The Daily News TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1904. DAIRYING AND WEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 219, 20 September 1904, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1904. DAIRYING AND WEALTH.

Writing under the above heading the New Zealand Times Bays that the extent to which New Zealand's prosperity i® due to tho development of dairy farming, a»d tho possibilities of still greater achievements in tho Industry are perhaps not fully realised by our people. A comparative statement of wihat has boon: done in Denmark and in this country may: serve to emphasise these points. The total area of Denmark is about 14,500 square miles, as against 103,658 square miles for New Zealand; yet little Denmark, with only about ono-seventh of our extent of territory, exported to England last year £15,400,000 worth of dairy produce, against £1,369,341 worth sent from New Zealand. Xlo.w is this result brought about in Denmark ? In the first place, there are no large landowners. The soil is divided l among 1900 persons whose holdings range from 250 to 800 acres each, 74,000 whose forma average 100 acres each, and 150,000 holdings of from seven to ten . acrea. In the second place, tho people have relinquished corngrowing. Thirdly, the co-operative principle is universally prevalent. Cooperative societies foi tb» collection and sale of eggs, f o r the supply of seeds, feeding stuffs, manure and machinery, for the organisation of beekeeping, far tho improvement olpoultry, f o r the insurance of livestock—all with their central federations for the collection and spread of information—flourish in Denmark, and nutnlxy their scores of tliouswnd6 of members. A comparison of tif» size and number ol holdings in Now Zealand with those of Denmark brings out interesting results. Against the 225,900 persons who in Denmark hold areas of from seven to 300 acres each, there are 52,333 persons in Now Zealand holding areas af from one to 320 acres e a ch. These figures seem to show that there is great room for further isutdtvision of land in this country, it is not, of course, desirable that the holdings should tie s 0 small as to yield only boro subsistence to a family but it is clear that our dairy industry is capajble oi great expansion. Its progress has hitherto been quito as marked as that of Denmark. Twenty years ago the latter country's export of dairy produce was valued at £2,400,000, about oneseventh of what it now is. In 1888 New Zealand's export of butter and cheese was v a lu«l a t £197,170, or about one-seventh of its present dimensions. There is no reason why in a decode or two this country should not be sending o ut £10,000,000 worth of dairy produce in the year. It lias been said that, owing to its dairy farming, Denmark "has now becorno a model to tho agricultural world, and through its success in this industry it ranks as one of the richest countries, in proportion to population, in all Europe." With proper regard to dairy farming., and by keeping on improving tho quality of its product, New Zealand will no doubt repeat the experience of Henmark.