FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 270, 11 May 1912, Page 6

FARM AND DAIRY.

!(From Our Waitara Correspondent). Dairying in the north of Taranaki this . season has been an improvement on even J last year, judging by the returns of the Waitara Dairy Co. For their year endl ed July 31, 1911, the company paid sup- ' pliers the sum of £11,232 Cs 4d for milk, 1 this being the record of the company for any one year. For nine months of the present year, to the end of April, suppliers have received the sum of £11,440 0s 7d. This shows that for the nine months suppliers have received £2OB more than they did for the whole of the previous year, or, taking the period ended April, 1011, with that of April, 1912, they have received the sum of £1242 more during that time, a fact that must be satisfactory to the farmers concerned. In butter the figures show that for the year 1911 134 tons 3cwt. was produced, whilst for nine months of the present year 132 tons 12cwt. has been manufactured, just about iy a tons less than the whole of the previous year. Comparing the nine months for 1911 and 1,912 the figures show 124 tons 9cwt. for the former period and 132 tons 12cwt. for the latter, an increase of 8 tons 3ewt.' Had it not been for the fact that the two largest suppliers decided to take a rest from dairying for a year or so the figures for the present period would probably have been from £I2OO to £ISOO more. Cropping has been a profitable adjunct to dairy farming this year. Good crops . of both wheat and oats have been threshed, in one case oats returning 78 bushels to the acre. In most eases satisfactory results have been shown. Generally, turnip crops are fair this season. In anticipation of either a shortage of grass or the necessity for feeding considerably j more stock, there are large areas under turnips this year, one, farmer having some 200 acres. Early maize for feeding purposes was not a success, but that sown later is much heavier, and at the present time many are making it into ensilage. Casein manufacture is in the air, and very soon a meeting will be called with the object of discussing the matter of the erection of a manufactory. In all probability it will hi' a co-operative concern. The price offered for winter butter is not tempting factories to rush the sale. A record season will be the result of the Freezing Company's operations at Waitara this season. At the beginning it was thought that very little stock would come forward, but the opposite has been the ease. The Waitara Road uctory pays suppliers £944 for April milk, an increase of £3OO compared with April, 1.011. Butter manufactured was 24,8701b, as against 17,803 for the corresponding month of the previous year, an increase of 09741b, or 3 tons 2ewt. 301b.