Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-06-09


farm In New Zealand.
BY W. d. BOYCE.
I asked an official Of the New Zealand
department Of agriculture why the
l. dominion does not raise more wheat
and oats, its principal cereal crops, and
why the acreage sown in the last year
or two was smaller than in the past.
sheep, principally" lie replied with
smile. Our rainfall Is so plentiful, an
average Of fifty inches 4 year. and grass
and forage crops grow so rapidly and
heavily that the farmer finds sheep will
pay him better than cereals and without
so much work that he can devote to
other things. There is another reason,
too. Fertilizer is high here, three times
as much as 1t was before the war and
the farmer will not pay the price. Most
Of our land requires a little fertiliz!ng
to produce its best. The government
tries to induce the raising OF more wheat
by guaranteeing a minimum price and
fixing the maximum price at the same
figure for which Australian wheat can
be laid down in New Zealand. But the
lure OF sheep raising is too strong
That IS why New Zealand raises
wheat and oats for its own use only and
depends upon her sheep and her dairy
produce for most Of her export trade.
The North Island raises less than per
cent Of the wheat and oats grown IN
the Dominion and 1t is the fertile plains
Of Canterbury and the fields Of South
OtagO where cereals, mostly oats, arc
grown. on the other hand the north
eastern district Of the North Island
near the seashore grows the very small
amount of corn which IS planted IN New
Zealand
The South Island leads, too. in the
production OF barley. peas for export as
well as home consumption, beans. lin
seed, grass and other farm seeds. In
all parts Of the Dominion the native fax
Is grown and the fiber is exported in
great quantities, principally TO America
for the manufacture of ropes and twine
great quantity Of the fibre IS manu-
featured into cordage in New Zealand.
but the exports alone amount to around
$4,000. 900 (six million dollars annually.
OF the total area Of 100000 forty
three and a half millionl acres occupied
in New Zealand, 100000 (sixteen mil
Ilon) acres were IN pasture on land upon
which seed had been s0wn. The fig
Ures for last year show that grain was
sown on 100000 (seven hundred thou
sand acres, that grass for seed and hay
was being grown on 5000 mine hun
ty-fve thousand) acres were given over
to orchards, while 255C0,0O0 twenty-five
and one-half miIlion) acres were wild
lands and consisted largely Of sheep and
cattle ranges. The rest of the land I'M
der occupation was given over largely
to small gardens and plantations and
private grounds.
DEPARTMENT STRESSES
CULTIVATION or GRASS.
The department Of agriculture IS par
ticularly iusistent in It's campaign Of
education to impress the Importance upon
the farmer OF the proper cultivation Of
grass crops. It must bs remembered
that In its native state the lands OF the
Dominion were mostly covered with heavy
bush and that it has been necessary to
chop down much OF It and then burn
over It to clear the ground. The farmer
has learned that It is foolish to turn
large numbers Of stock out on wide open
spaces unless he has first sown II TO
grass of the very best kind. About a
I third Of the lands now IN grass have
! been ploughed, the rest being sown with
out cultivation OF the ground.
| Yields OF wheat and oats depend prin-
/ cipalIy upon the season. In 1918 the
season was unfavorable. It improved the
following year and in 1920 was still bet
/ ter with an average yield throughout the
/ Dominion Of thirty-six bushels to the acre
/ for wheat and about thirty light bushels
/ for oats. In a previous article l de-
| scribed the bOuntifuI yields Of wheat
| which are obtained in the Canterbury
plains where some fields produce as high
as ninety bushels to the acre. These are
/ exceptional. however, and yields of forty
I five to fifty bushels to the acre are more
commonly found there
1t interested me exceedingly to inspect
a field Of turnips which had been grown
! specially for the fattening OF sheep dur
! ing the winter months. In this particu-
lar field a small patch had been fenced
of for feeding a small flock that was
low in weight The sheep had eaten of
all the tops, which were about two feet
| high, and then had gone down the rows
and eaten off one side Of the roots Of the
turnips themselves. The farmer I'M.
} formed me that later they would come
down the rows the other way and would
/ eat off the other side Of the turuips and
| finally would pull the roots out Of the
ground and eat them.
! In the North Island there are a great
many thousand acres of volcanic, or
pumice lands, where the government is
making a strong effort to treat the land
so that it will become productive The
| discovery was made that near the edges
Of small streams and lakes where live
stock had rolled and paved up the earth
& crop of rich grass had sprung up. The
government authorities believe that
ploughing. narrowing and rolling this
ground ultimately will result in making
it suitable for crops
1t is in the "backblocks," as they are
called, where the pioneer Of New Zealand
I is labOring today 20 clear the land for
his farm. with AK and saw he is clearing
| off the timber and brush, then burning
over the land, blowing up the stumps and
plOughing. Having put the ground In
shape he is turning more and more to
his department of agriculture for soil
analyses and advice as to what his land
I best is suited to grow.
/ GOVERNMENT OPERATES
/ FOUR EXPERIMENTAL FARMS.
! With agricultural and pastoral pursuits
/ the principal industries Of the Dominion.
( the department of agriculture has de-
( veloped into one Of the most important
/ branches Of the government and the serv-
I ice which it renders to the farmers seems
/ to be most complete.
There are four large experimental farms,
located in different parts of the Domin-
ion, where conditions are analysed and