DAIRYING INDUSTRY

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 398, 6 August 1918, Page 1

DAIRYING INDUSTRY

VARIOUS ASPECTS THE MANUFACTURE OF , DMED MILK Speaking at the annual conference of the Farmers' Union at Wellington last week the President (Sir James Wilson) said.—"The dairy farmer has shown much vigour and enterprise during the past year, and cheese factories have in many cases replaced those for butter-making, and export of cheese has increased to nearly double that of butter. The aim of most progressive factories has been to have a dual plant, ano many are adding the manufacture of casein, so that advantage can be taken of whichever product pays best. One factory is makiug sugar of milk with success, but it requires a very large supply of skim milk to make it payable, as the plant is very expensive. The whole dairy community is excited at the prospect of dried milk factories being started. Hitherto only one company has taken the matter up; but some enterprising companies in the Waikatoaro said to have got an improved process which will enable them at present prices to pay out for butter-fat over three shillings and yet pay off the cost of buildings and machinery in two years. It reads like a tale»of El Dorado, but figures elsewhere give good grounds for the statement. The Minister of Agriculture, I think, wisely advised the dairy people to take as their motto, 'festina lente' (hasten slowly) and notwithstanding the prospects in these abnormal times I think it was good advice. The co3t of the plant is very high at present, and the number of cows required to justify tie expenditure is 3000 and over, *• that nrl many districts could avail themselves of the chance. The process is, of course, one as old as the hills, viz., evaporation, and sosimplo that one can imagine that any farmer could in-his own yard have a small plaDt to reduce the liquid to the solid foim if he wished to.

" Dairy people can do even more than the woai-grower, for they have not advanced in the same way. by culling. We cannot expect them to have cows tuch as Mr Donald's, which gave nearly 1000 pounds of butter-frit in the season, but tho more general u-e of testing could raise the average weight of products considerably. The different breed societies aud semiofficial tests are pointing the way, but the general run of farmers are slow to practico the system. It should not t>e difficult. With the same feed the cows at present have to increase the export by a million sterling. Better cows and closer observation mean that farmers will provide increased winter and summer feed in the one case to keep up the condition of the cow as to come into milk in good order, and tho oiher so that the dry summer grass can be supplemented by some moie succulent food. It' this practice wero carried out properly, and the fullest advantage taken of utilisation of the by-pro-ducts, it is conceivable that the industry might easily add another million sterling, to their exports. The only w.iy wa can increase our meat ospoits is to speed up the plough. At tho present momerit, this is itup saiblo, for it must be remembered that every idle team probably means a hundred acres less in wheat or its equivalent in fodder crops. It Is not tho same here as at Home as far as the tractor is concerned. Tractors, so far as I have been able to glean, can only do satisfactory woik on The flit, and the price of i'uoi restricts their use, so it remuins for our useful f«i-iid, or as Huxley v-i\U him, 'our colleague,' the horse, to Mil! prepare luo.stof the land in crop, and possibly we mint wi.it for electrical power to'displaeehim from our farms, if we can ever do so Tli're is, how-over, something mom required than traction, v'z, th« man to dirr-ct ir. The ploughman at tiii present moment is perhaps the most necep c ary man in tho Dominion."