Kōrero: Farming in the economy

In the 1890s the Liberal government began to break up the great farm estates in the South Island, and put settlers on farms in the North Island. Many of these new farmers had little or no experience of farming. The Department of Agriculture was set up, in part, to educate these new settlers in scientific farming. This table, showing the moisture content and feed value of a wide range of stock feeds, was one of their educational tools.