1MP VFD FARMING.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 774, 2 June 1877, Page VI

IMP VFD FARMING.

Sib,— After having read over more carefuli/ a paper ou " Pioneer farming" rotU at the just mating 01 the Cambridge Faruiei-s' Club by uiy friend Mr G-ane, which appeared m Tuesday's iajua, aud ttUo your leading article m the same paper, 1 nuy p^-uaps be allowed a am.ih space to nune a lew remarks upon the subjooL of improved farming. I tin aot, sir, as I think you and other of my frieuJs ure supposing aa advocate at proaent, aud ab'»ll uot likely bn for many yeurato ome, of auoh a system of farming us is earned ou iv the oU country by 6Uch man as Mechi, (>vhoiu jou quote) Jkud others like him, or anything apt>i\suhingit. This sysle vis about tlie furibdbl extreme to t.ie one propounded by Mr 03-ane, and the quosiion I raise is tliis : White we ate uot yet m a position to carry out the ouo, ate we nod goue beyond the other. 1 think we are, and it ia to a position >etween the two that we ought to eudeavour to arrivd. While Xam not advoeitit>f{ our going m for whit you term " high dads fariuiug." I ihink there ia yeb pleuty of room tor a Tastainouut of proflcaba improvement m our present 9>ataui without any fear ol our running foul of the other. „ 1 would HUe to atk Mr Game how far \ the system ha advocates m his paper Is applicable to this district, after a settle* mentof lOyeais.. I think we should be, and believe we are somewhat beyond what may be called " pioneers" and unless we are going m for speculation .and are prepared to tell to the first person th«t comes along the road, our aim now as agriculturists should be how beet to carry on our operations with profit to ourselves and advantage to the oountry. . In my paper, read read before the Oiub six , weeks ago. I advocated first au improvement " m the management of our lauds. And this need not necessarily entail the expenditure of a larger amount of laboar so ranch aa utilising to the best advantage the labour we already have. r I :»dvooated, f urthar, "the expouditure of a larger amount of •capital per acre, especially ia the way of manuies. And that this oan be done profitably was yreved unmistakably by Mr Bunoiman at the last meeting of the Olub, wheahe sliowtd bhat, hj th« expemdituro of 40a yer acre m this way, telly one*-third more •{ a crop of potatoes can be raised f»om the sane quantity of ground, bdsUes leaving th» ground m a richer st»t«. And I have no doubt the aame rule-| would apply to other crops equally ai' well. Aud I maintuin that, without going m for 'any fanoy {armiag such as is carried ou m th« old couatvy^ th< j fe is ia th« Waikato dietkricv plenty of room for pri'fititabl* improveuient m oar sysl-m of feiirming, and that we should not rest satfeOeti with the rough-and ready systtm of my. friend Mr Q-ane, and it is to this stale of compara>ive inproremwnt that I should lite to see pur district arrive. — I am, &o, HtKHY Buttle. Te Rvpa. Muv 3U.h, -