STATE DAIRY HERDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 878, 26 July 1910, Page 10

STATE DAIRY HERDS.

THE SCHEME IN- EMBRYO. ; An agricultural-matter which is causing some comment, and creating a great' deal of .interest at present is tho Government's idea of improving tho dairy herds of,tho Dominion.. " .Some peoplo here /objected y to officers of the. Department, of. Agriculture competing against private farmer's in the bidding' for- animals ; at sales' of pedigree stock. Others , havp protested that State dairy herds should ; not. be established; if their milk yields are .to be sold in.competition with tho trade of the ordinary vendors of milk. But the greatest controversy is to come, and it will lie waged " around the.actual schemo by which the 'farmers are to receive the. benefit of these State-established herds. The announced and partly effected proposition is merely tho idea; the practical working al' the- schojno is not-yet known. "As a matter of fact," said the Min-i-ister for Agriculture, yesterday, when

conversing with a Dominion representative, "the actual scheme has not been formulated yet. Tho whole thing is only in embryo really." The working scheme, lie said, need not bo decided upon immediately, as it will not he put into operation until after the birth of progeny of tho, herds. Mr. Mackenzie thinks that it is more than probablo that' there will bo opposition to tho scheme when it is announced, but hopes to overcome whatever real difficulties thero are..

The Minister spoke in terms of great satisfaction of the Holstein bull, Sir dc kol luka Diltertje, which was purchased by the State from Mr.. Newton King, of Now Plymouth, about twelve mouths ago, and located at the Weraro.i State Farm. He also remarked that tho cows purchased about tho same time from Mr. J. Grigg, of Longbeach, are testing remarkably well. It would appear, to be not improbable, from what tho Minister said, that the progeny of the imported cattle will ho offered to tho fjir/ifcrs at prices lower than a' private stud owner would require. The, Minister stated in tho Houso last week "tho Government is arranging to bring out from the Old World fresh Jersey and Holstein strains of reliable milking quality." He was questioned' yesterday respecting the 'Jerseys, and said that the reference was to a matter which had not been mentioned before, but so . far nothing definite had been done. , Judging by what- ho, said subsequently, it is improbable'.that anything definite will he done at once, though' a protracted delay is unlikely. -