DISTRICT NOTES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9435, 4 May 1909, Page 6

DISTRICT NOTES.

From Onr Travelling Correspondent. Settlers who purchased land in th©' vicinity of Kongotea and Glen Orona twelve years ago at ten or twelve pounds an acre little thought that it would ever be valued at from thirty to forty pounds as it is to-day, and those who bought at the former price# are now comparatively well off. Probably their present prosperity has not been established by any special self exertion or general introduction of [farm improvements, but father through the rapid increase of land valuation. It is true that the country is among the best in the Island for dairying purposes, and this fact may account for the exoroitant prices paid lor some Of the dairy farms in these districts. A certain dairy farmer told me that at the ©ndof last year h ewaa offered as much as forty pounds per acre for his farm, but as he and his family had resided there for nearly twenty years he did not wish to part with the place, but personally he does not think the land is actually worth more than twentythree pounds an acre, and even' at that price it would require an experienced and up-to-date dairyman to make a reasonable profit after having paid all taxes imposed and other incidental expenses. A farm is only worth what it can produce, and not what it can be sold for, and it is doubtful if the present high price pdid for land is proportionate with the present value of its productiveness.

The erection of the Glen Oroua dairy factory in September, 1899, was the means of opening up that district for dairying. Mr W. H. Duncan, who has successfully managed this factory from the day it opened, has seen the rapid development of the industry during the past ten years, and at the present tim© there are six branch creameries, thetotal number of suqpliers being 120. The turnover at this factory isdouble that of Rongotea, but tb© latter has the advantage of receiving and treating ail its milk under th© one roof. In 1907 the Glen Oroua factory was re-built in brick on a much larger scale to cope with the increasing ’business, and it is expected that in three or four .‘years a number of good farms will be subdivided and so double the supply of milk. This year a cream pasteuriser has been installed, by which mean© the cream is heated to 180 degree© and cooled off to 60 degrees, thereby destroying the vitality of any bacteria and cheeking fermentation. The greatest output daring the past season was in December, when 6% tons were shipped. Six cheques of over £IOO were paid out to suppliers' in that month, the largest being; £124. Rather more than a ton of batter a day has been averaged; daring the month of April, showing that the milk supply is keeping up. remarkably well. The milk producer has, had a moat favourable season, and the pastures are still growing good feed, with the result that the cows are holding ont well, but as they have milked so satisfactorily throughout the year it would be advisable to dry them off during the present month and give them a rest in the winter so that they may return to the milking sheds in the early spring in good condition and fit to start off on another big; milking season. I did not notice an over abundance of stored forage for winter use. Farmers apparently rely upon having sufficient grass to carry them through and, therefore, do nob provide a further supply of succulent feed for the cold weather. One or two small crops of feaize now growing prove that this plant will thrive will, and it would be a most useful pra-sice if maize was more largely cultivated and fed green in the early part of the Vear, and what was not required could then be converted into ensilage.