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The Better Farming Train
Introduction
 The
Better Farming Train steamed out of Melbourne for the first time in October
1924 bound for Gippsland. An engine towing fifteen carriages painted bright
orange made a striking picture. Each carriage was fitted out with agricultural
displays. Pigs, cows, poultry, bees, dairy utensils, potatoes, bacon, tobacco,
manure, fodder and pasture samples and a range of expert lecturers were
among items of interest carried on the train.
The Better Farming
Train was developed by co-operation between the Departments of Agriculture,
Railways, Education and Public Health. It was a public education effort
intended to improve farming techniques and raise agricultural production.
The train made approximately thirty-eight tours of rural Victoria between
1924 and 1935. Each tour visited ten regional centres, with one day spent
at each centre.
 Upon
arrival at a railway station, the train was prepared for exhibition. Cattle
were walked out into the station yard; the sides of the pig truck were
let down to enable farmers to view the animals; pasture plots were lowered
to the platform and the display carriages were opened to the public. A
series of lectures on subjects relevant to the area were conducted at
each centre. Demonstrators showed how superphosphate could improve pastures.
Lecturers discussed varieties, diseases and cultivation of tobacco and
potatoes. In Gippsland, dairy officers demonstrated milk testing. A popular
display in most centres was the "women's branch". Lectures and demonstrations
were given about infant welfare, cooking and clothing design. Mothers
brought babies for examination by the nurse. "A box of samples including
aprons, knitted frocks, embroidery and riding pants aroused a great deal
of interest" as did demonstrations of "simple cooking with special consideration
to dried fruits, soups, casseroles, re-cooked meats and pastry making."
(Journal of Agriculture, March 1925).
 Between
500 and 2000 farmers and townspeople attended the Better Farming Train
exhibitions at each centre. The train served as a travelling agricultural
school, an experimental farm on wheels and a chance for a day out. It
was a novelty and a spectacle and attracted many people who would not
otherwise be interested in attending lectures or courses. So eager was
one woman in Gippsland to view the train that she rose at 3.30 am in order
to milk the cows and get the children ready. She then drove over thirty
miles to visit the Better Farming Train.
Additional
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