DAIRYING AT PAHIATUA

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2724, 20 March 1916, Page 8

DAIRYING AT PAHIATUA

/: The milk supplies at the various ~ cheese and butter factories in the Pahia- '.; tua district have been affected by the ;. continued spell of dry, weather, although V: * not to such an. extent as in. some dis; ;■. , tricts. During January frequent rains ,;;.\ were experienced, and this gave, the ,; r pastures a good growth. Consequently : : : ' . the dry spell of February did not affect :■ .; 'the feed to any great extent, and where i ■ the water supply was plentiful milking : cows have done fairly well. Of course . :the_;milk supoly is now showing a daily : : : decrease, as is usual at this period of y. the season, but the percentage of 'but-' '.'- ■■'.-, terfat is showing' a considerable in- "■' crease. 'At the majority of the factories ; -the average' test for the first half of the r present, month will work out at .between 8.9 and 4.0 per cent., which, is '~considered very satisfactory. The ma-. -. . jority of the cheese companies are ad- ..;. vancing Is...per lb.;'of .butter-fat; and. t;. the suppliers are looking forward to a substantial: bonus at the end .of; the :. ':season;.'.'.The," Rexdale . (Jlangamaire). i■.; . 'Company, however, has, .paid;, out oori- ■: siderably more". Payments, made, for ; : : iFebruary's milk ?upply included ■an adr'', . ditional-'payment;'for;.butter'rfatVsuppUed. t ; ,', from .the"beginning of the' season'to:.the; .'./ -'end df'.December at the rate of "Is. od. •' ; per lb.'jpf butter-fat, and the total pay- .:' .; ment was £5000. , .The Eexdale and t'y Mangatainoka Companies are each con- ; ' ■. eidering the advisability of installing l. ;'. churning _ plants, each, factory;. at', .the' ;'.. present time having separators working daily to secure the cream.iirom■ the ;"; ;.whey.-.; If the churns 'aTe -installed, : butter will be manufactured during tho >' winter, months, when it is riot suvtablo y ■ lor cheese-making. -The expense at pr'e- };:. sent incurred in railing the whey cream '; I.'-':'to other depots will also be done away . ! with. , The two. factories-mentioned are \:■; the largest in ;the"Pahiatiia"district,"and :

strange to say tho directors of each concern received word Inst week that a consignment from each factory had realised 100s. per cwt. The Ballance Dairy Company's payments to suppliers for milk delivered during February totalled £6t?i)o. the rate per lb. of butter-fat being Is/ 2<l. One cheque was for over £300, two wero for over £200 each, while several were over £100 each.—Pahiatua correspondent.