EXIT THE FATTENING LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1671, 11 February 1913, Page 10

EXIT THE FATTENING LANDS.

THE MARCH OF DAIRYING., The process of turning what has hither- , to been cattlc-fatteuing country into small dairy farms has befn very marked of late. aiid present indications point to ;t still furthor entrenching: on tho beef lands. At the present, rate of progress it would appear that before many years have passed tho export of fat cattle from New Zealand will be a thing of - the past. The best of the country is now being given up to dairying, and within tho next two or three months another, big section of tho area now left in tho Wellington province and devoted solely to ; fattening will be cut up into small dairy farms. Some 1200 acres of Mrs. Johnston's-Kopane Estate, near-Palmerston North, is to be auctioned by Messrs. Abraham and Williams next month',; and in April tho same firm will dispose of about (300 acres of Mr. M. A. Hall's property at Ohau. following this up.in May with some 1800 acres,of the late Mr. E. J. Riddiford's well-known Longbnrn estate. In addition to . the above it is stated that other sales are in process of arrangement by various firms. .Practically every acre of tho properties mentioned above will, it is stated, fatten a bullock to the acre, so, that in these three properties alone the fattening power of tho conntry will be decreased by some 3000 head per year. • ■ When it is realised what can be done off good country which- is in the hands of careful and capable farmers, it'is not at all surprising to see fattening lands giving way before the march of dairying. An indication of what can be accomplished on a small area, properly run, can bo gleaned from the following returns, which aro: vouched for by tho manager of. the ■Kaupokonui Dairy Co. The returns'- are irom Mr. J. French's farm, situated at Lake Road, ilaivera, and are for tho year lift 1-12. Tho farm covers an area of 45 sicres, and carried 30 cows the year round, 15 calves from August 1 to March 14, and 3 houses and a bull all tho year round. Eacti, cow (including pigs and calves) earned'an average of ,£22 lis. sd. for the year, and tho average earnings per acre for, tile farm work out at ,£ls os. lOd. p«r year. Details of the return mentioned are:— ' 1911-1912. • '< lbs. fat. s. d. £s. d. August 342.62' 1 1 1811 0 September ....... 813.38 10 40 13,3 October 1441.79 1 0 57 1 7 November ...... 1175.27 1 0 58 15 2 December'' .. 1209.98 I—o 60 9 9 January ......... 1129.38 1.0 50 9"3 February ...... 909.03 1.0 45 9 0 Mai'ch 872.06 1 0 43 12 0 April ....'. ... 734.83 1 0 39 4 8 Stay ...... 529.27 1 0 26 9 2 Juno 37.69 1 0 117 6 Balance, June town, supply, , . GO(J gallons ... — \ 0,9 11 5 0 July town sup- ; , , \ ', ply/: .340 gal,/lons, ............ r 0 9 13 2 6 ' - . 1 ~ 472 19 10. Bonus Id., Sept. - " to Feb. - - 25 117 Bonus, March to ■ June, 1d.,• -r . 9 5.2 Bonus at .end ' , ' ■'■•/whole' 6aa- - i son',; ; — — 95 16 0 V ■ s ' /■. - CO3 12 7 •By sale calves, 15 .' '■ year ■ ' over at £2.105. .... —/ , — .' 87 10 0 Profits oii' : 30 / fat pigs , 36; 0: 0 0:677 2 7

. The average city resident's . conception of dairy fanning is based largely .upon hearsay jtipd*.exaggerated descriptions of the", country"; life. True,, conditions on some farms como very close to the most far-fetched ideas of the town-bred man, but as a rulo, farm life is a good deal moro attractive than it is painted. As a matter of fact, on dairy , farms where Milking Machines and "Anderson" Engines are in constant use, conditions are all that anyone could wish. - "Anderson" ' Engines get through an enormous amount' of work at slight cost, and cut out a great deal of th« "slavery" generally associated with dairy, farming. "AnderEngines givo no trouble, and run Milking Plants and other machinery in a thoroughly efficient manner. -When you order d Milking Machine, see that you get ian "Anderson" to provide the necessary driving power. ANDERSONS, LTD., CHRISTCHURCH.—Adv t. •