HOW TO RUN A DAIRY FARM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 1, 26 June 1911, Page 3

HOW TO RUN A DAIRY FARM.

NEW CONDITIONS TO FACE. THE CURSE OF THE "SWAPPER."' Mr. J. I!. Vealo, of Woodville, read a paper on "The dairy farm and how to run it" before the Dairy Conference last week. Dairymen, he said, had more and more to learn of what successful dairy farming really meant. The mail who thought he knew everything about it was not-generally the man who rose to the possibilities and the man whose sole object in getting a dairy farm was to sell it without delay to someone else, at an enhanced price was becoming one of the greatest curses of the industry. This practice must stop and closer attention must be given to details and to more systematic work. THINGS TO LEARN.

Milking was not the only thing to learn. For sonic years past dairy farms had been selling at increased values without having increased in carrying j capacity; in fact, the style of farming I generally adopted had rapidly decreased j that capacity, so that many had been i successful not for what was made out of the farm produce, but from the pockets of the other fellow. The position had become so acute that a serious problem had to be solved. The dairy farm must now be farmed properly. The actual test of successful dairying was the net return per acre after allowing, say, 5 per cent, on the capital value of the land, stock, etc., and the value on the labor and outgoings expended in producing the return. When there was a surplus or deficiency on these figures, then only could the farmer say that he had had a profitable year or otherwise. Dairy farming was a business entirely apart from land jobbing, and therefore, must ,be based upon the producing qualities of the land and cows. These returns were capable of being made much greater by systematic dairy farming than by merely milking cows. 'There were very many farmers whose methods were sound, but there was a very large number whose methods were crude and impractical and who were a drawback to the dairying industry. UnlimihJ expenditure could realise more speedy results than could be obtained ibv the man who had to go slowly, but anyone who worked on approved lines could go on increasing his income until he secured the best results after many years ol systematic farming, .breeding, "and culling. THE HERD. The first important thing was the herd, and to get this the farmer must follow approved lines of breeding, ascertain tho individual qualities of the cows, and, by keeping nothing but purebred hulls of knowri merit, each year aim for better things. The so-called dual purpose cow was a big fallacy and the sooner it was recognised-tho better. The host herds for ordinary farmers were Jersey, llolstein-Friesian and Ayrshire. The Jersey was best for butter making, and the two latter had possibly greater merits in cli.-ese making from a commercial standjio'mt. The great point ivas to select the breed and, if possible, stick to it, buying nothing but - the best to head the herd, and hylseep. ing the female progeny from cows' showing the most consistent results by, the scale and Bahcoek test, the income would be found getting gradually bhtter, lIYOTFNE AND PROVENDER. The health of the cows should receive careful attention, and simple remedies such as drenches and lotions should be, kept on every farm. The most trying months were July, August, September, and November, and then the cows needed constant watching. The necessary provender for winter must not lie lost sight,' of. In this connection, intense cultivation paid and farmers should work all their land well. The successful dairy farmer usually made a strong, point of by-products, and his, own experience hosed on several years' average returns was that the surplus cattle sold each year and the net profit on pigs should amount to 40 per cent, of the value of the butter-fat at tenpence per pound. PROPER BOOKS. Tho final point was the most urgent and yet the most neglected part of the farming operations was the keeping of a systematic set of books. After a brief discussion and several questions had been answered, Mr. Ve.ale was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.