The Better Farming Train was an agricultural demonstration train which toured Victoria, Australia in the 1920s and 1930s to promote better farming practices. It was the first of two agricultural demonstration trains to run in Australia.

Background The idea of special trains to promote better agricultural practices was developed in Canada in the early years of the 20th century. In 1904, special trains brought farmers to the Dominion Experimental Farm in Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada to demonstrate farming techniques. From 1914 to 1922, a Better Farming Train ran throughout Saskatchewan.

The Victorian train was devised by Harold Clapp, Chairman of Commissioners of the Victorian Railways, and Dr Samuel Cameron, the Victorian Director of Agriculture. It was operated jointly by the Victorian Departments of Agriculture, Railways, Education and Public Health. The agricultural content of the train was devised by Hubert Mullett, an agricultural scientist with the Department of Agriculture and later Director of Agriculture.

The train

The Department of Agriculture described the train as an "agricultural college on wheels". Fifteen carriages were fitted out with displays covering livestock, dairy, crop production, pasture, farm machinery, cooking and infant welfare. The train was painted bright yellow to attract attention and included sleeping accommodation for the 80 staff.

A typical composition, taken from the May 1925 tour, was: Car 1: Special car Victoria for staff accommodation Car 2: Louvre van with electric generator and live stock fodder Cars 3-5: Cattle trucks, each with three padded compartments. Car 6: An open truck with six compartments for pigs. Car 7: A flat car used as a lecture platform. Car 8: A corridor carriage fitted with display tables of agricultural utensils. Car 9: A carriage with a display of veterinary exhibits. Car 10: A carriage of potato exhibits. Car 11: A carriage displaying wool production techniques, various types of weeds and grasses and soil analysis techniques. Car 12: A carriage of fruit production techniques.

Tours The full train made 38 tours of regional Victoria and into southern New South Wales and eastern South Australia. The displays were varied depending on the area visited, for example dairy in Gippsland and grain in the Wimmera. In addition, the "Domestic" and "Women's" sections of the train, featuring baby health, needlework and cookery, made independent tours to some locations and a Wool Demonstration Train ran in 1934.

The first tour departed Melbourne on 13 October 1924 and toured Gippsland with the first stop at Bunyip. The response from the public was beyond expectations, with some people travelling to see the train, and lecture cars proved to be too small. There were also criticisms of some of the arrangements for the visiting public. Between 500 and 2,000 people visited the train at each location and the tour was so successful that a second tour was planned before the first one had returned to Melbourne.

At the end of the 6th tour, Dr Cameron wrote "I have no hesitation whatever in saying that the Better Farming Train ... has made a greater appeal to the practical farmer and the younger generation of agriculturalists than anything that has hitherto been attained in Australia".

Tours became less frequent during the Great Depression and a temporary suspension was considered in 1930, however the Minister for Agriculture William Slater said it had been of inestimable value. With state finances becoming tight, in May 1932 the Commonwealth Bank made a grant of £600 to finance the next tour. The final tour was in 1935 when funding was withdrawn.

Reviving the train was considered in July 1939 if assistance was available from the Commonwealth, however this was prevented by the outbreak of World War II.

Interest from other states In December 1924, the Government of South Australia made enquiries about borrowing the train for a tour of that state. Experts from South Australia visited Victoria in 1926 to examine the train, and there was interest from New South Wales and Queensland. The train eventually toured South Australia in 1929.

New South Wales operated its own Better Farming Train between 1927 and 1929.

Tour locations Tour Region Dates Places visited Notes 1 Gippsland 13–23 October 1924 Bunyip, Neerim South, Warragul, Yarragon, Mirboo North, Morwell, Maffra, Bairnsdale, Kilmany, Traralgon, Moe, Drouin. 2 South Gippsland 10–15 November 1924 Lang Lang, Meeniyan, Yarram, Toora, Korumburra, Cranbourne. 3 Western District 1–12 December 1924 Colac, Terang, Allansford, Warrnambool, Penshurst, Branxholme, Heywood, Portland, Hamilton, Koroit, Camperdown, Birregurra, Moriac. 4 North Central/Goulburn Valley 9–21 March 1925 Elmore, Cohuna, Gunbower, Rochester, Echuca, Tongala/Kyabram, Tatura, Shepparton, Cobram, Numurkah, Stanhope, Murchison. - Gippsland 16–25 April 1925 Warragul, Thorpdale, Moe, Morwell, Mirboo North, Trafalgar. Domestic section only. 5 Goldfields/Mallee 11–22 May 1925 Castlemaine, Raywood, Mitiamo, Kerang, Nyah, Kooloonong, Piangil, Swan Hill, Tresco, Pyramid, Dingee, Bendigo. 6 North East 17–28 August 1925 Devenish, Yarrawonga, Benalla, Springhurst, Wangaratta, Wodonga, Myrtleford, Violet Town, Seymour. 7 Central Victoria 12–17 October 1925 Broadford, Alexandra, Yea, Mansfield, Merton, Wallan. 8 Midlands/Goldfields 9–20 November 1925 Sunbury, Kyneton, Redesdale, Newstead, Maryborough, Clunes, Creswick, Newlyn, Daylesford, Trentham. 9 Central West 30 November - 11 December 1925 Ballan, Bungaree, Ballarat, Waubra, Linton, Skipton, Meredith, Geelong, Little River. - South Gippsland 8–13 February 1926 Koo Wee Rup, Korumburra, Meeniyan, Toora, Fish Creek, Leongatha. Domestic section only. - Central Victoria 15 February 1926 Alexandra. Domestic Arts and Mothercraft cars only. 10 Wimmera/Mallee 8–20 March 1926 Minyip, Beulah, Patchewollock, Hopetoun, Warracknabeal, Horsham, Jeparit, Rainbow, Dimboola, Kaniva, Nhill, Murtoa. - South Gippsland 8–11 June 1926 Nyora, Glen Forbes, Anderson, Wonthaggi. Women's Section only. 11 Mallee/Sunraysia 26 July - 7 August 1926 Donald, Woomelang, Underbool, Murrayville, Walpeup, Carwarp, Mildura, Ouyen, Speed, Birchip, Watchem, St Arnaud. - North East 30 August - 4 September 1926 Goorambat, St James, Yarrawonga, Benalla. Women's Section only. 12 Mallee 4–15 October 1926 Boort, Ultima, Manangatang, Annuello, Chillingollah, Quambatook, Charlton, Wycheproof, Sea Lake, Kulwin, Culgoa. 13 Midlands/Goldfields 8–13 November 1926 Kilmore, Inglewood, Wedderburn, Marong, Axedale, Heathcote. 14 Yarra Valley/Mornington Peninsula 6–10 December 1926 Whittlesea, Lilydale, Healesville, Somerville, Red Hill. 15 Western District/Wimmera 21–31 March 1927 Inverleigh, Cressy, Lismore, Westmere, Willaura, Glenthompson, Stawell, Ararat, Beaufort, Burrumbeet. - Western District 30 May-9 June 1927 Winchelsea, Colac, Cobden, Mortlake, Panmure, Port Fairy, Koroit. Domestic Section only. 16 Mallee/Riverina (New South Wales) 11–23 July 1927 Goornong, Lockington, Cohuna, Gunbower, Rochester, Deniliquin, Mathoura, Bunnaloo, Moulamein, Balranald, Wakool, Echuca. 17 Midlands/Goldfields/Mallee 15–27 August 1927 Malmsbury, Prairie, Swan Hill, Piangil, Kooloonong, Nyah West, Mystic Park, Murrabit, Kerang, Mincha, Harcourt, Maldon. 18 Gippsland 10–21 October 1927 Warragul, Trafalgar, Mirboo North, Yinnar, Maffra, Bairnsdale, Orbost, Bruthen, Sale, Rosedale, Pakenham. 19 South Gippsland 14–19 November 1927 Koo Wee Rup, Dalyston, Leongatha, Yarram, Foster, Loch. 20 Western District 6–16 March 1928 Koroit, Hamilton, Cavendish, Balmoral, Portland, Condah, Casterton, Merino, Coleraine, Penshurst. 21 Western District 7–12 May 1928 Winchelsea, Camperdown, Panmure, Mortlake, Colac, Drysdale. Originally scheduled for one week earlier. Postponed to prevent clashing with the Warrnambool Racing Carnival. 22 Mallee 30 July-9 August 1928 Carwarp, Merrinee, Meringur, Werrimull, Red Cliffs, Ouyen, Underbool, Murrayville, Cowangie, Walpeup. 23 Goulburn Valley 27 August-6 September 1928 Nagambie, Colbinabbin, Girgarre, Tatura, Tongala, Shepparton, Dookie, Numurkah, Cobram, Nathalia. 24 North East 22 October-1 November 1928 Euroa, St James, Yarrawonga, Tatong, Wangaratta, Myrtleford, Rutherglen, Tallangatta, Wodonga, Chiltern, Benalla. 25 Wimmera 12–22 March 1929 Horsham, Natimuk, Goroke, Toolondo, Dimboola, Kaniva, Nhill, Jeparit, Rainbow, Lorquon. 26 Wimmera/Mallee 19–24 April 1929 Warracknabeal, Beulah, Hopetoun, Patchewollock, Murtoa. 27 Central Victoria 16–26 June 1929 Werribee, Longwood, Seymour, Alexandra, Yea, Mansfield, Merton, Kilmore, Axedale, Heathcote. 28 Central Victoria/Goldfields 30 July-8 August 1929 Trentham, Newlyn, Clunes, Navarre, Elmhurst, Avoca, Carisbrook, Kyneton, Gisborne. 29 South Australia 7–17 October 1929 Bordertown, Murray Bridge, Balaklava, Gladstone, Gawler, Kapunda, Riverton, Mount Barker. 30 Western District/Central Victoria 24 March-4 April 1930 Winchelsea, Cressy, Westmere, Glenthompson, Strathkellar, Willaura, Derrinallum, Moriac, Lara, Diggers Rest, Melton. 31 Gippsland 23 June-2 July 1930 Drouin, Thorpdale, Boolarra, Heyfield, Boisdale, Bruthen, Orbost, Lindenow, Neerim South, Berwick. 32 South Gippsland 21–29 July 1930 Clyde, Yannathan, Meeniyan, Toora, Yarram, Fish Creek, Korumburra, Kernot. 33 Mallee/Northern Districts 19–30 October 1931 Dingee, Swan Hill, Murrabit, Kerang, Pyramid, Rochester, Kyabram, Gunbower, Cohuna, Lockington. 34 Western District/Goulburn Valley 8–18 March 1932 Timboon, Cobden, Stanhope, Tatura, Tongala, Kyabram, Numurkah, Cobram, Shepparton. 35 Mallee 12–22 July 1932 Quambatook, Manangatang, Robinvale, Ultima, Boort, Culgoa, Nandaly, Sea Lake, Wycheproof, Charlton. 36 Western District 10–19 October 1933 Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Hawkesdale, Coleraine, Portland, Heywood, Condah, Merino, Casterton. 37 North East 18–28 September 1934 Beechworth, Cudgewa, Tallangatta, Huon, Wahgunyah, Goorambat, Tungamah, Yarrawonga. - Central/Goulburn Valley/North East 3–16 October 1934 Seymour, Mansfield, Yea, Shepparton, Murchison, Rushworth, Nagambie, Euroa, Benalla, Wangaratta. Wool Demonstration Train run jointly with the Country Women's Association. 38 Mallee/Sunraysia 25 March-4 April 1935 Tempy, Underbool, Murrayville, Ouyen, Mildura, Merrinee, Meringur, Werrimull, Red Cliffs.

Gallery

See also Better Farming Train (Saskatchewan), Canadian inspiration for the Victorian train. Reso Train, National Resources Development train inspired by the Better Farming Train.

References

External links Honey and egg car of the Better Farming Train, Victorian Department of Agriculture, taken in 1924 or 1925 (via Trove) The Better Farming Train, Department of Environment and Primary Industries