THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1902. STATE EXPERIMENTS.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 168, 20 February 1902, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1902. STATE EXPERIMENTS.

How many ordinary people, we wonder, know that the Government has 603 casks of wine made from Government vines lying in ite cellars in the North Island ? How many people know that the Government is making experiments in testing the growths of and suitability to the country of great numbers of seeds and trees —‘timber, ornamental, and fruit of many different kinds ? HoW many are familiar with the fact that the State is trying to pro- ■ mote tobacco-growing and encourage bee cultivation ? These things and a great mass of other* most interesting facts may be discovered by reading a very* valuable volume called the Reports of the Agricultural Department, Few people regird an annual Report of a Government Department in any other light than that of a ponderous, an infinitely dull and wearisome production) and yet the Agricultural Report for last year is one of the most interesting books that a man could read. No farmer in the country should be without one, Every fanner should get a copy of the Report each year and un«rk; I learn, and inwardly digest such, portions of it aa may interest ot concern him. There are over .. 400 pages In the Report of 1901, 1 but they are every one worth perusal. These Reports can be obtained, we believe, at a very small cost from the Government Printer in Wellington. One ha£ only to write and ask for them, and under these circumstances ic is a wonder that mure people do not io so. The Reports are filled, with most valuable matter. For instance, there are no Jess than eighteen illustrations in last year’s issue of full plans of butter* and cheese factories of variout) kinds, and skimming stations. There is very valuable Information about the testing of some 400 samples of farm seeds, mainly grass, such as cocksfoot, ryegrass, rape, timothy, cowgrass, white clover, meadow* •. fescue, crested dogtail, trefoil/, etc. Experiments have for some time been made on behalf of the State in growing native grasses, and the Report says ;—“ The experiments undertaken on behtlf of the Department at Okoroire, under the joint supervision of Mr Rich and Mr Clifton, and at Wairararapa by the latter gentleman, have proved of inestimable value. There are two excellent *' paddocks near Cambridge, one of Danthoria (a grass) on the Fencourt estate, and the other pt. Microloena (also a grass) on * Mona Vale.” Four photographs are given of various of these New Zealand grasses to let persona interested see what, they ate '■ like. " Few, we think) know how i much is being done by way of j experiment by the s State. For instance, how many are aware A that there are 1800 acres at Wai- | tangi sown with . wattles to J produce taming bark ? Th# Report says The bark mill

his hem woilcing since April. Several hundred tons of bark Jnivr- been.ground for f&ttlersand xor the Government. The bark harvest from the Government plantation this year has been'but email: stripping the bark and drying was a good deal delayed by the wet season, and to'avoid ihe risk of spoiling the produce the work was stopped when forty! tons of black and about sixteen: tons 'of silver bark had been secured.” Not biairy, perhaps, know that the State is going in for breeding Angora goats'; that it. is proposed to appoint additional bee experts'to assist the bee farmers, of whom there seem to he a considerable number in the North Island, one farmer having mo leas than 700 hives ; that experiments have been made with a view to profitably extracting acetic acid and other product from native woods ; that walnuts, almonds, and Spanish chestnuts a’-e grown in the Nelson district with profit commercially ; or that to ensure good ensilage it is .’highly desirable, if possible, to erect silos. All these tilings and man v-others Of great importance are dealt with in these Reports. For instance, there is what apoears a valuable report from the Mornohaki farm on experiments, for wool and freezing ■purposes, with various kinds of sheep—Hampshire Down, Shropshire Down. Southdown, Cheviot, Border Leicester, English Leicester. Lincoln, Cotswold, and Romney—all cross. Mr Gillanders 'craws the following conclusion; —“lt will thus be seen that the ■Shropshire, Border Leicester,ami Hampshire Down came out by far the best, making an average daily gain of 0.401 b per bean, line will he Seen'the advantages ■■of breeding cross-bred sheep of v proper class for mutton pur poses. From a freezer’s point of view there is no doubt that a far more profitable sheep could be raised than is done on this coast.” To give one other instance of the nnov experiment's that are being ♦timed on for the information of fanners, there is a table giving the results in detail of the trials of a large number of manures with mangolds. In short, the whole book is full of interest, containing as it does the latest information and experiments in 'every department of agaicultnro in tire-'coioivy.. It may interest some of our readers to learn what the Government has to say as to the moral mem-fits of its wine production, particularly in the light of our last Saturday’s leading article and tiie criticism of its subject matter. The Report of 1900 quotes Signor B agato thus : —“ As one agency in the cause of temperance the viticultural industry operates powerfully. It is now a widely accepted fact, as proved by statistics, that in wineproducing countries drunkenness is less known and the morality of the people stands at a higher level ’4i:ian in countries where wine is not the national beverage. In France before the phylloxera made ita appearance’drunkeuness was but little known. Upon the Arrival of phylloxera and the decimation of the vineyards followed drunkenness ; the people requiring stimulants, and wine not being available, they lied to 'brandy, whiskey, and other 'spirits, with the evil consequence that drunkenness became prevalent in erstwhile sober communities. In Italy and the south of Austria, where wine is the national beverage, drunkenness is looked upon as the greatest of vices, and a person addicted to 'drink is ostracised from society. It is a fact beyond contention,’ except by a bigot, that in winedrinking countries the people are amongst the most sober, con-’ tented, and industrious 'on the face of the earth.” , If all this be so, Clearly the Government is proposing not only to establish an important in--dustiy, but also to greatly elevate the morals and habits of the ‘community. It is to be hoped, if ; auch good results follow, that the ‘experiment will be successful.