MILK FOR DAIRY FACTORIES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1509, 17 March 1887, Page 3

MILK FOR DAIRY FACTORIES

The " Waipawa Mall " writeß :—A farmer who is well ecquninted with the several cheese factories which work m the North Island, Bayß that it will never pay the farmers to take 3d a gallon for their milk He has tried milking 20 cows for a factory. He had to depend upon a liitle aselttanoe from members rf his family, and they managed the milking twicu a day. between them. It meant getting up at 4.30 a.m., and going at it until about 9. Tben operations had to commence agaiu at 3in tho afternoon. The coaaequenoe was there was no apare time en hand for any other work but the actual milking. This lagted for ab. ut 5 months. Fairly good cowa would each yield an average of 3 gallona oi milk a day, during that five months. Ihls amount, at 31 a gallon, means 15s a day or £4 10* a woek of cix working days. Tho total receipts fromjjtho 20 cows, for the five months, would|amount to £99 The land required to maintain those cowb all the year round would be about 40 aciO3. Tho farmur has m addition, to the £09 obtained fr<m the sale of milk, seven months spare time, m which ho can earn another £100. This brings up tha total income to considorably more than that which most of the bush farmers can boost of. We. are mc ined to combat the statement that 31 a gallon is too Hitlo for factories to give for milk. However, If they are paying, it is quite trne that the eeitlera who supply the milk should have tho first chance of reaping the extra profits. ■