FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 316, 6 January 1909, Page 3

FARM AND DAIRY.

Passengers by train arc always pleased with the neat, tidy appearance of the Maketawa dairy factory. The tidy lawn, the well-kept (lower bed and generally tasteful surroundings give an appearance of cleanliness and order lhat is very pleasing. Wc would like to sec oilier factories in Taranaki follow suit and make their surroi lings equally beautiful. The cost be slight, and the general effect of encouraging the aesthetic side of tlie business would eventually have a good effect upon the commercial side, for such examples of cleanliness and order would have a widespread effect. Factory directors would do more good than they imagine if they encouraged the beautifying of the surroundings of their factories.—Eltliam Argus. A number of. complaints have been 1 made of late with regard to the pale colour of the butter manufactured at various factories, and manv consumers have an idea that au article of inferior quality is being placed 011 the market. It is stated that this is not correct. The reason given for the paid colour complained of is the change in the process of manufacture that has taken place. The box churn, which ne-

cessitated the butter being worked 011 a table, has to a great extent been done away with, and the combined churner anil butter-worker installed m its place in many up-to-date factories. As the name implies, the new machinery

both churns and. works the butter, a-.iil the process,has brought about a paler product. That it is not inferior in any way is proven by the fact that this butter is grading from #2 to 93>/o points at the grading stores, which at this time of the year is decidedly good. The pale colour is favoured 011 the Home market, and it is a special characteristic of the highly-priced Danish product. Writes the Wellington Times: "Tile present season promises to be one of the finest ever experienced by the milk-' producers of Taraaaki. In all sections of the province there is au abundance of feed, and the herds, singularly healthy, are in great producing form. The most satisfactory feature of the season, however, is tlie extent to which the plough is being employed. Apart from the great benefit the working of the soil will have on the pastures, the growth of crops for winter feed is the best indication we can have of the awakening of dairymen to a better appreciation of their industry. The general tendency appears to be in the direction of providing roots in preference to ensilage, though the latter is receiving increased attention every year. Preferring roots to ensilage in a district where there is generally a surplusage of grass is rather surprising, especially as ensilage is such a certain means of providing winter feed, and silage can .ie held almost indefinitely, thus enabling the succulent material to be at hand not only in winter but during periods of drought. 'While the plough is being used more generally, Taranaki farmers, even those who realise the value of cultivation of their land, do not yet appreciate it as they should, As a Scots friend remarked the other day—they only plough the land that will take care of itself; they want to work the corners. And it is true of Taranaki, as it is of some other districts, that the '• Hat land is worked ibut the slopes and ! the valleys are left to lie practically ivaste and probably to constitute weed beds for the property. When the holdings become smaller—and when farmers realise that the true ideal is to have

a thoroughly cultivated holding rather than a great area of laud which cannot be maintained in a high state of profit—then we will have the land worked as it should .be and pastures capable of carrying the stock they should, with the grasses clean and palatable, thereby enabling a sweet-flavored milk to be produced—u prime essential in the manufacture of a high-class export product." The six largest cheques for milk supplied to the Kaupokonui Co-operative Factory for November were photo- . graphed last week, the amounts in round numbers being £195, £220, £230, £324, £3OO, £479 —not bad cheques for thirty days' supply. The average value of the laud would be about £4O per acre. -Host of the factories ivho estimated their season's output three months ago recognise to-day that the returns will not be as large as was anticipated. The spring was too dry, and 1 cwvs are past their Hush of milk al- 1 ready. The new year has opened up - very wet, and is bad for haymakers, a , large quantity being cut and lying on the ground. Labor is scarce, and 2s I per hour is being paid. Where paddocks are large ensilage is preferred to hay. •; The late rains have saved the turnip crops.

The following are a few returns given a correspondent by some farmers living between Manaia mid Kaponga who have — (lj 95 2'/.-year lieil'/'s, all broken ill to UK. machine this year and managed by a ina.ii aud a boy (bachelors); daily outjiut 22001b milk, 4 pet cent, test, time milking 2'/ 3 hours; 235 acres in farm; intends milking next year 130 head. (2) 100 cows, milked on 200 acres, llartnctt machine, second year; 47801b milk daily, 4 per cent, test, managed by own family, lime milking 2% hours; this farmer intends giving lip propping, aud Hopes to supply fully 10,0001b milk daily next season. (3) 120 eows, third season by machine; 30001b milk, 3.0 test. (4)' 100 cows, 31001b milk, 3.8 test. A fanner at >''»■- lnanliy milks over 1(H) cows, and lias a (latent whereby be never handles the milk. It is taken by the machines from the cows intoNlir cans. A patent is to be taken out at once for this. To enumerate all the returns from machine ing would take up >1 lot of space, but the few items given -above are. only criterions of what is ibeing done there. La-t season factory managers had a good deal of trouble with machine milk, but it was only for the mailt of knowledge in regard to keeping the tubes elean. Several bring parts of the plant to the factory evetv morning and clean tubes, etc., with the steam. This, should be encouraged, as the machine's biggest enemy is dirt ill the shape of putrid milk. Writing the Levin paper from Itagataura, on the Main Trunk line, a correspondent says;— Most of the dairyfanners in the Waimarino county turn their cows out in the autumn into the Crown and native bush lands, where they thrive on karinui and five-linger scrub, and the bush forms sheßer for them in the winter. During October, when the spring l grass lias a good start, the farmers go out in parties with their dogs and muster the cattle, bringing in eows. calves, dry slock, and occasionally a wild bull or two; all in capital condition; U'nd if one party brings ill stock belonging to another f(T or 12 miles olf, word is sent by tlicm to the owners, and thus, though the climate is cold, the hearts of the backbloeks settlers are warm, and tliey follow the golden rule of "Do as you would be done by."