THE FARM INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 532, 12 June 1909, Page 8

THE FARM INDUSTRY.

A SKETCH OF OUR DAIRYING. . GIVEN TO CANADIANS. BY A NEW ZEALANDER. Mr. John Ta.it, a New Zealandor who recently visited Canada, gave tho "Canadian Dairyman" an outlino of our butter and cheeso industry. 'Speaking of t'ho possibility of New Zealand cheese seriously competing against tho Canadian article —a matter about which Canadians have been greatly concerned of late — ho said that at the beginning of tho c'liecso se.iso.il of 1007-03 a great many creameries put in equipments at considerable expense, and changed from butter-making to cheesemaking, owing to the bettor cash returns. Theso concerns did not look far enough ahead, and found it difficult' to get competent cheese-makers to manage their factories. Consequently tho cheeso turned out was not of the host quality. But, as a lot of money has been expended in changing over they aix) likely to stay with Uio ganio for a whilo. If the comparative casli returns from tlie creamery and tlio cheese factory continue as they have been, more dairymen are likely to tako up cheese-making.' As the makers become more proficient in their work, tho quality will improve. "There aro no cheese markets in New Zealand," said Mr. Tait, "and tho plan of selling is quite differont from what it is hero. The factories employ no salesmen. Tlie selling is done by the directors of the company. Tho season's make is practically air sold bofore it is made.- Tho directors receive offers from tho buyers. They meet and decide which one they will accept for the season's make. Tho price is governed by tho grade, so much for first grade, so much for second, and so on. For butter, tho difference in the price between first and second grades is about 2 cents a lb. Sometimes the buyer would offer a little extra for No. 2to land the business. The bids for No. 1 grade aro usually pretty uniform. Tho buyer's price is usually f.o.b. at the nearest grading station."

Mr. Tait said that tho quality has been more improved by grading than by instruction at tho factories. Tho butter standard calls for a dry butter. Often otherwise choico butter will be put in second grade because of haying a little more moisture. This standard is likely to be modified somewhat in the near future, as tho trade- is demanding a butter with moro moisture in it. Some of tho laws in New Zealand affecting dairying would appear very drastic in Canada. There is a 10-hour day Act in force in connection with factory help. In a cheese factory, if it requires moro thaa 10 hours to do the day's work the liolpor gets extra pay. There is a tendency, therefore, to rush things ..through, without regard to quality. Then no company can accept milk from anyone but-its shareholders. To supply milk to a factory, a fanner: needs to have some scares in tho company. This tends to keep natrons tied up to their own- factories, and the maker has better control over the milk supply. Mr. Tait gave an instance- of how this law works out. A company not well versed in the law, recently accepted milk from a non-share-holder. At the end of the- season, when tho bonus for tho year's business was given out, this party did not get any, because he was not a shareholder. As ho was a largo patron his share amounted to about one hundred dollars. ' Ho immediately sued for it,-, and as tho company had broken tho law by accepting tho milk, it had to liquidate and reorganisq. \ '

Dairying is having tho samo effect in increasing the value of lands as in Australia. As high as 250 dollars an acre has been paid for Rood dairy farms without a building of any kind on them. Thero is no winter feed? ing. It is only because of this fact that tho business can be mado to pay. But tho buyer usually makos good, and has been making money of late- years.