DAIRYING RETURNS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 371, 4 November 1932, Page 2

DAIRYING RETURNS

SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN YIELD THROUGHOUT ' - DOMINION. WHAT FERTILISERS PRODUCE. Butter-fat production so far as this season has gone sbows a substantial increase already of iiearly' '20 • per cent; for the two months ' August and Septemher, grading returns showing 19.836 per cent. over those of the corfe'sponding months of "last seasoin. The weather has been suitable for good growth Of feed, and fertilis&rs used amount to 222,000 tons for this year, January ' to " June-/ : compar ed with 152,000 tons for January to JunC, 1931. - - ' ' ' - ' There were roughly 80,000 more cows milked'ih th'e Dcminion in 193132 than in 1930-31, an increase of about 5.3 per cerit., while th'e total butter-fat production over the same period increased -dpproxiihately 5 p'ef cent. The average production of tested cows decreased by 4.1811b of but-ter-fat, b'eing 241.051b for 1930-31 and 236.871b for the season under review. Tested Hcrds. The principal factors working against increased' production in 'tested cows were: An adverse season climatically; and increase in first calvers as the result of more cdws "being brought into'milk; aiid non-cullin'g or less culling, because of the attempt to obtain 'a maximum total production. Some 259,857 cows were System'atically tested last season, a falling off of 11,547 from the preceding sea:son;. The tested cows represented approximately -16.4 per cent. of the"total cows in milk. ' . . Although there is no marked falling off in number of tested cows, the cows in milk are increasing so rapidly- as to make' the relationship between total cows and tested cows less favourahle than cotild be desired. The peak year was reaehed in 1929-30, when 20.4- per cent. of the eountry's cows - were under test, but, as will be seen, there has since been a drop of 4 per cent. in two seasons. Herd-testing received considerable assistance for the past season by way of subsidies. The New Zealand Dairy Produce Board's grant of £6000 has already been distributed, and "it is expected that the Government subsidy of approximately £7700 will be allocated at an early date.