VALUE OF HOME-SEPARATION.

Otaki Mail, 20 October 1922, Page 3

VALUE OF HOME-SEPAR-ATION.

THE SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE. BENEFITS OF ELECTRIC POWER. In conveu-atioii with a "Mail" representative yesterday, a dairy mutt bad some interesting things t.u say on the advantages of the homeseparaiion oi nuik us against having itie product uealt with at the factories, in the lirst place, home-separa-tion greatly reduced haulage from the lunns and the cartage ol the same bulk ol skim milk or whey back again, which in itself is a big job. A ~'ooolb load of milk daily is not an uncommon one among dairymen but if this were separated it would mean reducing the bulk to about 801 b, and the difference tn wear and tear between these loads in a single season is considerable. In some districts where home separation is followed by all the suppliers, the dairy companies do the collecting per medium of motor lorries, and this is a. greater benefit still to tlie "farmer, and evidently to the companies as well. Another advantage is that the dairyman has the use of his own skim milk, which enables him to go in for calf and pig raising to the limit of the producing capacity of his (herd. This is-a bigger asset than appears on the surface, as the farmer knows exactly what he is feeding to his young stock as against the "catcb-as-catch-can"

policy of taking the factory article—an assorted mixture that is not regarded as the best feed for calf-rais-ing at least. Indeed, it may possibly be a source of disease through infected milk being undetected, and in this way passing on to some nsuspecting dairyman. With home separation the milk becomes available for feeding the young stock immediately alter milking commences, and it is also at the right temperature, an added value that, is missed with factory-skimmed. That it is a payable proposition to the companies to deal with cream only in preference to separating the milk is evident, from the pay-outs of the' concerns using this method, as they invariably make better payments than those factories running on the ordinary lines. Shannon affords an in I stance in this' connection, and probably paid the best price on this coast during last season. There was one (ion—that was, however, easily discounted by the benefits on the other side of the ledger. The separating at the factories may be done more thoroughly, which a more even temperature would allow, and a percentage of fat lost by doing the at home, but. it would be so small that it could be left, out of consideration. Our informant was satisfied about, the merits of home-separation, and considered that when the Mangahao hydro-elec-tric power was switched on to this district this form of dairying would be almost universally adopted. Cheap power would revolutionise dairying by reducing the work of milking and separating to a minimum, likewise cost. The outlook for dairying in this district was distinctly good, and a year or two hence would see changes in dealing with the raw material, to the betterment of the dairying community generally