FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 96, 1 August 1910, Page 7

FARM AND DAIRY.

DAIRYMEN AND DAYLIGHT. A DUNEDIN PROTEST. Some interesting remarks regarding the effect the Daylight Saving Bill would have upon dairymen were made at the annual meeting of the Dunedin and Suburban Dairymen's Association the other day. The chairman, Mr. Soy, condemned the proposal, lock, stock and barrel. ISO far as the farming community was concerned, he said, the Daylight Saving Bill was the veriest nonsense. He thought, that if Mr. Sidey could bring in a Bill whereby, an hour of daylight could be taken from the day in summer and added to the length of the daylight in winter, farmers would 'be prepared to go all the way with ihim, buit in the present case there appeared to be an attempt to carter for sport at the expense of industry. Mr. Roy went on to say: "Our special reasons ; for strong objection to this measure are I thait under it in the summer months all ' work must commence an hour earlier than at present. That would mean that on dairy farms milking operations would have to start in lamplight, and fawners would be compelled to house their cattle overnight in order to accomplish this, t The desirability of having cattle out in | the open on warm summer nights for ; sanitary reasons, as well as from the | point of view of the health of the animals themselves and the increased milk I yield, is patent to every dairyman, and | it is not likely that we will forego these advantages without making our voices i fceard, while we have heard of no valid reasons for the desired change. Of one thing I am quite satisfied, and 1 havu good opportunities for judging: many working men do an 'hour's work in their gardens before going to work in the morning. Under the Daylight Saving Bill they would have to do it in the evening, or not at all, and in this work the old saying is perfectly true: 'One hour in the morning is worth two at 'night,' No, the Daylight Saving Bill has nothing to recommend it to us. Sport in New Zealand requires no such stimulus; already too many of our young men take their sport much more seriously than [their work. What is more needed is more encouragement for young men to taken a more intelligent interest in work, even if sport must to some extent suffer." It would be interesting to know what Taranaki dairy farmers think of the daylight-saving scheme.

WAND v. (MILKING MACHINE. INTERESTING RETURNS. An interesting comparison as to the merits of hand and machine milking have been contributed to ithe Hawera Star by Mr. McPhillips, a Manaia farmer. Mr. McPhillips states that when he put in the milking plant three years ago' t!ie critics told him that in the course o three years' time the cows would be ruined. To prove that their predictions were utterly out of it, and also to reply to the figures published in support of hand as against 'machine milking, Mr. McPhillips gave the following details as supplied tby the factory secretary at Kaupokonui. Season 1907-08, herd'of 108 cows and heifers, 21,764Lb of butter-fat; average pel head, 201 1 / 2 lb nearly. During 1908-09, 110 cows and iheifers ..vere milked, and the butter-fat amounted to 25,4471b; average, 2311b. For 1909-10 season , the herd numbered 1.10, the butter-fat totalled 30,035 lb, and the average per cow was 2731b. During the three years of machine milking there 'has been a gain of more than 6Qlb of butter-fat per cow. It is important to mention also that the first year 60 per cent, of the herd were heifers, and from 15 to 20 per cent, the second and third years. "These particulars go to prove that the machine has been in no way detrimental to the milking qualities of the herd," said Mr. McPhillips. The herd under review are chiefly grade Jerseys, though soime pedigree Jerseys and Avrshires are included.

Mr. McPhillips remarked that he did not know what the herd would have given by hand milking, but he questioned very much whether he would have so well, as there was the 'uncertainty ot the labor question to contend against in hand milking, and great loss was caused by cows not being milked properly. There wias a lot to ibe said about machine milking. Some people had an idea that when they installed a machine they could

milfc cows without any care being necessary. "The cows want close attention." said Mr. McPhillips, "as some milk mucii quicker 'than others, and the machine needs to be taken off as soon as they' are milked. It is a mistake to leave on the machine to try and extract the last drop, as this course may injure the cows. During the three years not one animal had come dn with a wrong quarter. This contrasts very strongly with my fifteen yeans' experience of hand milking, as in that /time I have always had a good percentage come in wrong every year." When the factory figures above are' under consideration something may be allowed for the first season quoted being a somewhat dry one, but on the whole the facts set out cannot be other than a. conclusive triumph for the machine. Mr. McPhillips is one of those dairy farmers who builds up a herd chiefly from his own breeding. He does not think his returns at all out of the ordinary, as they could be improved on considerably. He thinks tlie time is not far distant when cows that give less than 3001bs of butterfat won't be counted much good. By, breeding from good strains this standard could be attained quite easily, in support of this contention he mentioned two of his dairy cows, one a purebred, but not in the Herd Book, and the other the pedigree cow Topsy 11. About a gallon of milk a day was taken for,, house purposes from these two cows, and the remainder sent to the factory separately from the dairy herd. The factory returns credited them with 7211 ibs of but-ter-fat. If the herd of 110 cows had produced butter-fat in proportion tney would Hiaive returned £7OO more. By in-, creasing the efficiency of the dairy herds j Mr. McPhillips contends that land could • be purchased at a much higher rate than at present, and then dairying would be just as profitable. It is rather surprising to find such a progressive farmer does not go in for the individual testing or the herd, but lie believes that is what should be done and .would heartily support the establishment of testing associations in the district. Pie said he lnul no doubt but that some cows that were in his dairy herd would have to come out if tested separately.

The Normanby Co-operative Dairy Co.'s annual report states that it lias been decided to pay iy 4 d extra over the whole season, bringing the total payments made suppliers to iiy 4 d. The receipts for the season's output amounted to £18,984. Milk received totalled 9,345,641t*i5, \i.< butter-fat being 354,7491b5,' and butter made 181 tons 4yrs. Suppliers numbered 44, with 1620 cows, the average yield of butter-fat per cow being 218lbs, andi monetary return £lO 4s 4d. The average test was 3.79, and the milk to lib of .butter was 23.031b. The average price of butter was ll'Zld, cost of manufacture .87 d, cost of marketing 1.38 d, and the over-run was 14.34.

The annual report of the Mells Cooperative Dairy Co. states that the price of butter has been very good all the season, and all returns have been satisfactory. Out of the moneys in hand it is proposed to pay the sum of £1282, being at the rate of 11 3-lfld per lb butter-fat for the year. A new skim-milk pasteuriser, which is giving great satisfaction, has been installed at Mokoia. The table of statistics shows that 6,811,2681bs of milk were supplied, which yielded 260,657 lbs of butter-fat. Commercial butter

•manufactured amounted to 132 tons 9 cwt. 3qrs., 31bs. Other particulars were: Pounds of milk to make l'lb of butter. 22.95; over-run, 13.85; average grade, <>2.68; average test, 3.82; cost of manufacturing, 1.17; cost of marketing, 1.17; paid to suppliers, 11 3-16 d. The total a/mount of income for the year was £14,266 14s. Mr. D. Campbell has been ■retained as manager. ffihe fifteenth annual repp'rt' to be submitted at the annual meeting of the Tikorangi Co-operative Dairy Company is as follows:—The quantity, of milk received was greatly in excess of that of any previous year. The alterations to plant foreshadowed by your directors in their report have been carried out, and the more efficient and economical working ol your business, as disposed by the statement of accounts, amply proves the wisdom of ; the policy decided on. During the last year Mr. J. W. Foreman, who had held the position ol cnairman continuously since the formation of the Company in 1895, was, owing to illhealth, obliiged to resign, and Mr. J. Whitehead' was appointed in his place. Your directors desire to record their appreciation of the services rendered to the

Company by Mr. Foreman during this long term of office. Milk received, (i,018,9531b5. Average price realised for butter, 10.75 pence per lb. Butter fat, 245,1031b5. Net value of butter fat, 10.00 pence per lb. Butter. 280,6791b5. 21.41b milk to lib butter. Average test, 4.072. The retiring directors are Messrs. Whitehead f.nd Purdie, who are eligible for re-electt :i. Mr. W. E. Percival again offers his services as auditor. Mr. J. S. Fleming. a well-known South Ota go farmer, interviewed in Timaru last week, predicted that the price of sheep would go up with a jump in the spring, and that as much as £ 1 a head would 'be paid for ewe hoggets. He had just returned from an extensive tour of the North Island, and he said that sheep were scarce. There had .been an extraordinarily laige export of frozen meat during the past season. There had been a big decrease in the number of sheep in the country during the past few years, and in hiis opinion this decrease was a good deal larger than was shown on paper. An illustration of what can be done on a small farm is furnished from Hautapui, the figures of which can be vouched for. The farm is si) acres, and the owner milked 18 cows, which yielded 2761b of butter-fat at ll'/gd, or £l3 4s 6d per cow. The profit from pigs, after allowing for feed bought, was £4O, and nine calves were sold at 25s each. The net return per cow from milk, calves, pigs, and butter-fat was thus £289 7s. In addition, seven acres of oats yielded 13 tons of chaff and six acres of turnips were grown for winter feed.