grasses are grown with success as soon as the proper varieties for 

 the various localities are fixed upon and it has been proved over and 

 over by enterprising farmers in all the horse-breeding districts with 

 a little extra attention and exertion sufficient extra food could be 

 supplied very cheaply to carry the fo^ls; brood mares and other 

 young stock through the two or three severest winter months. With 

 very little expense large hay stacks con also be made of the indi- 

 genous grasses, which in the height of the season are most luxuriant, 

 and is very nutritive as a hay fodder — these haystacks are an excel- 

 lent precaution against an unexpected drought, when the ordinary 

 winter supplies run out. The famous studs of Malmesbury Rob- 

 ertson and Caledon are situated in the richest grain districts and 

 the methods above described are in full practice and they liave also 

 gradually found an adoption in those districts tliat are in greater 

 need of them, owing to the lower percentage of the annual rainfall ; 

 but there is yet room for vast improvement and some knowledge of 

 economic farming and modern ideas and principles of intelligent 

 manipulation of the various forces of agricultural wealth must be 

 instilled into the minds of the rising generation. Thanks to the 

 exertions of a wise and liberal Government things are moving in the 

 right direction and great n'sults have been and are being achieved. 



Although man cannot change Nature's laws, he certainly can 

 direct her forces to his advantage and minimize their severity, and 

 the failure to realize this fad to a fuller extent has been the cause 

 that every drought carries away hundreds of thousands of stock 

 through starvation, ^^'hen about half if not all of it cauld have been 

 saved. To lose stock during the ordinary severe winter months is 

 due to sheer neglect and such farmers deserve the censure if not 

 the just contempt of their neighbors who do not lose any through 

 want of food. 



In these days of specilikiation it would be unwise to keep up a 

 certain farming industry at the expense of others or where the re- 

 quirements necessary for its successful upkeep cannot be met with 

 by the natural resources om the locality. 



Extensive and intensive systems of farming should be closely 

 studied and the relative value of each compared in proportion to 

 cost of production. We frequently come across farmers who put 

 all their attention into a dairy herd when the nearest creamery or 

 railway station is some twenty or thirty miles away; all extra 



72 



