FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 263, 13 December 1909, Page 1

FARM AND DAIRY.

PASXEUIUSLNG SKIM MILK. CHEESE FACTOIiIES LEADINU XHfc WAV. While ho less than twenty-four cheesemaking concerns, sixteen j„ the .North Island and eight in Southland, have adopted the pasteurisation ot skim milk, the only butter concern in the Dominion to take advantage of this great economic principle, and an essenual means of staying the progress of tuberculosis is the New Zealand Dairy Farmer*' union (says the Wellington Times), tn this matter factories which have consistently refused to pasteurise their skim-milk supplies are playing with fire. Xew Zealand dairymen have surely enough disease to fight in contagious mammitis, contagious abortion, and blackleg without continuing to spread tuberculosis among the calves and pigs of their suppliers. This is a case where failure to take voluntary action will spell compulsion. However, the Department is to be congratulated on having succeej.-d in bringing some factories to see the necessity of doing the right thing. The cheese factories which are pasteurising their whey are as follow: North Island —Cardiff, Bahotu, Alton, Cape Egraont, Wanganm, Silverleys J. Curio's, Hawcra (five places), Lowga'rth, Ararata, Ngaire, Tariki; South IslandStirling, Woodlands, Wright's Bush, liennington, I'ukerau, Eyal Bush, free Bush, Henley.

[We might add that the Mangnrci factory, which is making butter, has installed the pasteurisation plant, it beini! perhaps the first in the North Island to do 60.] -

The Government is experimenting with a goodly number of native grasses with a view to ascertaining their quality and adaptability. The question of regrassing pastoral country is one of the very first importance; and the Government is about to further experiment by enclosing areas of 25 acres for the purpose ot ascertaining the extent to which native grasses will come again by protection. Where this does not occur'tests will be made of both native and introduced reply to a question in the House.

An enquiry as to the number of dismissals' at Moumahaki lias producer, the following reply from the Hon. T. Mackenzie (Minister in charge of experimental farms):—There were twen.v-onr hands employed on the Moumahaki ;-\- porimcnUl Farm, of whom ten have been retired, leaving eleven on the estate, including the manager. Tne Director of Fields and Experimental Farms

•is now at Moumahaki, iind will on his return submit a report for the consideration of the Government, It is not at present intended to take on boys as apprentices at Moumahaki.

Waitira Road factory suppliers receive for the month of" November tor mill; supplied £5187 9s Id, as against £»!>!> 13s 5d for the same-period of last year. In 1908 tenpence was paid for l>utter-fat, as against OVid this yealr, when provision is being made for the heavy..expenditure in plant additions. For the same period (i45,3321b of null; was received, as against <>l(i,fl72lu, un increase of 31,8601b; the buttcr-fal amounted to 24,0481b, as against 23,044 lb. an increase of 10,0041b; butter made Has 2S,Bor>lh, as against 21i.7D.i1b, increase 21001b. The amount of milk required In make one pound of butter was 21.111), is against 23.01b, a reduction of 1.51b. The average test was 3.84. Says the Dannevirke Evening News:

The experience of Hi'." Little, a farmer at Bunnythorpe, as mentioned to a News reporter, may throw a little fresh light on the troublesome matter of potato blight. It is interesting to learn that he. though situated in a neighborhood

.icccil by blight, has not had a sign of the disease in his crops during the ln<t four seasons. He attributes this immunity from attack simply to the fact of his not having sown on the same ground successively, lie has grown all leading varieties of potatoes, and puts no faith in the claim that one. has greater blight - resisting qualities than another.

Itiverdalc Daily Cum|iaiiy iccciv-d 111,7241b of butter-fat during November month. The sum of £3821 17s 3d will lie paid out on the 20tli. Cheese .manufactured totalled 2f>4,8001b. The highest daily mill; supply is now slightly on the decline. L'p to the present period of the season the company has beaten all records of past years. While in Australia recently Pastor Mies, .Mayor of Dannevirke, enquired into the condition of the" dairying industry in Australia, and the p'rospeets of it growing into a formidable rival to our New Zealand product. Pastor Rics, it may he stated, has always taken a keen interest in the welfare of this iydiistry, he having been the first to establish a dairy factory in the Norsewood district. J'n Queensland particularly he saw a good deal of what was going on. About 200 miles north of f'nims, and fully 2000 ft above sea-level, he had the pleasure of inspecting some of the most beautiful dairy country it was possible to set eyes upon. The districts of Mary-borough, Atherton.. and Herberton provided a magnificent home for the dairy industry, but lie was perhaps more impressed with Kingaroy than any other dairying centre he saw. While at Kingaroy a 40-acre farm with poor buildings, but rich and improved land, sold fov £2OOO, and these good values seemed to generally prevail. So far as he was able to ascertain from the factory managers, the prices paid for butter-fat are much the s'ame as in New Zealand, and there, just as here, there is the mixed principle of ownership, some of the factories being co-operative affairs and some proprietary concerns. Asked as to the condition of the herds, the Pastor stated that he had failed to notice any attempt at a systematic classification of. herds. The farmers' there did very much as they do in New Zealand—-make no attempt to build up a herd of one strain, but buy old cows just as the fancy strikes lliem, and so most of the herds are a very mixed lot. He, however, understood an attempt had been made lu import some of the Channel breeds, but the experiment had not been much of a success, for the reason Unit there was a deleterious element in some of the grasses, the precise nature of which had not yet been discovered, but the net result of it was that the bulk of the imported animals died. On 20th December the Alangorci Cooperative Dairy Company will pay to its suppliers C 4884 Is 4d for November

milk, as against £3457 0s 10(1 for the same month last year.