THE Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 30. DAIRYING MATTERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 30 May 1907, Page 2

THE Daily News. THURSDAY, MAY 30. DAIRYING MATTERS.

the Hon. 11. M'Sab is ,o give an ■id- 1 dress to fanners on practical ma-tiers affecting .1 lining at Hie forthcoming i'alincrsum Dairy Conference. Thi.- wi.i be the Hrst time a Minister of the Crown has addressed .t dairy conference on technical matter-. Mr Ai'Nab will speak on the important suhjeci, of hcrd-le»ii'.ig with it view to the e.iinination of the unfit, there is. according to tile .vomli

Island Dairy A-.sOeia'.iou, at least one mUioU per annnm to be raiseil ] ■ oat of bringing our dairy cows up lo u proper standard of production in Kew Zeut.ind. 'Hie average per cow per Hi:- |

nam over'Ncw Zcamnd is not over 1-iOlu ' of butler fat per cow, and 2t>olh would be a low average; and no matter How prices mav go i" the future- if this " ml " [ ter is not attended to it in:iy wreck our ' dairv industry. Land values are uigli; niucii of our dairying laud need., renewing with expenditure on ferliliers. Only ihe high prices ruling has enabled dairy farmers in many cases to nuke ends meet, and there is no cenainly that such ..rice* will rule in future. If our cows were brought up to even 200111 avera,;e we could face lower prices without being troubled. Our late Dairy Commissioner, Mr Kuddiek, now head of the Canadian Dairv Department says:-'•'!lie dairy-l-umers of Canada are beginning to realise the importance of the question ot the improvement of dairy herds, and the possibiaiieshereareinthislnieofwoit, or increasing the profit., of imlk p oJuction. Avoiding to the resutswlu have followed intelligent breeding .1110. selection, combined with good cave ami feeding, in other land*. as w . eil a f r . in experiences of progressive farmu» in th s country, it would seem to be p>Bible to increase the average produ Un of Canadian herds by at least 2000 b. milk per cow per year by app ymg ih, "me ration*! methods. Such an increase in production would me m an additional revenue from da-ryniß: to . . fanners Of Canada of at least .10,000,000 dollars' « year, without inm»<iiis »■"<* number of cows kept.' Cow-testing associations are now in yogue amoag Canadian dairymen. Each factory .n Xew Zealand could organise a cow-tee-ing association among its milk suppliers and much good could be done.

Then there is the matter of improving the ipmlitv and condition of the milk supplied to the factories, which has not received proper attention. Uur cheese and butter makers are doing good won; but could improve the quality considerably if a uniformly good supply of coin, wcl'l-cooled milk could be secured. Tins also is one of the things within ;no power of milk suppliers which very often is not atl ended to, and the good work done by those who do attend to it is almost f'wile, for a vat of miikwiil be just the quality of the worst miik put'into it generally; impure milk, or milk in bad condition, brings the oe-t down to the lower quality.. The matter of winter feed, too, needs attention. This year we are shipping the May make of che-se to London, and ere long will probablv be shipping June and July make. In the South Island even in April this year cows were feeding -n turnips—in some cases grazing on turnips in the fields, (ops and all. We can hardlv expect, cheese made from milk produced under these conditions to add to our reputation on the London maikel and the sooner we adopt some better'met hod the better. Turnips probablv can be fed to cows in a proper wav' along with hay or other fodder without much harm, but it is the opinion of the Southern Dairy Association that »razin" cows on turnips in the fields nivl thou supplying the mi.k to the cheese factorv should be put down as a wieV.'U and most injurious practice. In the be-t dairving markets of Canada no turnip-fed mill; is allowed !o enter a factory door.

The high prices ruling for cheese during the last two years have caused a fi"lin" of unrest, and dissatisfaction among milk suppliers to the batter fac'ori.v, which is quite, natural, for suppliers lo cheese factories have been gelling Is lo Is -h\ per Hi for butter-fat. as against pi/.d to lO'/.tl paid by the butter factories. Many butter lactones in inn Island have now turned to dice emaking. ami many more arc strongly „r«eu to do so. The position is a dilheii'lt one to deal with, for no one cm foretell what cheese will be in the years that are coming. Factories have been recommended by some to erect duplicate, plants and factories, and turn to cliejsc nr butter-making as appes advisable. The idea of duplicate plants and a taetorv making cheese one year and butter another to catch the market seems dan„erous and speculative in the light o even past history. We have in pas vears known cheese dull of sale at 4.1 to .l'/,d f o.b. realise fid f.o.b. as the season advanced, and we have known cheese outputs eagerly bought at M to w.-A not realise 4(1 per lb during the mason One result of the' duplicate plant svsteni. it is to be feared, will be loss in quality and reputation of both products We can never maintain our position or build, uti a sound and permanent trade on such shifty lines. Some writer" advocating turning from butter l„ cheese have said that- Australia could not make cheese, and that Siberia and other countries could not. This is 'ar from beins! the f»* ■>* for Australia our own (Joveniiiie.it expert, Hr .lames I Sowers lately visited Victorian cheese f-dories, and'found they make excellent cheese, a.llhoie-di not the kind for export. Rut he'is convinced they could if (hoc wished to do so. as their milk. ,npplv conies to the factory in abetter condition than to many New Zealand factories.

The United Plate* export of cheese to I tin- United Kingdom used to lie over :!2.0«0 tons: it is now only aliout 10.0)0. Labour difficulties an.l low prices made tin. failed Stales fanners eschew duryhnr: l.iii higher prices in prospect and tli'i> advent, of the milking machine mo 'now causing them to take again U, dairying, and tlieir export may lie lieavy. A 'London merchant says; "Cheese may lie in heuvv supply anil cheap next year, for Canada is opening up quickly and increasing her make of cheese. This. added to an average make in Englnd. will keep prices moderate.. This year two factors have made in favour ot I cheese—(lie unusually small quantity made ill till- country'and the American [meal scare, and notwithstanding these no Importer will make money." That •he scare over American tinned meal is likely to subside is already in evidence. i|-,rci'i''v"sivs- -Tile embargo on (timed food" has lieen removed liv the flrilish War Office, and Chicago meat lias sio-nin l.ecn admitted as a ration for the army. Exhaustive inquiries into tne iiietiiml of packing under the new Pure 1.-ood Law of America were made l.v llvilish officers sent lo Chicago liy 'he Covernmeni.and it is owing to tho-ali-.-factnrv nature of their reports that (lie nulhi.riiies returned to America far their supplies." Th" enterprising American it mnv lie relied upon, will not lie down' under' the disa-ter einsed l.y the tinned meat cave, lie is always up and doing to get hack his trade, and will probably do it soon.

Tn rfi'alitt!.' "illi tlii- <|ii"Slir>ii of r '!ioi--p versus lmttpv liialdn?.. sprakinp: il.ipin.i-tii-ally is uuwisp. lint liisrli prions stimuli! I c jiMiifiioii. nnil taldii" a" «'i> pan spi' hlipitl iiil" consideration, it is nt least not improbable Hint oaeesp iiiavl.p in liMt'-y supply snnn. niv.l tli- elieesp market en!l;ip-es under such eirenmstiiiee-. (is is well known In tliose wlva have lii-cn ill Hi" '''iillp fur Some yenrs pn-t. Tl would seem wUpv that for a N-Piy ill lonsl lillt'.'l' faetorie ; slinnld sliek lo fli'.ir liiitter-miikii'Q'. awl inain- i liitl I lie 20<)d nnnip and rruod trad.' we j :,1r.., 1 .1v have in tli" IVilisli market. It <i.<.nis'n( leu si proliaUp thai i jp feelins ill favour of cheese-making as against I

butter-miking now „o inanife-! in Taranaki is the same in ihe I'nitiil Slates and oilier countries, and there is danger of over-supply. Having built up sin li an excellent reputation for high-c a-s butter in Xew Zealand in many fict.rieS, it seems a pity to change hurriedly to cheese-making before we are more cerj tain as to the trend of the chee o I market 1 .