The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons. FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1922. BUTTER PRODUCTION.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 753, 4 August 1922, Page 4

The Times. Published on Tuesday and Friday Afternoons.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 1922. BUTTER PRODUCTION.

“We nothing extenuate, nor aught set down in malice.”

At one‘time Taranaki was the butter producing province of New Zea_ Raid, but to-day though the Western Province steadily increases Its yield. Auckland has established its preeminence among the •‘dairying districts of the Dominion. The year t,h f: c Hosed on June 30th ,las|t. easily eclipsed all previous records, 1.115 034 boxes being received ak the Auckland grading stores in that period as against 706.,414 boxes for The previous year, ,a;nd} 491,771 boxes (for the year ending June 3'T,h, 1920. That this is ,a genuine increase in production and. not merely a change-over from

cheese is demonstrated by the cheese figures, which show that 150,283 craltes of cheese were graded this season, as against 155,805 crates last year. The specially favourable season accounts in some measure for the big increase in produo'/i*on,iamounting in the c.ase of butter to 50 per cerf, over fast year and 125 pe.'r cent, over the 1920 oijtpuit. The favourable sea. son however, only explains a percentage of the greatly increased output! and undoubtedly The bulk of this is due do', a greater number of cows being' milked, and possibly to an improvement in the quality of stock. The figures given effectively refute the Stories that many farmers are abandoning their farms, because they cannot make Them pay. The farmers of ithe Province have ceufainly passed through very difficulft times, but with rerriarkjably few exceptions 'they have hung on Ito their properties and, by increased ’outjpujt have, in some measure ibajanced the position created by it|he low prieds of 'the early part of the season. Some farmers have improved their prospects materially by judicious testing and culling of their stock, and to these people t,he slump in butter prices has not entirely been an evil ithing. Indeed if more farmers were forced to realise that the key to their prosperity mjay be found in greater care in the selection of stock keener discrimination of in. dividual- cowsi, then periods of low prices might .serve a very .useful purpose, The average production per cow for the Dominion is much lower than It shoulld be. Farmers will certainly have to strengthen (their position by .devoting greater attention to individual yields. The outstanding fa at' from The! butter-fat returns is t'baiti the 'dairy farmers of this Pro. vince, aided by. favourable weather and improving markets, have by determination and bard work, puffed the Province through a period of severe depression, {The full recovery cannot be felt till the whole season’s make of .dairy produce is sold and ijhe money avtuilabte for distribution, but it may be said that the slogan of “better times” appears thoroughly justified.