FARMERS CLUB.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2883, 6 January 1891, Page 2

FARMERS CLUB.

IO THIi MIH'OK. Sji;,—Tin) Farmers' Club at liauiiUon appears til 111-3 Id be likely to expire i>>r Wiint of attendance, and it one may ,i eljje trom Ihe sm:i 11 tinmbi'rs win)atton 1 i]nt Cambridge, tin: par mt Club is nut much mum tlourishiiu:. lu the couise of my li?e 1 have seen the start, of many fanner*' clnlis, and cif nil those that 1 have seen uf hcaf.l uf starting into existence iu Fngland, I uiily know unn that h surviving a l .. Hie prtwitnt imniicnt. I saw the birth of many of these clubs, anil I also saw the death, aw! m most; eases the death was very quickly the, birth, lu all cases the clubs were started with con siderable enthusiasm, and with exaggerated anticipations of what tlioy were going t 1 do for farming, ami in all cases (hero was disappointment. It was soon found that fanning prosperity could liot be advanced as that of trade often is, by " leap" and bounds." After the animated discus-ions of the first few meetings, it was soon found that there was nothing more to discuss. Those club», in which at every meeting some one was deputed to lead a paper oil agricultural matters, held together for the greatest length ->t tins" ; hut fie labour of preparing the papers fell oil a few. The majority of the members avoided the trouble. The papers prepared were read to ail audience nearly everyone uf which knew as much on the .-ub ject as the reader himself. A discussion more or less interesting then tol lowed. The attendance at the club gradually diminished. The readers, tired ot preparing the papers when they had no audience, and the club expired, leaving very little trace of its existence. No doubt one caiue of the brief existence ot these clubs was that people expected too much from them, and were proportionately disap pointed when it was found that they could du so little, ft is to be regretted, however, that the failure of these exaggerated expec tatiuns should have destroyed the cuius. it is almost impossible to keep up the interest of the monthly meetings, and if the existence of the club is made to depend on the attendance at these the end is inevitable. As organisations for the support of farming interests, it i.- to be regretted that these club? should cea.ie to exist. If accorded continuous support they wo.tld be ready at all times to take action in whatever matters, political or commercial, farming vigilance was required. They might promote expt ri nients in fanning, or at least record the results of experiments by farmers in tin) locality. This is by far the most; iinpoit o,t direction to which the attention of farim-i-' clubs ;ould be turned. We have much t be learned yet as to the best methods ..! farming the Waikato. All successful farm iug in the result uf experiment. Thofonuu lat.ed nuestions prepared by Mr Hyatt, "f the Cambridge Club, if truthfully answered, would throw much light on the way in which the Waikato ought to be fanned. To be useful, however, people should record the failures as well as the .successes. 'J lies,j questions are on the lines on which Sir.l. I.i. Lawes has been experimenting for -> lung a time, and the lecord of which is so valuable a treasure to agriculture. A few meetings with reference to Sir Hyatt s questions would make us acquainted with some, perhaps many, of the necessities ot Waikato fanning. If the Waikato clubs are kept in existence, they will also form organisations fur attending to any things threatening fanning interests. I have no hesitation in saying that the fanner. "1 F.ngland have lost many million.-: through the action of fraudulent manure makeis. Fanners' Clubs ought to be vigilance com inittees to prevent such losses, and 110 wlieic are such vigilauco commit tees nee< led more than ill New Zealand. For the rea sons above slated, I hope the existence U the Waikato clubs will not be made lode pend on the attendance of the monthly meetings.—l. am, etc, • los. .1. JxWil ' !!.