THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1806, 23 October 1888, Page 3

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

' ".'.; t! •, . Wbimngton, Oct. 81. Government have reoeived from the Agen'r. General a preliminary report by Professor Long, of Stevenage, England, upon the connection between the dairy-farming industry in this colony and the consumption of dairy produce in. : Great Britiain. The questions upon which ithe Professor was asked to report were :—(l) What are the artioles of dairy produceiwhioh are largely sold in the British _ market, and wbioh can be profitably pr f oduo»d $4 .Zealand ; (2) ■»'<•wrung: thatf d'tiry goods" of the tame varieties can be produced A* in the.colony, what means should be' takon to • -, educate the farmers and others concerned in Q■■■ the trade, and to induce them to. np.xjtheir manufacture. - In answering the first ii7question,-Professor Long says that from, ■ information he has gleaned with regard to | ~/.; the temperature, the-humidity of the soil,' .'.. '.',. and the grass of New Zealand, he has no hetitation in expreising his belief that butter and at least fonr of the trading varieties of ■•■' ! cheese"; oould be made wih the most perfect •ocofsf, .and be delivered in England in a cord (iion to compete with the best produce of'thekind sold in the markst. He deliber.v.'ately stales his belief that Few'Zealand, by adopting the. Danish system, could beat th* Danei in'the quality of their l i -bnCter."-Ae r regardß cheese, the subjeot is muoh more considerable. We should want , to manufacture the best in the British ( market;-and those of'English brands would find a ready sale, r He believes the ooleny to be splendidly adapted for cheese-making, ' but success would depend entirely upon the proper education of the manufacturing olass. This leads to his reply to the seoond question. He believes that the best method of commencing to-ldubate the agricultural olas?e« is first of all to convince the Government and the local authorities, by unmictakeable argument, that the particular branch of dairy farming recommended after a mature judgment his" fceen : formed, means the greater j prosperity "of the fafiner and the colony. - ; Upon the Government being satisfied With : the report made to ffiem, with I comprehen-.-1 sire statement prepared!by experts or officials .TspebiaHy-r directed to; probe the question to ' i ;the bptfow, they would then idopt a popular > i 7 mean* *of • convey in g similar: information to the The beet means will be found ,: in * descriptive vaddreses delivered at a few -:ließd'"centreß, ; where-*faotß- should be dealt with, but. every „semblance ot scientific • s 'teabhing should be shunned.. These addresses ;•[ should be printed anl'Bisttibuted among the farmers -/with the., object of enlisting their ", interest. The'effect .would probably be that a certain number "of persons would form the ~: nubleuiiof a fiiture praotioal teaohing staff '" .for 'the .colony. Central training stations vJihould be 'opened in each island, which 1 should ; be equipped with all the best , applianoeafor scientific .and practical dairying. ' V, The cost would not be considerable. Persons

"'" of both sexeß could be taught practical butter f and jctieese making at nominal fees, and ," those 1 willing 'to undertake the position of ' 'teachers might, after an examination, showing their fitness for the work, be educated free. ,1 Be saw no reason'why, within one year from :■■■ ; the commencement, 40 to 60 expert butter and cheese makers should not be ready for being

, t aent throughput the colony, fitted by Bpeoial " ' training for giving dembnitrationß or lectures, or both. 1 Pfofciior Long regarded it ai of '-"• Vital importance'that the original instructors should be first-rate men ; who alio posseis an

i absolutely praotical knowledge, almost as ■important, and that stations should be well designed and perfectly equipped-.;with the required machinery and plant.;. The first cost .."■' of ..stations and, their plants would not be ..considerable, even supposing it were deter- ', mined to keep a berd of cattle at eaoh. The subsequent cost would be chiefly confined to the payment of threa or four able men engaged to direct the work, and of a small .number of working cheese and butter makers ?. at comparatively small rates of pay. Professor Long, in hit report to the AgentI G-sneral, states that he proposes to make a —-full detailed report and recommendations later, in which he will deal with the question .. .of-scili, grasses, breed of. cattle,, implement] and manufacture, and will desoribe the practices, of Danesj Swedes, Swiss, German, Dutch, and Italian dairies. %