DAIRYING ON THE COAST

Hokitika Guardian, 5 September 1923, Page 4

DAIRYING ON THE COAST

: INDUSTRY GROWING, j . A WIDE SCOPE. (“Press” Special Reporter) I Acquaintance with the Coast confirms the first impression that its prin--1 cipal source of agricultural development ! will be the dairying industry. From i Westport in tlur North, to Wataron. I about 20 miles from the AA’niho Glacier, I ii: tlic South, is n stretch of about 1.70 ' miles, and factories are operating throughout the whole distance, most of them, however, in a very small way. It has to be recognised that much of the country between these two points is unfit for dairying, and much more could be made suitable only by the expenditure of capital in draining and flit clearing of the aftermath of the ■ mills. On the oilier hand, there are j wide areas where the carrying capacity is restricted by what the pasture will do in the two worst months of the year. This comment applies to those areas already being utilised, and which have shown their suitability. If notice is taken of the many lateral valleys in Itlie Grey and Inangahua counties, which run up into the Hills, and frequently open out into broad,, wellgrassed fiats, the scope for progress is tremendously increased. Below the bridging system in South AA’estlnnd valleys open out in the vicinity ol the rivers, and largo areas are destined here to come under the control of the dairyman. Away down at Okurii, the settlors purpose erecting a factory. The had hour can accommodate small vessels, and not many trips are required to handle a district’s produce when it is valued at anything between Clso and £2OO a ton.' It is the cheap percentage cost of transport Unit must help to develop dairying in these isolated districts—dairying, that is, iu conjunction with beef-raising, lor hack in the upper reaches of the rivers, and ! on the ranges themselves, where dairying is impossible, there is a tremendous amount of food available. Now thill I the beef market has recovered a payI able basis, and the stock can hi- trucked straight, through from Ross to Christchurch, the beef industry is likely to expand with that ol dairying. Ihe development ol the hitter, of cottise, is luigoly dependent on the sub-division o! the country.

PRESENT OPERATIONS. It is satisfactory to note that the prospects are not being ignored. At Rooftop and Hokitika, the two chief cot tres at present, up-to-date factories I are in course ot erection. I Ho l l eotn--1 bined butter capacity is being fixed in i the meantime at 800 tons, but extensions: to 500 and 100!) tons respectively could be made if necessary. i The Golden Coast factory, which is tlw* one now building at Rectton. updated previously at Cronadun, and last season turned out 200 tons of butter. | valued at over £33.000. The company ! lias a wide area, from which it draws ils supplies—tin' I .veil in the north, I down the Grey Valley as far south as 1 Rotomamt. Ayit-h the exception of the [.'.ell, these localities adjoin the railway. There arc extensive areas, such as the Koyiara and LHo Mamin, which do not enjoy that facility, and "hole, j it is claimed, ideal dairy country exists level grassy plots in warm valleys. good roughage in the hush in "intci for dry stock, and the best ol sltcllei . This country requires sub-division to enable dairying to be carried on. The new factory til Hokitika will be th emost up-to-date in the Island. t\

supply for (he forthcoming season 1.-.jiq iovx i, promised, but it is c.%I'n'vtcd that iiits number will soon be increased. The coo! storage which is being prn\ ided will accommodate bni on. pork. fish, meat, and enable baron producers to avail themselves ot lavotirahlc markets, an opportunity dented them in the past. Now they will have the alternative of railing live pigs through to Addington or storing the l,:H'iiii”at Hokitika. Modern herd-test-ing equipment is also being installed, ami power to run the whole plant is being provided by the Kauieri Electrical Company. Approximately RMIU9 cows were milked last season over the extensive aion mentioned, yielding between 990 and B)00 tons of btittr. At an average price of £l7O a ton this means the industry returned something oyer CKit).Db. This is not a very imprissive figure in the liglit of what othet provinces are doing but 12 years ago the total output was 200 tons.

INCREASED PRODUCTION IN DAIRYING. You would .materially increase the milk yield and hnttertat test of your herd 'by methodically drenching each cow alter calving with Sykes’s Drench. Do not overlook this, because the test and the yield depend absolutely upon the condition of the blood of the animal. Cows cannot give a profitable yield unless every attention is paid to them at calving time, and there is no better method of warding ofi milk fever, mammitis, had cleansing, etc,, than dieitohing with Sykes's Drench. It- will putifv the blood and system. It will tone up the digestive organs, and act as a preventive of all disorders which tend to decrease your profits. The cost is so small, onlv Is 6d a packet or 17s a dozen. Each packet contains two drenches. Obtainable from Stores everywhere. Air. John Donald, one of Australasia's foremost Friesian Breeders says: "For several years 1 have used Sykes s Drench at AA’estmere and I am pleased to state that it, has always given mo entire satisfaction.”