FARM AND DAIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 September 1919, Page 5

FARM AND DAIRY.

NEED FOR GREATER PRODUCTION. ADVANTAGES OF TESTING. The necessity for increased production and the advantages of testing In relation thereto was touched on at the meeting of the Ml Dairy Company on Wednesday. The testing official (Mr. G. H. Kent), in the course of his report, slated that:—The average cows in (hi; Testing Association for the IOIH-ltllO season of the 1200 tested gave 2C.i1.0 lbs. of fat. The necessity for increased production was being realised by many suppliers, and for the coming season over 2000 cows had been promised for test. The increased butter-fat obtained by those who had systematically tested and culled no doubt acted as an incentive to many others to improve their herds. Tho average of the Association would make r. gteat Increase in tho amount .produced. Periodic visits had been made to factories and fr.rra» in order to prevent. If possible, unsvund mill; being produced. With more help available there should be no difficulty in thoroighly cleansing all milking machines and utenRila. and delivering only first-class milk. The best kept plants were frequently found In places where there was tho most work and not over many hands, making It seem doubtful if a labor shortage was the reason for' neglected milking machines. Unfortunately, if a few machines were allowed to remain with impurities in the pipes it was at the expense of those who were producing a good article. In some cases It had been necessary to slop the milk going to the factory until the machines were )Ait h order. This had been effective in those places where through neglect the machines had been found unlit. later In the meeting, the chairman (Mr. A. C Johnstone), reminded shareholders that the war had enormously increased our national debt, with the natural consequence ti>K. taxr.= were correspondingly increased. Farmers could pity these taxes, provided the present hinh prices continued, but should there be a drop, '■he position may become serious specially in the case of those who have paid high prices tut land. For some years past factory returns did not indicate a very considerate Increase In production, but in the immed'.it2 future a determined effort would have to be n'.ade to very largely increase production If ilio country's position was to be made secure. To h«lt> accomplish this, farmers would have to «ak« better provision for feeding their stock it: tho autumn, winter and spring monrts. Hundreds of .fatalities amongst stock could ho triced to want of proper feed. The change of ownership of farms tended to decrease output because so many farmer's left no feed on the place for the incoming man, axr consequently -a season was practically lost. He jtiew one man who would lease his farm only on condition that the outgoing tenant left nmpl? sufplies of feed for the incoming man. who had, of course, to purchase it on valuation. Ihen again, taany dairy farms were net availing themselves of cow testing, as tuey should do He knew of one man who increased his output from 8000 to 10,000 lbs. of miik hi tic leason Bifnply because proper tastloj mrtled him to cull out his poor cows. In another case he knew of a man farming 170 awes who was not getting as much butterfat as a man on 80 acres, simply because he would not take advantage of tho Cow Tesilng Asfociatlon and farm to the best advantage. Numbers of cases were on record of men on email holdings taking from £2O to £25 jer owe whilst on larger farms the return were Bcme'tlmos down to £8 and £lO. The h'irli yir'ces ruling to-day will necessitate the hind be.inc he'd '» B™ llller arcRS in O!L '' T '"• 1t " can bo farmed to the best advantage, and that brourflt forth the problem of how mihil'Ttsbn of the forger areas could best be briuiuht sbout. It w,i* "ivldcnt that to accomplish !b.s successfully c CTMt many more roads r.-ero required but how and by whom th ise roans were to bo m«de ho couM not prciond to' offer an opinion Tho arterial roads were practically four miles apart, and the divisional roaia two Miles and many holdings had a fro.itage cf 21 chains with a depth of a mile. Such tinns could not be worked to the hist advantage and as a matwr of fact the back portions' of many of them were hnllwds of noxious weeds. To subdivide to the best advantage in order that the land may prodiico Its maximum, roads must be not .now than a m.lc apart. It would have to b.' cVn-! s.ono day and the sooner tho bettor The day of the ITO to 200-acre farm was going. Subdivisions of the larger areas mil'.' com.; '.bout, and many of our best young ,nen were havi-ig to go elsewhere because tlnv could not ptt the land they required and va.i.id in T;i!-a-pnkl. ' , , A voice: "And yet ye moni.rc.9 m«i .Ir* 'he mm who are buying up even'.i\i ; ; '.-■ mis fi.r sale"

The chairman: Tliat is one tiiinp; I ran soy. I hnve never speculated In land, and I don't Intend to. What I have I have had fnr a good ninny years. (Applause). Why should our boys, who understood dairy farming conditions Ir Tarnnnkl, he forced to go elsewhere f6r land? This subdivision must tako place If we are ROing to keep them here and Ret tli bes; results that this fine land in Tarannltl ii capable of.