FARMERS’ COLUMN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2144, 29 July 1907, Page 1

FARMERS’ COLUMN.

In u single week the Lagmohr Estate put through tho Islington Freezing Works for shipment 3085 ewes, averaging 701 b freezing weight. This, says the Islington managor, is a record draft for Now Zealand. Tho ewes (reports tho Ashburton Guar-

dian) were between eight and nine weeks on kale bel'oro being sent to tho works.

Air. J. G. Gow (writes tlie Ottawa, correspondent of tlie Otago Daily Times) is still doing good work in

bringing New Zealand interests befo.-» the people of Canada. Ho regards the prospects of increased trade between the two countries as being exceedingly good. From tlie present outlook, he believes from 4000 to 6000 tons of Canadian products may bo shipped every two months to New Zealand, with every prospect of largo increases. He believes also there is a large market in AVestern Canada for New Zealand mutton.

Tho unusually wot weather which WJ have experienced in the AVairarapa this yoar has retarded farming operations considerably (says the Standard). In many places the land is more like a bog than anything else. Small birds are very much in evidence in South Canterbury, and for sparrows’ heads 9d per dozen is being paid bv the local bodies. Tho clerk t.i tho Temuka Iload Board on a recent afternoon paid out £l6 12s for •1421 dozen heads.

The Dunedin Star says that during Ins journey through France Air. AV. Belcher was particularly impressed with the intense manner in which that country is cultivated. “Every •square foot,” he says, “into which a spado or fork can ho put. let alone a plough, is in close cultivation. Indeed, I saw a spot where earth had neon carried oil to roclcy ground. .«nd this place mad© to grow sometiling useful. France, of course, is proverbial for its enormous number of small holdings, and this probably a r C ?i Un^s -f Ol llltens e cultivation of tlio soil—a fact which is in marked contrast to the conditions prevailing in Great Britain.”

In a speech aft Dunedin Mr. Millar seemed to foreshadow an export duty on wheat, so that the farmers would be compelled to sell in the-colony and elms prevent high prices. We should like to see (says the Oamaru Alail) any administration in these days of freedom and enlightenment attempt to place such an embargo on the fanners in order to compel them to accept any price that an over-sup-plied local market would produce. Jhe prices yielded for wheat in this colony are regulated by those ruling at Home, and if the growers demand prices on tliis basis they are acting quite within their rights and in accordance with the- recognised usage m every department of commerce. Gheap bread is not tli e only tiling worth fighting for. There are countries which have it, but in which the masses are steeped i n misery.

THE NEAVER FARAIING

“Home Counties,” in a recent isu.j of the “AVorld’s Work,” tells of in interview with a farmer who lias iciopted' tile motor:-

A es, ’ he said, “the farmer’s got to take to the motor some day. If he does not choose to educate himsa'f to it, he’ll have to give place to an educated man and take tlie position of an uneducated person. One is afraid that most farmers will take to the motor after tlie foreigner has got! it instead of before. They will toko to it, that is, when they must. There are probably morejnotors going abroad and to the colonies than an at home. The colonial is a pushing, intelligent man. Here, a 4 Home, tho farmer is bred and born : in the colonies lie is made. In the colonies they find necessity is the mother of invention. They have to think in the colonies or get left. It is possible to exist in England witlioit thinking. But in the. colonies there are no poor-law unions.” 1 said that a farmer of seven hundred acres had told me that he and his fellows did not “mean to risk having a motor till wealthier men ha 1 experimented more with it.”

“That’s it,” he said ; “but I’m not a wealthy man. As things are, however, I thought the motor worth £3OO to me, and I certainly should not like to be without it. But most farmers have not come to it yet. Still, tilings are improving. Three oil-engines have arrived in this district of late.”

“Wo must look to the younger generation, I suppose,” I suggested. “Well,” was the reply, “one old farmer who saw my motor was certoinly not inclined to have anything to do with it. ‘Sneh a lot of wheels and puffing about,’ he said, ‘and the revolutions a minute something enormcns.’ As to farmers’ sons, it is possible. to be too hopeful of some or them. Too many of them have got all wrong notions in their heads, and they' can’t drive them out. If father prospered and. grandfather prospered along certain lines, why should not 1 9 is the kind of influence at work in too many cases. A farmer said to mo the other day that ‘it would take a lot to heat the British farmer; lie’s uod asleep.’ ‘No,’ said I, ‘he may not bo, hut it’ll take a lot to kick him out of bed.’ ”

SUCCESS IN DAIRYING

The reason why so many fail in the dairy business is because they have too many irons in the fire (says a writer in the American Agriculturist). They try to carry on too many kinds of Work. I find that I have not an hour’s time to devote to anything else outside the dairy business. I never think of making a dollar any other way. I cannot afford to as long as I am in this business. If 1 want to make more money I buy more cows and make more milk. It requires only a little more effort, and quite often not any more help or land,-for the manure will double the grazing capacity of the land. A herd ol' good cows will pay for themselves,

buy a poor farm, and make it as rich as’ the richest i,, the country, and make you a good living while they are doing it, if you will give them proper care. It is often said that dairying requires too many hours. Of course yiil can put in as many hours each diy as you wish, 10 or 14. If . you put in 14 hours I will assure you get paid for 14 hours’ work, and if you put in 10 hours you will receive pay lor 10 hours. What more can you ask >’ The greatest trouble with some dairymen is that they undertake too much. They try to raise a large crop of wheat and corn, fatten some cattle and hogs, besides carrying on a dairy. There is too much on hand. Of course the dairy is neglected and finally dropped out so as to lighten up the work.

There is nothing hard about'the dairy business nowadays. It is light work compared with other farm work. I have been engaged in all kinds of farm work, Imt think that dairying is superior to any. If I Here starting out in life I should start in the same business. Of course it lias its ups and downs the same as other things. But stay with it and you will win out.

Yop cannot J expect to get much milk unless your cows got tlie best of Feed and plenty of it. Our cows get grain the year round. They pay for it and we feed it. I think those who arj situated so they can dispose of then. dairy products'for a good price cannot afford to engage in any other business. I used to try to think of something I could run in connection with the dairy, hut always failed. I never’ could figure as much profit ill apytljing asjn the cows.. This is the reason why I have continued so long in the business. I will give you a fe v figures to show about how niv dairy has been running for the last three years. During the year 1904 we produced 55,590 gallons; 1905, 01,320 gallons; 1906, 05, 340 gallons; making a total of 183,250 gallons. Most of the milk was produced in tin winter, makiim 210 gallons per da \. Out- production for December was 640 ten-gallon cans, of 6400 gallons The number of cows milked wis 67. J havp been keeping from 69 to 75 bead. This herd has paid for itself, bought and paifl for over 429 acres of land, and equipped it with buildings costing over 6000 dollars I credit the success of this dairy to good cows, plenty of good, milk-producing feed, and the best of care