118 



UOTAI. foMMISSION ON AGBICULTL'RK. 



24 



, 1'Jl'j.j 



MR. JOHN WILLIAM DOUTHWAITK. 



of about 4 each and sold them at an average of ju*t 

 er L That is about 



I-,!'"- I U ere good .sllefp wl 



ili.-in, or at least when von \.i!u,-.l thoin in 

 they 



rj,tir:t lint with that high v:ilnu when you started 

 feeding thorn and the comparatively small anit.unt 

 you put on them in tin- course of, any, 5 uion; 

 roots, von wore keeping them UM. long-'. No, 1 abso- 

 lutely deny 1 was keeping thorn too long. As a matter 

 of fact, I think some of them had to go when tht> roou 

 worn gone 



. I. It was a vorv bad w.m. ,, i n your 



country last winter, 1'JIH -19.- \, nrj had neither. 



\ very bad January and rVI.ru. . 

 und it was difficult to get the .sheep to do as you would 

 like. 



12,670. Turning to the n.ui<,r lor .1 moment, yon 

 bought this tractor, say, about 191- 



12.677. Is not it generally true that tii, 

 that wore bought at that time were a much j 

 machine than those that are being bought n..\\ .- 1 

 think perhaps it may be true: l.ut with any machine 

 you occasionally strike a lucky on. . an<l peYliaj 



will iirike an unlucky one. 'Although they an-' all 

 the same pattern, one machine will clii better work 

 than another. 



12.678. What do you consider tin- life of thi* 

 tractor, the " Overtime." is going to bop I should 



another 12 months will finish he. ,,)F. 



12.679. Have yon any id what would lie tin 

 1914 values <,f tenant-right as to exhausted val 

 cultivations on your farm? I am afraid I could not 

 peak from memory. If I had the books I oould tell 

 you in a moment. 



12.680. Would it be anything like 2 or 60s. an 

 .me, .spread over the whole of the arable? I should 



perhaps about 2, speaking from memory. 

 12,6X1. And. apart from perhaps a little extra 

 .-ereal cropping, you kept it in fairly good condition 

 during the war period ? Well, 1 have done the best 

 I could. 



12,682. But you kept up your supplies of artificials? 

 Yes. 



<i. Ami you have used not quite as much feed- 

 ingstuffs, but still some, and kept it in fairly good 

 condition:' Yes. I have tried the best I could. 



ll'.i.>|. So that taking those facts altogether, say, 

 the 1911 values on unexhausted manure* und tillages 

 about 2, and you have kept it fairly well, 

 except that you have cropped it rather more than 

 ns'ial with cereals, would you really seriously state 

 that you have lost 5 worth of value on it; or, con- 

 versely, that it will take C.1 to put it straight? 

 1 think if I were to spend i'o an acre on it all over 

 now, it would Ix- no better than it was in 1<J14. You 

 may refer, if you would, to the cost of cleaning the 

 foul land, and s eo what 83 acres have cost me this 

 summer. 



12,686. Yes; but .still I pre.su me that is only the 

 normal, or slightly above the normal, amount of 

 fallowing:' I have not been in the habit of having 

 fallows at all a* a rule. 



13.686. But you had this amount of bare fallow this 

 year P Yes. 



12.687. Mr. li'it r l,,l,,r; C,,,,l,| yon tell me how yon, 

 horses have wrought consj, leral.lv fewer dv during 

 the past vear ihan the previous M. :I , particularly in 

 the months of February. March and April:- K then- 

 any special reason? The speeial teason would he 

 weather frost-bound land and roads like ice for two 

 or thus- week-. I distinctly remember the tin* when 

 It was not safe for a hoi . ,,, It of the Mal.le. 



12.688. \Vh.it would you coiiv.der an average number 

 of hoiM lahoiii , r . t :i |<,. n m ,. r , ,, ( , r j (M | 



* years, allowing for frost and weather?- I should 



hose two years were about representat < 

 J2.<;- -ing U-twe..,, the two:- Yes. m 



thing about that. 



12,690. Your general account of expenses include, 

 inn- lost b\ bad weather, denning up. hedging dit- h 

 ing fencing, insurance and nil general account* I 

 ondantaad that you keep verv accurnte reeoi.: 

 these? -I do. 



J2,olU. And they work out for the year to Michael- 

 at 17s. -id. pur acre? Yes, that is so. 



.... til.lt. ill the Ufl ihev 



lory high tiguro li<. you 



romemher what the special reason for that was? 1 

 am afraid 1 cannot speak from memory, but the figures 

 are . uri 



I -.'.'..-.'.. It does strike me as being so high, as com 

 . nh anv other.- Yes, it strikes me, too, looking 

 at it ; but I cannot from memory give any special 

 raaaon. 



i ui ii for the current year you estimate 20s. 



1 think that is a low estimation. 

 ll!,(>U.">. That is not putting on very much any way 

 for the additional expenses!- No. 



12,696. Then, looking at " Cost of growing 16 

 ot barley and -|O acre,-. of bailey in 191: i 

 understand \oii have actual expenses up to Kith 

 August, 191'J? Yes. 



12,i;:7. And since that they are estimates P Yes. 

 12,0'SW. You will know by this time how the ha: 

 has turned out ?- Yes. 



12.699. Are your estimates fairly reasonable? Do 

 you mean estimates for coster 



12.700. Yes? I have not ledgered it up just for the 

 month ; but 1 should suy they are very near. 



P2,7(Jl. Do you think your estimate of yield is on 

 the high side or on the low side? I think my estimates 

 there are too high. 



12,702. That is what 1 want to make certain of. 

 That is, now you see what the crop is!'- Yes. 



12.7(i;i. In other words, the crop this \enr is lower 

 ihan the preceding years? That is so. 



12.704. tit: l!"i : On your sheep return there is some 

 question as to the amount of it. It seems to me it is 

 rather a good return. You put 98 sheep on and you 

 sold 98 sheep:- \ SB. 



12.705. Do you often get as good a return as that 

 from sheen on turnips? We very often lose one or 

 two, but that was n lucky lot. Tin ..t a death. 



12.706. That is what struck me, that it was very 

 lucky? Yes, that is correct. 



12.707. Your profits are really extra-normal there? 



> 08. 



12.708. And considering the amount of cake they 

 got in addition to roots, the increase of 27s. a head 

 must have been good too the selling price over the 

 laying-in price:' - Yes, but the balance is not a very big 

 one. It is on the wrong side, is it not :- 



12.709. I know. That makes it all tho worse from 

 your point of view. You had a lucky season, and \et 

 they make a loss? -That is so. 



IL'.7li>. And that has to be carried on to the suc- 

 ceeding corn crops?- Yes, it has. 



12.711. Is it necessary to keep sheep on your land - 

 It is generally supposed to be good sheep land, and 

 land you cannot keep in condition without sheep. 



12.712. That is what I mean. It is land which would 

 not grow corn unless it carried sheep? It wants sheep. 



i'J.713. Then as to the tractor. Do yon not think 

 that your depreciation estimate is too low? Yes, I do. 



12,714. Was last year the first year you had the 

 "Overtime"- 1 hnd the "Overtime'' going two 

 years. 



12,716. And you think another season will wear it 

 out P Yes, 1 do. 



12,716. That is my point. I was going to ask you, 

 do not you think they ought to bo valued at three 

 lift Yes, I do. 



H.',717 S;, .Mi per cent, depreciation the first year, 

 ; ""' : 'I- each of the two following years, to 



wipe it oil in three yearsP Yes, I agree. Of course, 

 v h. -n I started I had no idea that depreciation and 

 "'!>'' "'K to be so much, and I did not st.irt 



charging enough for the work done by the tractor. 

 J.. M I have had one for three yearn, and it is 



(ractieally don m . AH far as yon' have gone, you 



think you would ], inclined to put it on somewhat 

 lh<- same basis? Yes. 



12.710. l>r. Douglas: I am not quite clear as to 

 what rate >..u charge ploughing. It seems to be 



i at different, , :il , >,,,, charge L-.'Mi 5s. 6d in 

 tho wheat ace,,nnt f..r .') acres. That is Cl an : 



I CB, 



12.720. Then yon cliaigc on 17 acics, only 15s. for 

 ploughing. Id this shallower ploughing, or not? 



