THE LAND THE BEST BANK FOR THE FARMER.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 254, 25 December 1873, Page 2

THE LAND THE BEST BANK FOR THE FARMER.

'Ins following excellent pnpor upon the above subject »as m ontly read bj Mr Jos i l i Mitchell before the Victorian Nation tl AKricultur.il Ass iciution :—: — Mr Mitchell begun by savin , "Get money honestly, if thou canst, but t;ei, money, was tlio advice given by the Quaker to his son. ' Get money,' leaving out the qua lfying adverb, seems to be the simple creed, and Mammon i» the end most devoutly worthipppd; in the present day. We V.ctcnans have marvellous faith in the modern dogma Fatigue, danger, nay, even life itself, are reckoned as naught by the truo believer in the creed ' Get money. 1 '.Che name of such believers who worship in the temple of, the golden calf is Legion. A«k the first man you meet hurrying along the street, or trudging through the bush, what is the chief mm of mun in the country, and the chances are that the reply will be ' to get tnouey ' Among the rest, unfortunatelv 4 some farmers embrace this permciou* doctrine, Wnen iuch is the case, it.wnrpi their practice, and lead; them astray fio'n the true patli of permanent wealth, contentment, and happmeis. In their fervid anxioty to b>como rich and haw n Uis» account at tome bank, tho futuro is lost sight of, the land tnoy cultivate is recklessly robbed of its fertility, and t e truo source <>f all real weilth destroyed or rendered \ alueless to the if ■ lyes and their successor*. The great truth tl at the products of the soil are the only bona fide wealth, in lost sight of The shadow is mistaken,, for tho »tib*|ance. Gold is simply the representative) of. real wealth, convenient a-> a medium of exchange, but nothing more. Banks are all v<ry well in thiir way, and serve a. useful purpose in connection with trade and --commerce. The reflection. tb.at a good round sum is deposited at fur interest in some safe bank i», no doubt, very pleasant and very comforting tO^the farmer, especially in adverso season*, and particularly when, the sum deposited u thft legitimate gain oP hit business, and not merely a transfer of capital from the toil to the bank. If to make the deposit in tho bank tlio-larm.haj been impoverished, Mid the fanner still continue* tcgroit crops, the course pursued is anything but a prudent one, for he has lessoned his working capital. At tho outset, in- all nevt countries, and until the. natural caoabilifcies qf the fajr.-q.haYO been fully developed, fie land will be found to. be %hfi best as well as the sivfett bulk, a-id in, it tho oapital invested will pay thp highest rate of interest too. When the farmer enters upon his farm knowledge of the various requirements of animals and plants with which be has to. deal, skill and judgment in the execution of the farm w.ork, tbv amount of labour he may be able to perform, these together with what money he may have and tho- fertility of the land, that v, its producing capabilities, constitute lua capital. To wo«k tins capital so that it ahull' pay the highest possible rate of interest should bo his aim and abject. 13 ut when be- pags out or bu}s hufarai, be it the open plain or in the primeval forest, a. large portion cf his capital, which is lying ktont in the soil, will not be available. It U for the purpose of developing to the fullest possible extent the natural resources of the farm, and thereby bringing into active circulation the whole of the capital at, his command, that the land will be found the beat bank of deposit for the savings and the labour of each aeuson. In what, way theso savings — should a surplus remain after j aune tho cost of living and working expenses, along with the labour hr can command — may be invested with the prospect of yielding a profitable return* i will now endeavour briefly to point out- " I may asuume. that the farm selected is of sufficient area, and possessed of such an amount of fertility as will, under present circumstance e, pay for the application of knowledge, skill, judgment, nnd industry, combined w ith such nn amount of money as will sot these forces in. motion, and keep them going until the returns from the land is not worth settling on for the' purpose of cultivation. I may, fuither assume that a imtable site has been chosen, a comfortablo dwelling, however humble, erected, a ring fence round tho lands, and I btoek of some sort placed on it. Those things done, then the way in which investment may from time to time be made in the hind bink I would class in the following order, viz: — Subdivision, maintenance of the soil's fertility, and i he improvement of livo ttook. Progress will of course be made utder each or all of these three heads in proportion t<* the amount of labour and cash available for investment. By means of »üb<li vision the glazing capabilities of the land will be developed and jnpreased. It comes next in importance to providing an ample supply of water for domestic purposes, and lor the use of stock. Indeed, subdivision of tlio farm into fields, or at all events such portion of it — and that the best of tlio lnnil — a< way bo intended for cultivation, becomes absolutely essential to render the far-y. capable of future profitable management As a means of carrying out some system of rotation cropping, and of resting land under gra-ii with a view to restoration of the waste oi legplnble matter caused by the growth ol grain crops— to render it poss.blc, as it m extremely desirable, to give the eidsnes a spell aid r<?he\r them fio n the constnnt gmzing of «took, and further, ma means of affording a chauge ol piatnro for stook— subdividing the farm into fields will prove a profitable invt#tm»nt. Lmn(|hf dgtt potMti wo many and

suCii beif-cjvident advantages in tao way of shelter, durability, and beauty orer the dead, decaying, and unsightly post-and-rail arrangement, that all inTe tments w regards ■ lmsiouol fencing ttliould be made in providing live fome» Next pn importance to getting the fpiaue in proper work ng order by means of sub linsion, ratios the maintenance of the fertility of the coil Towards this end no pains should be spared, no outlay of labour or money, when that is available, reckoned too gr»nt Every atom of manure, liquid a* will as solid, must be carefully selected and properly a plied Investment* made in comfortable buildings for the housing of animals in winter, oombined with a manure pit and tank for CitchiUi; all hqu d manure, vrill ul<o pay the farmer. Tneai", j a< a meant of earing food and preserving; condition in ihe lire stock, and collecting and quickly manuficturing manure into fitting plant food, in thn shape of well decomposed manure ready for the immoJiate use of root crops, are cs^ontial on all well managed farnn. Such decomposed manure iliould be corered in the soil, but oa a rule my experience leads me to prefer keeping all manures an near the •urfs.ee as posiible. Without any elaborate appliances, no vegetable or animal substances should be allowed to goto waste. Manure may be applied at any season of the year to crass land, and in thn climaU my opinion is that manure answers best so auplied. To maintain the fertility of tio lind Unimpaired, the careful collection and judicious app'.ioaton of m mure is yi the highest importance in any iistem of farm management, and if neglected will assuredly bring retribution on the heads of the wrong-doers, as many in this ctlony know to their cojt. Therefore, after using all duo diligence in turning to good account all the manure made on the farm, any nvmev spent in the purchase of piosphatic manuroa will yield the highest rate of interest, on tho whole of tho working capital of the farmer. Assuming then, that tho land is kept in good heart — and bear tn mind, I am no adioi.»to of what u called ' lugh farming. 1 but rather of what I term "rational cultivation,' — then tho next ftnd moY important bubject demanding the earnest attention and serious consideration of, the. farmer, is the plants that lire grown, and the stock that is fed on the produce ot the soil If these are not of the best that can be procured notwithstanding all that may have been done, and done well in the way of subdivision, planting, bu lding, and manuring, the result will fall below the mark Tiie best and most productive grasses, grain, and roots, should be used, no matter what the cost of the seed may be With grasses and fodder plants the aim ought to be the greatest quantity of the moat nutritious herbage ; with white crops the ' maximum of gram and, a minimum of straw,' and with roots, such as mangles — which should be grown on nil farms — the biggest and best roots and the smallest tops For tho purpose of turning tho best o£ produce to the most orofitable account the beat creeds of horses, cattle, sheep, and swine are necessary. It should also be the aim of the fanner to secure pure blood on the part of males used in the herd or the flock High though the first cost may be, it will pay the best m the end. Indeed the best of implements, ulants, and animals will be found the most profitable, and the use of them will enable the farmer to secure the highest rate of interest on his capital. Tho same rule holds good in every department of the larm and household. The beat ia tho cheapest Mo - orer, possession of good horses, wellb:ed cattle, shcop, pigs, and poultry, exercise a powerful and bonefieial influence on the oharacter and industrial habits of the farmer and his household. Diligence, kindness, care, jind attention are evoked. The duty of attending to and providing for tho wants of 'tho favourites,' as all well bred animals are sure to become, robs the work of tho character of toil, and converts it into a labour of lovo, which is gone nbout with c'leerful alacrity. In concluding this brief and hasty sketch of the way in which tho land may be made the boat bank for the fanner, I may remark that any one adopting the land as his bank, and systematically depositing his knowledge, industry, and monpy savings therein, although he may not for some years be able to ' get money,' yet in due time tho wisdom of his choicn will bring him nohe* and power, and a legitimate account in some bank, derived from tho profit?, not principal, obtained by honest and worthy meins, and not by robbing the soil." On the motion of Mr McGregor, seconded by Mr Cooper, & vote ol thanks wa9 passed to M.r Mitchell for his able paper. A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the procoodmgs.