FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 179, 21 August 1909, Page 1

FARM AND DAIRY.

OOW-TESTIXG. A BEGIXXIXG AT CARTERTON. It is good to hoar that a beginning to. wards making yivM tests on dairy herds £ ! ,t 'W t'»s lvo °k nt Carterton. Ilu6 beginning will he a eonforonpo 1n»cween suppliers to the Dalefield D»ir/ Company and M.essis. Ciuldie and SingK--ton, of the Dairying Division (says the Dominion). It is, well known that, the Dairy Commissioner and his nssista.it are keenly interested in this movement, and both have faith in the results which it will produce. The conference (h:ld by invitation of the directors) will take place oil Saturday, after the annual meeting of the Dalefield shareholders, and it is expected that dairy farmers' from other districts within reaclu will also attend in large numbers. The question of testing is one that touches farmers and touches them hard. With prices tending downwards, it is "just the thing" for dairymen to examine their herds thoroughly, and so find' out whether a cow that paid at last season's price will still pay if lowjr prices rule this year. If any coolness has been shown towards testing in the past, it has been due largely to the fact that farmers' have been too busily locked up in their very arduous industry to tackle a task that seemed to hris'.lc with difficulties. These difficulties arc to be taken over by Mr. Cuddie and nis stall', and_ apparently all that the dairy farmer will be asked to do will be meiely to obey orders in regard to the supplying of samples. Of course, everything is quite voluntary. One would imagine that the natural result of such a meeting as is projeclei 1 for Saturday would be the definite formation of a yield-testing association, unless Mr. Guldie Ims' some more advanced proposal to make. It. is the general impression that this movemcuL is going a I last to sweep over Xcw Zealand, and when its results have begun to permeate the herds of Xew Zealand one may find that butter-fat at Od is' as profitable as it was with present herds last season at 111/ 2 d, After all, the success of Xew Zealand's dairying industry depends on something else besides mere market prices. In ail walks of life it is much the same. The face value and the real value of this, that, and the other is one thing, Besides this there is another thing, which is also the "real thing." And the "real thing" only co'mcs to the sons of men after much investigation and effort. Come to think of it, there is much golden philosophy in farming, as in everything else. MESSRS. LOVELL AXP CHRISTMAS. That losses were sustained by operators in colonial 'butter last season is n fact that has been well understood, and it is therefore not surprising to find Messrs. Lovell and Christmas, in their annual report, confirming this impression. The report, for the year ended ."oth June last, states that after providing for all contingencies there remains, including £23,477 brought forward, £00,307 available iMr distribution, It is proposed to pay a final dividend at the rate of 4 per cent, on the ordinarv shares, making 7 per cent, for the year, carrying forward £28,807. Throughout the past year trading at a profit has been extremely difficult. Importers of colonial butter and cheese have suffered severely, in many instances these goods' being sold here at less than the original cost in the colonies. In the opinion of the directors the most satisfactory feature in the 'business' is that the sales have been larger than in any previous year, showing that the company holds 'the full confidence, of its numerous customers. During the past year serious loss has been made 'by the failure of three companies' with whom a large business lias been done for nrany years. This loss has liceji met hy the reserve fund established to pover such a contingency. The net profit for the year amounts te £80,890. July was a poor month for factory suppliers'. Milk cheques for that month will be paid to the undermentioned factories as follows:—llawera £lB6 3s, Xormanby £ll. For the same month last year Hawera suppliers received £2sß,'while Xormanby was not supplied. 11l the winter months ijclls Is not woricink. Milk cheques for the month of July will be paid to dairy companies' in Ihe Inglewood district as follows (the amount in parenthesis representing last year's figures for the same month): Moa £312 (£103), Msiketawa £ll2 ( £144). Tariki £O7 (£114).