URUGUAYAN VISITORS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 217, 12 March 1912, Page 6

URUGUAYAN VISITORS.

IN THE HAWERA DISTRICT. There arrived in Hawera on Wednesday morning six young graduates from the Agricultural University of Uruguay (says the Hawera Star). These young men were selected and sent forth by the Government of Uruguay in June last, on a world's tour to study agricultural, pastoral and live stock industries, and they have visited England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, Italy and Australia.

The embassy hag been touring New Zealand during the past ten days, prac-1 tically under the guidance of the New Zealand Government, and on Tuesday went to the State Farm at Moumahaki, where they stayed the night. On Wednesday morning they came on by the early train. Four motor cars were provided for the visitors, and after some light refreshments they were taken out over the famous Waimate Plains. A short stop was made at Mr. Sellars' farm and they then proceeded to the Riverdale cheese factory at Inaha. Here they were met by Mr. J. V. Wybourne and very courteously shown all over the fine factory. The process of making cheese was carefully explained to them, and I especially the. separating of cream from j whey, and the butter that was then made from the cream so saved. One of I the party made plans of the factory and | the others took full notes, and evinced | very keen interest. The company then I went on to Manaia.

After luncheon the party were driven down to Mr. T. McPhillips' fine farm, situated on the sea coast about a mile and a-half from Manaia. ■ Mr. Fulton, dairy inspector, fere joined the party. Mr. McPhillips spared no trouble to give the Uruguayan students all the information possible. He explained the latest and most practical methods of milking and dairying, as carried on on his farm, and then brought up his line herd of dairy cows for inspection. It was most interesting to the visitors to walk through the cows and hear the criticisms of the various animals given by Mr. McPhillips. The general tenor of his observations led to the conclusion that on good pastures the Jersey takes the palm. "There," said Mr. McPhillips, "you see those two cows. That one is a ShortI horn—a good cow in her way. She gave 2801b of butter-fat, whilst that little three-quarter-bred Jersey alongside of her—just a handful—gave 4351b. That cow there, which looks like a Holstein, is, as a matter cf fact, a half-bred Jersey, and I was going to put her out of my herd last year, because she had only three teats. But she gave 5071b of but-ter-fat .this year, and was never under a 4 test," and so the criticisms went, but ever in favor of the Jersey strain. Mr. McPhillips went on to explain that 100 cows which he has tested gave an average of 3151b of butter-fat, and at Is 3d per lb the emissaries soon calculated what a first-class dairy herd on first-class

land in New Zealand could produce. The party spent a very interesting half-hour with Mr. McPhillips, and then motored on to Kaupokonui factory, Mr. McPhillips accompanying them. Here the visitors were intensely interested, and plied Mr. Powdrell with all manner of questions. One of the party—an adept draughtsman—rapidly made sketches of the interior and exterior. Senor Carlos Proderi paid a high compliment to Kaupokonui people, and had no hesitation in saying that, although they had seen fine institutions in Denmark, the Kaupokonui factory was absolutely the best they had seen in any part of the world. It was, so far as he could judge, perfectly equipped and designed. The party then embanked in the cars once more en route to Normanby, and visited the Hawera Electric Light Company's power station. They expressed surprise that the energy developed could be utilised for milking purposes, and this

was their first experience of such. A mile

or so further oil a halt was made at Mr. R. Linn's farm, where milking was in ! progress and the milking machines were 1 seen in operation. The vacuum pump was here driven by an electric motor, and the whole shed was equipped in a most modern and labor-saving fashion, and quite caugM the fancy of the students. Here, again, copious notes were taken and rough pJans drawn. They were very much interested in that famous Jersey cow Rita, which Mr. Linn mentioned to them had produced an average of 14%1b of butter per week for 4 1 /. months. The final halt on the trip was called a,t Normanby, where the root crops and tilie exhibits of the Moumahaki State Farm at the Normanby Show claimed their attention.