The Dairying Industries.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 310, 10 May 1894, Page 2

The Dairying Industries.

♦ ADDBESS BY MR CHAS. R. VALENTINE. A good number of representatives settlers assembled in the Wantjanui Borough Chambers last (Wednesday) evening to hear Mr Chae. R. Valentine, Chief Dairy Expert to the Government, address them on matters connected with dairies and dairy factories. Mr Valentine, on rising, said the chief object of bis visit was to ventilate the importance of the dairying industry. One great characteristic that gave New Zealand such prominence as a producing field was the tact that it was one of the best, if not the best, countries in the world for the purpose. He had had the opportunity of travelling through all the principal dairying countries of the world, and he had no hesitation in saying that he had found none to compare with New Zealand, her undulating surfaces, numerous springs, nutritious herbage, and frequent showers, rather than periodical droughts, affording the marked advantages. The chief point they had to consider was that good quality must be ensured. The art of butter and cheese making commenced with the production of the milk, and the chief element was to ensure quality and uniformity— in butter, of colour, texture and flavour; and in cheese of condition, colour, texture and flavour. After that their great care should be to secure proper transit from the producer to the consumer, and to see that the product was kept as near its normal condition as possible. If they wanted an appreciative and profitable market they must see that their produce was carefully treated and properly handled. The question of transit was receiving every attention by the Department. As he had said before, the first thing they had to do was to ensure good quality. There had been a great want of attention shown in the treatment of milk before it was sent to the dairies. Unless they had a good sound product to manipulate they could not made a good article. All the farmers should work together to have none but the best quality milk sent in for dairy* ing, and if they found one dissentient they should at once convince him that their factories were not intended as lump* ingl grounds for his second-rate milk. Keen competition had sprung up on the Continent, and by the adoption of a sound system of winter dairying these countries were able to supply the English demand nearly as well in the depth of winter as in the height of summer. Nevertheless he held that our butter, properly attended to, must lead the van at that time of year. We had also to deal with competition from our sister colonies especially Victoria. He thought, however, that they had but little to fear from Victoria, although one point in that colony's favour was that they had established their industry on the factory principle. For all that, their choicest butter -was not so fine as ours. It was one of the drawbacks to the extension of the New Zealand trade that the requirements of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bradford Sheffield, South Wales, Bristol, Binningbam. &c., were supplied by consignments ex London. There was no reason why the large and ever-growing communities of the north and centre of England should not receive their own consignments direct from New Zealand instead of nearly the whole being received in bulk by London brokers, thus creating fluctuations ou the market that resulted in loss to the consignees. Mr Valentine then gave details of population in all the principal centres, iv order to show what vast markets were open to New Zealand if only properly worked. One great drawback to our trade had been the large quantity of inferior dairy butter shipped by unscrupulous people, who had no regard either for quality or condition..

One of me cmei cnaracieri&ne- m "'» snccQss of a dairy farm was the careful selection of stock They had plenty of choice. They might have Shorthorns, Shorthorns crossed with Ayrshires, Devon, Block Welsh, or Channel Island breed, and several equally good and well known breeds, but the most important of all was to see that their sires descended from food milking strains. Recently, in a ush district within 50 miles of Wanganui, he had passed within a distance of 8 miles, three animals called bulls, that were really not worthy of the name. It was essential that their cattle should be good, and it would be well for them to consider that it cost as much to keep a bad animal as a good one For preference he would run one or two of the Channel Island breed with seven or eight Shorthorns, or Shorthorns crossed for Ayrshire, and for this reason, that the milk globules of the Jersey cow are much larger than those of other breeds, and naturally assist the globules of the latter to rise to the surface and thus give better results. Kindness was also an essential, and cows should be made as comfortable as possible. In driving them from the paddock to the milking place, dogs should be dispensed with. Milking cows, too, should always be sheltered from the cold and wet, as if they are allowed to Ret cold their milk ie deprived of a constituent which goes to make up the heat of the body, and this constituent was nothing more nor less than butter fat In conclusion, Mr Valentine assured tbose present that there was no fear of glutting the market at Home, at any rate for many years to come, and again urged all inter ested in the industry he represented to work together as one man Mr Valentine resumed his seat amidst applause, and having answered a number of questions, a vote of thanks was accorded him. — Chronicle