Page 37

NINTH ANNUAL XKTING.
37
expressions, and where even the newspaper comment is as com-
plimentary as anything which has been published on British ter-
ritory. I believe this event which we all deplore will do very
much towards uniting these two great English-speaking races
and tend to build up that friendly feeling which we are glad to
aee growing during the past few years.
I am to talk to you tonight something about that far-off por-
tion of the British empire lying under the Southern Cross,
known as New Zealand. New Zealand, probably, for its size and
population, today attracts more attention than any other part of
the globe. Perhaps it has attracted much attention on account
of the socialistic tendency of its legislation, but that is not a mat-
ter in which I am much interested, nor well posted. I want to
say something about farming in general, and of dairying in par-
ticular, in that part of the world. Perhaps what I say may not
be particularly instructive but may be of general interest.
You know- that New Zealand consists of three main islands
lying between latitudes 340 and 360 south, and the total area of
these three islands amounts to 104,471 square miles, or a little
less than twice the size of the state of Wisconsin. The greater
part of the country is very hilly and part of it very mountainous,
covered with perpetual snows. In this part of the world that
hilly land would appear to be almost useless, but much of it has
been utilized for agricultural purposes. The scenery of New
Zealand is unique, and the bush scenery with its evergreen foli-
age and magnificent tree ferns, as well as other- varieties of
ferns, have been the admiration and envy of other countries for
many years. One of the unique feature of New Zealand is its
remarkable climate. It has the reputation of being a very fine
climate, and for a temporary stay it is almost ideal, but those
of us who are accustomed to the crisp, dry atmosphere of this
part of North America, are somewhat disappointed, and, indeed,
I found I suffered quite as much from cold in New Zealand as
I ever have done in this country. At Wellington, the capital of
the islands, the range of the thermometer was last year from
310 to 780 Fahrenheit. It very seldom freezes in any part of
tbe country except the extreme south, and never enough to freeze
1o i s S  r
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