FARM AND DAIRY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 54, 13 June 1910, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY

DAIRY PRODUCE EXCHANGE. Some months ago a proposal to establish a dairy produce exchange was actively canvassed throughout South Taranaki and representative meetings of sellers and buyers were held in Hawera to consider the question. Discussion discovered many difficulties, reai and imaginary. Representatives of firms which did business on commission only were naturally opposed to the scheme, whilst amongst those whose practice it was to buy outright there were some who believed their chance of doing business was better under the existing system of fae-tory-to-factoiy canvass than it would he under the "hammer of the auctioneer. Again, those co-operative companies which had been successful in eo--:<rniU'g were disinclined to adopt the id;;; of outright sale There was an objection here and an objection there until finally the project was dropped. The ease afforded another illustration of the disinclination of communities to anything like commercial revolution. True in wool, in hides, in meat, the auction system had been successful, but butter and cheese was still conservative. Xo doubt the companies were wise in their decision to sift the matter thoroughly before making the change and ia year or two in a matter of this kind is immaterial. However, farmers in this province will now have the ■opportunity of watching an experiment which was recently determined upon by the South Island Dairy Association, for the selling of dairy produce through the Association. A perusal of the discussion which took place at the meeting which adopted the proposal shows that difficulties presented themselves in the minds of some of the South Islanders, similar to those which arrested the movement here. One member objected to the fixing of a reserve price Another wanted the cheese to be auctioned' in London because "the sale of produce in Xew Zealand would not bring the manufacturer any nearer the consumer than at present. If they sold in London they would be brought into touch with all the big sellers in provincial towns- in the Old Country." This view was supported by yet another who thought '"the time was not ripe to sell their cheese in the Dominion. In the Old Country they would find as strong competition as there was in the Dominion." Amongst other speakers was a Mr. \V. .E. Reynolds, who gave his experiences as a visitor and business man in London some time ago, without any reference to his position as a buyer of dairy produce. Be said: "What was proposed was a system of selling monthly by auction instead of as at present having 17 or 18 buyers going to the factory do*or. He suggested Dunedin as a centre between Lyttelton and Invercargill where business should be conducted. As the export of dairy produce became greater they should tap all ports of Great Britain, and so get it into more channels than it had found in the past. That could be done better through the Association than by consignment direct. Why miss Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol. Round Manchester alone there were 2,000,000 people, and in Glasgow there was si verv big population. Why should not monthly shipments go to these places? Cheese should go to the public who distributed it at Home, giving them as much as they could comfortably handle, and let them charge fair commission. He knew one firm in Glasgow that had obtained the output of one Xew Zealand factory for the last ten or twelve years. He would like to see a trial given to the proposed system. It could°be done by a dozen or two dozen of factories in the South Island agreeing to it, and in offering their cfteese they were not bound to sell it. They could put a fair price on it, and if that price were not realised the cheese could be consigned." After various amendments were considered it was decided to accept the monthly auction selling scheme. Some of the clauses are of especial interest. Clause 4: "Each factory to have the right to fix its reserve price up to one. hour before the advertised time of auction, or, if for sale by private treaty or consignment, 'the reserve may be fixed at any time prior to snch sale." In clause 11, the commission is not to exceed 3 per cent. Under clause 15, sales at first are to take place mainly in Dunedin or Invercargill. Clause 20: '•Committee and secretary shall advise factories as to a reason- ( able limit." Clause 23: "Agents appointed in London will send cables from time to time to the Association as to prices ana prospects, and these will be repeated as confidential telegrams to factories whose subscriptions are paid." So far as South Taranaki is concerned it is certain that if a need for a dairy produce exchange existed a few years a-"0 it exists to-day. It may be that the establishment of the Winter Show in Hawera, by concentrating attention upon this place as a commercial centre I for dairying, will assist in the utimate materialisation of the dairy produce 1 exchange. Meanwhile dairy factory directors will mo doubt await with interest the result of the system which the South Island Dairy Association has adopted.—Hawera Star.

The first lambs of the season have just made their appearance on Mr. E. Vickers' farm on the Junction roau, l'nglewood, being the progeny of his wellknown '-black faces." The Bav of Plenty Freezing Company (states an Ojwtiki paper) has been successfully floated. . On dairy herd at Matamata, in the Waikato, is stated by the Argus to have put up an average per tow for the wesson up to the beginning of last ■week ot 3531b of butter-fat.. Something in the nature of a record butter-fat test has been established by a two-year-old Jersey cow, the property of Mr."A. J. Jury, of Glover road (says the Bawera Star). Mr] Jury recently had his cows tested by the manager ot the Hawera Dairy Company, and one cave .as high as 8.9. Mr. Dunlop (the manager) bavins a doubt, a second test was taken, but "this gave a still higher result, n.7. The test was still considered doubtful, so it was resolved to send the milk to the factory as it came from the cow with the result of an 8.8 test. The manager .declared he had never experienced anything like this before. An Australian farmer is said to have reared a calf which, although only twelve months old. has been milking for four months. Tt is bv a purebred Jersey bull, out of a Jersey-Durham cow. and well developed. A sample of the milk sent to the local butter factory gflve a test ot 3.5 of butter-fat. being at the rate ot lib butter to 25i/sll) of milk. What is the use of buying a lngh.priccd cow and then half-starvimr her? Some people do this, yet, when the cow fails to iproduce a large quantity of butter per week they exclaim. "I told you so." These stories about purebred cows being good buttcr-yielders are all lies (savs a writer in an exchange). When we put a lot of good money into anything, whether it be «■ cow or a machine, or no matter what it may be, we should do our to use that thing so that v.* ju) gel ILu iuo»» good out, 01

I A XEW MILKIXG-MACIUXE.

' MR. C. GAXE'S INVENTIONS. Several years ago the milking-machine was viewed with disfavor by many dairy farmers. There was a reasonable prejudice against it. because milking cows by machinery didn't seem natural. A striking change has taken place in such a short period: for it is very seldom indeed that a farmer is now met with who , views the presence of the milking-ma-chine with anything but satisfaction. The only point that troubles him now is to find out which machine is the best. He exercises a prudence typical of the farmer in this respect, and his caution is commendable. Each successive dairying season finds new inventions by way of"labor-savers at the farmers' disposal. At the last Palmerstou North Winter Show and the recent Taranaki Winter Show the advancement made was very pronounced. Among-the exhibits there j on view -was one by a local inventor (Mr. ! C. Gane, of Normanbv). which attracted a good deal of attention. This was "Gane's Automatic Releaser," and it has proved an invention of great value to those who now have it installed. About November last Mr. Gane applied for patents in connection with a new milking plant. Locally a good deal of interest has been taken in Mr. Gane's inventions, judging by the numerous enquiries as to when the plant would be available. About the end of the year a complete plant -was secured, and this was set up at Mr. James Were's farm, Normanby road, where a Star reporter saw it at work on Tuesday. A herd of cows numbering 72 was put through at the rate of one a minute, though until some seven weeks ago they had all been hand-milked. The plant 'is a four-cow one, and the power 1 is derived from a twohorse Tangye engine. There is the usual vacuum pump. Attached to the pulsator pipe is a patent pneumatic pulsator, which i? of very simple design, but very effective in performing its work. Another pronounced improvement is the teat-cup. the rubber part of which is cast with a'flange. This will reduce the cost for wear and tear of these parts to a minimum. On the teat-cup claw is a further patent, which facilitates the removal of the cups and avoids any milk being lost when changing to another I cow. A further new idea is seen on I examining the claw nipples, which are so flanged as to prevent the rubbers from falling off. The teat-cups are nickel-plated. Rubber is dispensed with where this can ,be done, and is substituted by bronze piping, which can be more easily cleaned. The milk is drawn [ into the automatic releaser, and from i there runs by a spouting into the distributing tray. It then passes into the cans, and from the time it leaves, the cow cools from a temperature of 08 to 74F. The shed is fitted with Gane's patent cowbail, which is again a simple though satisfactory arrangement. Three hands are fully employed with the four single sets of cups, eight cows being bailed, and the installation of double sets would be no advantage. The manner in which the cows hustle to get into the bail suggests that the method of milking is decidedly agreeable to them. With the exception of a few heifers the herd is as contented as if machine-milking had been in vogue on the farm for years. With the Gane installation only a small cowshed is necessarv, and a big saving can be effected in this respect. Mr. Were said he was confident the machine would give every satisfaction. IPeo.ple had said he would"regret the installation of a machine halfway through the season, hut he was quite*satisfied with results.- He' did not think there was any decrease in milk on account of the machine. There certainly was for a few davs, but the yield was quickly up again. He was getting all that the cows could give, and would not get any better results by hand-milking; he was quite satisfied he would not have better quality results. Not a word of disapproval had been heard about the milk at the factory. The quality of the milk was much betterthan bv hand-milking. Previously each milking occupied from 3% to 4 hours, whereas now the morning operations took only 1% and the afternoon iy 4 hours. Fewer hands were necessary, arid he had now no worry in reference to the labor problem. Dairy farmers are invited to secure pamphlets and all information from Mr. R. H. Jenkins, Eltham.—Advt.