THE CONDITION OF FARMERS IN KANSAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF NEW ZEALAND FARMERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2554, 22 November 1888, Page 2

THE CONDITION OF FARMERS IN KANSAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF NEW ZEALAND FARMERS.

Ouu Te A waniutu correspondent writes:—l had a Jotter by last mail from my brother who Ims settled in Kansas, United States, America, and the account he Rives of the fanners in his part of that State is far from encouraging. Tile seasons, he says, are getting dryer each year, the maize crop having failed for the third year in succession. In the latter part of July it was looking very well and gave promise of a good crop to make up for the severe losses of the two previous years, but in less than two weeks it was utterly ruined, owing to the lack of sufficient moisture. There had been some rain, enough to keep it growing up to a certain stage, and when more was required a drought set in with the above disastrous result. He had the best crop of wheat in the district the yield being only 20 bushels per acre, many crops returning only four bushels. Half of his winter wheat sown this year has not come up owing to the drought. Hundreds of farmers are leaving for other States leaving everything behind except what they can take away 111 waggons, all their labour and capital lost, so that the outlook is gloomy in the extreme. It is signilicaut that as little a.; possible of this state of affairs is mentioned in the local Press, in fact the State of Kansas as a wheatgrowing district is boomed as much as possible. My brother caid " the state of affairs in this country is not quite as rose coloured as people afar off imagine." Foreigners must, in a great measure, rely on the I'ress for information concerning any country, and when distant countries are spoken of in such glowing terms are some ; in fact, the tVinerican papers always protest tlmt all their lish is fresh, can people be blamed for proins; there in preference to these colonies, which aro persistently depreciated by journalistic pessimists. There is not a farmer in Waikato who would not consider himself verv

unfortunate with a yield of only 20 bushels of wheat to the acre. If we must use bonedust and other artificial fertilisers, wo get in return as much over 20 bushels as will in

most cases pay for this extra expense. Wheat at 3a a bushel would pay well in tho States, while it means here a dead loss. The fact is, the value of land here has been unduly inflated, and if farmers buy at six or seven, or even five pounds an acre, that price will not pay. In America, on the other hand, land is cheap as a rule, and so the low price of 3o a bushel for wheat would be a profitable one. In some parts of Kansas and Missouri the quotations for speciallysituated farms (near towns) have ranged us high as 30 and 40 dollars (£U to £8) an acre, but notwithstanding the favourable situation, and tho fact that farmers there do not by any means coufine themselves to one or two kinds of crops for a living, but make a business of raising pigs, poultry, &c, they have not been able to make it pay owing to climatic drawbacks. Now Zealanders might, with advantage, take a leaf out of the book of the Americans, who are adepts in placing their country in the most favourable light before strangers. Some papers devote a series af articles to writing up certain Stati-s. Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia have been written up very largely lately. Florida—at present ravaged by that fearful scourge, yellow fever —has been so cleverly and scientifically described that one on reading the descriptions could not help thinking it an earthly paradise. Its climatic suitability for fruit and tobacco culture were glowingly described, so much so indeed that it must have had the effect uf largely ihcreasng immigration. These reports were written very .systematically, for n»t only were the capabilities of the soil minutely described, but a full account of the various towns of any importance whatever was given, detailing the industries established, population temperature, class of buildings, train services, &c, Could not some of our leading New Zealand journals adopt a similar mode of advertising the clonj ? With our climate ranging from sub-tropical to that of the southern part of H-igland, soil, abundance of water and timber, there would bo no need of any exaggeration »r artistic writing, as the impressions of visitors amply prove. Our indebtedness which presses heavily on our half-a-million or so of inhabitants, would sit but lightly on the shoulders of five or six times the number. L'jt the Government, if necessary, give their waste lands to settlers for nothing, and instead of using our railways as taking machines, make them subserve the interests of settlement, and an era of prosperity would set in, which would bo established on such a sound basis as would ensure its permanence. The depression which has visited this colony, as well as the remainder of the world, has proved beyond doubt that the small far mers have been the best able to weather the hard times. In this district I could point out many fifty and hundred acre men, who, notwithstanding the bad times are in very comfortable circumstances. They have no more land than they can do justice to consequently they are not irretrievably

mortgaged as some of the big land-holders are. In the descriptions of the state of Florida, great stress was? laid on the fruitgrowing industry, as a source of profit, a great future being predicted for it. Take lemon 1 !, for instance, the price in Auckland ranges as high as two shillings per dozen, but, owing to the absence of some system of co-operation among the growers, the fruiterers make all the profit. A gentleman, who was <m a visit to a friend in the North, brought several sacks to town with him for his friend, and they were sold for two or three shillings a sack—not enough to pay expenses—while they were retailing at Is Gd. a dozen. In another case a man brought some down from the North which only fetched about the price quoted. He watched where they went, and asked the retailer the price. "One shilling and six pence a dozen," was the reply. They must manage things differently in America, or fruit would not be grown on such an extensive scale, and with profit to the producer. In Florida one man got two thousand dollars worth of oranges to the acre, He g"t more than a couple of shillings a sack for his fruit. In America are all kinds of associations—Knights of Labour, Trades' Unions and Farmers' Associations—formed for protection. The hostile rings and trusts called for them, and if our settlers want to prosper they must adopt the same principles of solf-defenco. There are many things in vogue in the United States which we would do well to take example by, especially in advertising our country and cooperating for mutual benefit.