BRITAIN'S VITAL NEED

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 February 1940, Page 11

BRITAIN'S VITAL NEED

AMPLE ’SUPPLIES OF FOOD AND CLOTHING New Zealand Producers’ Responsibility SOME METHODS OF INCREASING PRIMARY OUTPUT (By N. Lamont, Chairman of the Masterton Primary Prodir'.ion Council:) |ksO one would be rash enough to prophesy now what will be the ’ state of Europe in one, two or three years hence, but of one thing we can be quite certain—if the destructive forces at present mobilised are unleashed in all their fury, there must be chaos and disruption throughout the Old World. When sanity and order return, it will take a long time to convert swords to ploughshares, and still longer to reap the harvests. Already we know that the people of Great Britain are being rationed with the necessities of living, not, perhaps, because of desperate deficiencies at the moment, but certainly because the possibility of shortage is far from remote. For purely humanitarian reasons, if for no other, the farmers of this country must realise their real importance as producers of food and clothing. New Zealand is, for her size, the greatest exporter in the world of the real essentials of life, and consequently must play a leading part in the world situation, both in the immediate present by doing her utmost to feed and clothe the British people, and also in the more distant future, by contributing to the speedy reconstruction of civilisation.

Some people find it difficult to realise the real responsibility that finally descends on the shoulders of the individual New Zealand farmer. It is not only a question of immediate selfinterest and self-preservation, it is a question of personal and individual responsibility as a member of the human race.

Already the council has been criticised because it published its conviction that the realities of the situation compelled it to regard it as beyond and above political issues. No one who knows the personnel of the council can honestly believe that these gentlemen as individuals have in any way changed or even suspended their political convictions, but as members of the council they have passed a resolution, which is commended to all farmers, and which records a pledge to first work for increased production under present conditions. There is no doubt that the majority of farmers endorse this attitude, and are determined to do whatever they can to respond to the appeal that has been made. There is also no doubt that the farmer himself is the only one qualified to examine his own business and decide in what way his preduction can be increased. The butterfat or milk and the wool or meat which reach the factories are the result of a complex combination of productive factors and it is only by carefully considering each one of these

that the farmer can decide in what direction his effort is to be made. The production council will from time to time publish articles designed to assist the producers by making suggestions, but only the individual can decide which of these suggestions can be applied in his own case. At the present time, with the approach of autumn, wc are entering the period when many of the foundations for next season’s production are laid. Soon the sheep-farmer will be concerned with the tupping season—after which next spring’s lambing percentage will be largely decided. Now is the time, therefore, to discover whether some form of flushing is practicable. It is well known that two or three weeks’ flushing of ewes prior to tupping will both increase the lambs dropped and shorten the lambing season. Rams should be physically fit, neither fat nor poor, and now is the time to see that they are not merely existing on dry roughage, but are receiving a nutritious diet. \ Towards the end of this month temporary and permanent pastures will be sown. Cultivation should by now be practically complete except perhaps where the grass is following rape, in which case the best practice is often to simply disc and work down the top inch or two to receive the fine grass seed. The real economy of certified strains should need no stressing and an extra hundredweight of “super” may

make a groat deal of difference to the establishment of clovers.

By the end of this month too, topdressing and the sowing of subterranean clover should be nearly completed. There is no question that up to 4 or 5 pounds of “sub” and 2 to 4 cwt ol “super” is the most efficient way to increase production on our light plains and dry hills. There is still time to prepare for extra winter feed. To maintain our production we must prepare for the worst possible winter. Hay crops have been light this year, and root crops are only fair. Oats, barley or Italian ryegrass can be sown 1 this autumn to ensure we will not be caught if the season is bad. More winter feed means reduced calving and lambing troubles. A ewe lambing in sound condition will milk well and give her lamb a good start. A good dairy cow will soon put her condition into the bucket if she calves with any surplus fat. It is by attention to a large number of individually small points that increased efficiency and production will be obtained, not by any spectacular “stunts.” No effort should be considered too small to warrant attention. The sum total of individual results will be national achievement. Reports prepared by special committees of the Council covering various aspects of primary production s are given below.