WONDERFUL SPRING

Taranaki Daily News, 12 September 1940, Page 2

WONDERFUL SPRING

PRODUCTION INCREASE | PROVISION FOR AUTUMN "This will unquestionably be a great year for production if the season keeps on as it has commenced," remarked a prominent Taranaki coastal farmer yesterday in expressing the opinion that it had been Ihe most marvellous spring that he had known. The season was certainly on the farmers' side in the drive for production, he said, adding that, though farmers were making every effort to provide the extra produce asked for by Great Britain, it would have been extremely difficult if not impossible to obtain it, had climatic conditions been unfavourable. With the exceptionally favourable conditions now existing, the extra production should be assured unless there were a serious setback later in the season. It was certain, however, that the factory ,vats were much fuller in the early part'of the season this year than usual, thus giving the extra output in, the early part of the season so much needed. His own production, which is typical of many other farmers along the coast, shows a remarkable increase, for from practically the same herd of 100 cows, he is taking to his factory 25001b ruilk daily, compared with 16)01b of milk at the same time last year. While some of that in- i crease of over 50 per cent. is probably | due to extra topdressing, the bulk of it, representing considerable extra cash returns to the farmer, is undoubtedly due to the difference in the seasons, for last spring was a very bad one, in marked contrast to the excellence of this one. It is interesting to note, however, that his output at present is 4001b milk daily greater than it has ever been at this time of year. Of course everything has been in favour of early high production 1 this year as, following a good autumn, the cows went out of profit in good condition. Then as the winter was reasonably mild they came into profit in good j condition to meet a good spring, which . enablsd them at once to respond with a good milk flow. j The early spring, too, has resulted , in farmers carrying over to next year : supplies of hay that had. been provided against a late spring, it being found that with the prolific growth of grass the stock would not eat the hay. That the increase in production is general throughout North Taranaki is shown by the experience in the Mokau-Awa-kin^ district, where the output of the dairy factory which manufactures butter is practically double what it was ct the same time last year, though the number of suppliers is about the same. So marked has been the increase that the output for August was just about equal to that of toe company's peak year for production, at a period when several additional large herds were being milked on the Mokau River. It has been noticed, however, that nature has a way of averaging up and that a good spring is frequently followed by a dry autumn and a l^ad spring by a favourable autumn, so that, even though labour is difficult to procure, dairy farmers would be well advised to tr.ake provision for supplementary autumn fodder to be available for their stock if this autumn proves unfavourable.