FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 257, 23 October 1908, Page 2

FARM AND DAIRY.

The rapid advance of the milking season is shown i,i the dairy 'mctory .returns. For instance, the Opunako Dairy Company paid out for milk in the three months ending September a total of &H3B, and oj that amount lully three-fourths was lor September milk. The returns are: duly, 71,!M41bs of milk, containing JlSoihs of. butt'er•fat, average test 4.42, amount 1120; August, 14,').:i,Sllbs of milk, c-ontainhg ">«l libs of butter-fat. average test 3.1)1, amount .1222; September 711,7;!41b5' milk, containing 20,17-llbs butter-fat, average test 3.07, amount .ClOilO.

A lengthy meeting of directors of the Kaupokonui Dairy Company was held on Monday to go into the "question of .making a fresh arrangement in regard to the disposal of the season's output, lira agreement with Messrs. Wilier and ■Riley having been cancelled in view of that linn having rcccally gone into liipiidatioii. Amongst the buyers in attendance was Air. S. Turner) representing Messrs. Wilier and liilcy, and he made a strong effort to retain the coin.pany's business. The directors, however, decided to consign through Messrs .Joseph Nathan and Co., of Wellington, —Exchange. A well-known'farmer who last season tested the individaiil cows in Ihis herd told a " News" reporter that his I observation of the cows taught him the folly of Hie generally accepted idea thnt a dairy cow is something liko a machine into which a certain amount of I food is stowed at one end to produce I commercial milk at Vive other end in some fixed ratio to the amount of fodder supplied, lie found that each cow had her own individuality, and that the Lhefter the cow the more nervous she J seemed. Sometimes he would notice that, for some unknown reason, fully .half of the herd*would show a marked diminution in the amount of milk produced, whilst the remainder of lire herd, depastured in the same paddocks, might show better records than usual] or maintain (heir average yield. He was puzzled by this for some time, but eventually came to the concln-ion tint Hie cow. like a human being, had her "off"' ilavs.