DAIRYING IN POVERTY BAY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2073, 7 May 1907, Page 2

DAIRYING IN POVERTY BAY.

At the meeting of the Technical School Committee on Friday night following letter from Mr. A. Buscke was read :—- “I have your favor informing me that you placed my letter before the members of the Education Board, but that they were tumble to entertain my offer on account of insufficient funds, and also that you have been kind enough to put the matter before the Farmers’ Onion. Now, Mr. Morgan, although 1 am not fully acquainted with the posibilities of your d istriet;, my friend, rvir. Rich, is most enthusiastic in regard to these, and as he knows your district I fee! it would ho pity if we could not come to some arrangement in regard to the development of these possibilities. 1 undertsand that a great deal of the land in your district which is being, and going to be opened up, is lmsb land, and therefore more suitable for dairying than

anything else. This being the ease, a few figures will show the great benefit to he derived from my proposals in regard to an up-to-date selection, breeding, and feeding of dairy cattle. The practical results of similar work in Denmark have proved that some herds have yielded from one-third to one-half more than others, while -the butter made from the milk given by certain cows only cost 5d per lb as compared with that from others which cost as* much as! 2s. In Canada, where they have I adopted the Danish method in this I

connection during the past couple of years, the figures show that while some cows have given as high as ll.OOOlhs of milk during the season, others gave only 30001bs during the same period. Considering that the cost of feeding and the labor in handling these cows is about the same, it will be understood what an enormous . waste of .food and labor it means to the farmers who are unfortunate 'enough to possess even a few of the latter class of cows. The agricultural statistics of this colony for the past year show that the cows do not a'verage more than from 130 to 140

lbs of butter, which at the present exceedingly high prices works out at £0 per cow against the average at Denmark of £l2 10s, the caluclation is made upon the same price of butter for both countries. There are, according to the agricultural statistics some 29,867 cows solely used for dairy purposes in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne districts. If these 29,807 cowe returned £l2 10s each, oi £373,312, instead of £6, or £179,202 it would mean a difference of £194,140. I cannot put my hand upon figures showing the proportion of this sum which could bo obtained in this district, but 1 suppose one-third „r U. n tr, tin, sum u-milfl 1

ho a fair estimate, or £04,713 10s. I think that you will agree that adequate and prompt means in the

shapo of technical knowledge and laboratory to test and show tho cash buttor and milk value of each individual of your liords, so that the inefficient ones may bo eliminated, and also to train your farming community on tlieso lilies would be a sound commercial investment, for it simply moans tho practical method of recovering somo at least of the abovementioned loakago or loss in your district, and in time would mean the recovery of tho wholo of it, tor there is no climatic or other conditions that should prevent your herds by elimination and selection becoming of tho highest grade and tho very best commercial and productive methods of regulating- these herds and their produce being adopted. Anyone knows many examples of wild mining and similar schemes for which many times the money here required hasbeen readily subscribed,! venture to say even in your district, why should not sufficient for this solid, sure, steady, and everlasting, commercial essential of your district be forthcoming, and be subscribed to by the steadiest and staunchest of your citizens as an investment for tho certain advancement of the whole district by means of its greater efficiency, and hence a commercial benefit of no mean magnitude to your whole community. I am sure that if your agricultural and pastoral community were as conversant with the advantages of this technical information as I am, they would not hesitate in this matter financially, and they will not when they come face to faco with the financial benefit of this practical technology, but as it now evident to me 81! at the point is not yet quite appreciated in tho meantime, until it is better understood perhaps we could opme to some modification of my terms which may be suitable to both sides.”