IMPROVING OUR DAIRY SYSTEM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 206, 8 February 1915, Page 3

IMPROVING OUR DAIRY SYSTEM.

To the Editor. Sir,—Tn your issue of the sth inst. I read with interest Mr. Joe IS. Simpson",, letter on the butter industry. Mr Simpson's remarks can be characterised as the thoughts of an individual whose . ambitions are not enclosed within tho i boundary fences of his farm. The project he has outlined is progressive, and ' a huge step towards a purpose, which comes within the field of human endeavor as regards getting tile full re- I suits (jf our labor, by handling our pro- [ (luce from beginning to end when operating in the world's market. Your correspondent does not call for controversial ideas as much as lie calls fraction on the part of individuals who / are directly interested, and are philanthropic enough to work for a greater ideal in co-operative business organisa- ] tion in order to achieve that grand object of advancing a country's methods by setting the standard of perfection on n higher plane rather than imitating or to keep on imitating another country which is held up as an ideal to follow. Unfortunately when new movements of any nature are discussed through the columns of a newspaper the subjects in many instances are calculated to provide vapor for individuals to haggle over in hotel bars, along-the-road tulks, »cross-the-fenco arguments, and aftertea conversations. Conclusive ideas may be agreed upon, but the unfortunate part is that although the subjectis thrashed out, the decision arrived at is not made known to more than one or two persons, who have little or no interest, in current matters, and the spark of enthusiasm dies. Consequently the matter is dropped for the moment of combined interest for development. Mr. Simpson mentions how farmers are exploited by cattle farmers. This is a matter for individual study and effort. In cattle-breeding, every farmer should be a. specialist. Let him select the breed of cattle ho fancies most to meet his renuirenients, and start in and develop his herd according to the dictates of experience rather than from j an idea, that such-and-such is no good, as So-and-So says so. If he pets a | milk test of 4.'2 from a herd of thirty', cows of his breed, and his next-door | neighbor gets a o.fi test from his herd of j 1.") cows of another breed, he jumps to I the conclusion that his neighbor's cows | are better than his, because he does not J stop to make a comparison of circumstances, such as feed, attention, and other things pertaining to the different herds, and the quantity and quality producing capacity. The only point I disagree with Mr. Simpson upon is the establishment of skimming stations. These from a farmer's point of view should not exist. Thev sbou'd be creamreceiving stations. Most of tile wear-sind-trsir on the roads comes through farmers carting hundreds of tons of milk unnecessarily to the skimming FtaGons. to say nothing of the waste of time in unnecessary work, besides considering the effect of rearing calves on filrim milk of ever-varying quality. In these davs the farmer can get separators which skim while the milking is j going on. They cost next to nothing to run, and the benefit the calves de- - rive from being fed with skim milk of natural temperature is the subject of I approval with experienced farmers who are in positions to make comparisons. In conclusion, dealing with your correspondent's suggestion for wider cooperation, let me suggest that other people who are interested in the matter I should come forward with their ideas, and after half-a-dozen or more liave made themselves known, to call a meeting of as many farmers as possible to discuss th- matter, and draw up the scheme and then set about to put the ball in motion. For the present, 1 am, etc., START MOVING.