H—29

DAIRY DIVISION REPORT OF H. A. FOY, DIRECTOR The Season The autumn of 1949, which comes within the scope of this review, was favourable for dairy production, and there were good supplies of winter feed available to prepare stock for early spring. Dairying districts were favoured with a mild winter, and conditions from spring to the flush months of the dairy season were almost ideal. As a result dairy production for the first half of the season was very high, and there appeared every prospect of a record for the season. .However, in northern districts during December and also in Canterbury there was a lack of rainfall, with the consequence that, although the total production for December was satisfactory over the Dominion, the December returns showed a decline from the November production. From January until 31st March extremely dry conditions prevailed in Northland and in some South Auckland areas. Taranaki, Wairarapa, Manawatu, and Southland on the other hand experienced good pasture-growing conditions, offsetting to a certain extent the very marked decline in production in Auckland Province. What may have been an outstanding year through the favourable autumn and winter of 1949 and the remarkable spring production has therefore eventuated, as far as the financial year is concerned, in satisfactory dairy production, but prospects are •disappointing for late autumn and winter feed conditions in those areas where a large proportion of the country's butterfat is produced. Dairy-produce Grading Following are ten-year tables relating to the grading of butter and cheese by the Dairy Division: —

Butter and Cheese Graded for Export

71

Creamery Butter. Cheese. Total Butterfat Equivalent. Year ended 31st March, Increase Increase Increase Tons. or Tons. or Tops. or Decrease. Decrease. Decrease. Per Cent. Per Cent. Per Cent. 1950 149,242 + 7-78 100,437 + 11-05 163,755 +8-54 1949 138,469 +4-30 90,440 +6-05 150,857 +4-71 1948 132,758 +11-45 85,274 -1-55 144,072 +8-13 1947 119,113 + 10-71 86,624 -4-30 133,231 +6-45 1946 107,582 -10-18 90,523 -3-84 125,151 -8-47 1945 119,781 +26-12 94,140 + 10-62 136,735 +21-52 1944 94,972 -14-08 85,100 -22-60 112,516 -16-80 1943 110,542 +0-76 109,955 -25-87 135,238 -9-59 1942 109,707 -20-92 148,331 +29-71 149,592 -6-77 1941 138,745 + 12-48 114,355 +32-22 160,466 + 17-37