THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 18, 15 July 1911, Page 8

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

EXPERIMENTS FOR, BENEFIT, OF CHEESEMAKERS. A subject of considerable interest to the dairy industry generally was touched upon by a deputation which waited on the Minister for Agriculture, tho Hon. T. Mackenzie, at Carterton (reports the New Zealand Times) . The request made by the deputation's spokesman, Mr. W. Fisher, was that the Government should experiment with the different breeds of cows with a view of ascertaining which is best from the point of view of cheese manufacture. The subject was commended to the Minister's most careful consideration by the member for the district, Mr. W. Buchanan, who said that, though he was not at one with Mr. Mackenzie in polities, he fully recognised that he had done his very best for the agricultural industry since he had been in charge of the Department. AN IMPORTANT MATTER.

Mr. Mackenzie admitted that this was the first time the request had come under his notice, and agreed that it was of great importance, lie promised that, as far as the available funds permitted, the Department would follow the question up, and said that if he could only find sufficient money he would be glad to do what was asked. It was a question whether the Government should get the dairymen to supply it with milk from the different breeds for testing purposes, or establish on one ,of its own farms a dairy factory where*, under modern conditions, the milk eould be dealt with. He would certainly go into the whole matter with the officers of the Department and any dairy association people who would give him the benefit of their evidence. As far as his reading | went the Holstein seemed to foe TegardI cd as giving the very best results from I the cheese-maker's point of view.

IMPROVING THE HERD. The Government was already doing something in the direction suggeated, and was endeavoring to establish good fcr/.ls of the different breeds. The Hoi-F-tein herd at Wcrtrou was being added Lo by importation* from Australia, and the Government wis nlso .sending to America for about £I2OO worth of stock. Probably they would get the best purebred bull they could bo secured, and if any money were left over it wouhl be put into some heifers. Prom Ausi ralia a dozen of the Illawarra breed were being imported. Tt was claimed for these cows that they were good milk producers, good for cheese-making, and verv good from the butcher's point of view. He had asked Mr. Dunlop, the Scottish Agricultural Commissioner, who was out here recently, to secure in Scotland for the Government six Ayrshire heifers and one bull. The Jersey herds were also being added to, so that it would be seen that the Government''was endeavoring to improve the quality of the stock as far as the means at its disposal would permit. (Hear, hear). " J