the land until the population was largo enough to support secondary industries so that they could produce as cheaply as the articles could be imported. The Gov-1 ernment was spending huge sums oh development and the encouragment of secondary industries bift he felt that unless tho primary producer was prosperous the whole economic scheme was sure to collapse. Dean Inge had rightly said that it was only the country that could. produce cheap food that could hope to prosper while Adam Smith, in his “Wealth ox Nations,” contended that it was ruination for a country to increase the price of necessities. With the Government loading up the country with developmental costs as at present, said Mr. Falloon, lie thought they were looking for trouble.