LAND, STOCK & CROPS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 136, 21 March 1935, Page 7

LAND, STOCK & CROPS

NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By "The Tramp"). "A dairyman's Paradise is the description that I would apply to the dairying districts through which I passed during my tour of New Zealand, but this appellation applies only to the climatic condition, soil fertility, and' pastures. An enormous increase in production, limitation or markets, and consequent depressed prices are factors that have placed the dairying industry in New Zealand in the same parlous condition as that of the industry in Australia, and the financial position of the producers in the Dominion is no less serious than that of their confreres in the Commonwealth." These observations are made by a recent visitor to New Zealand in an article written to the "Sydney Morning Herald" from Panama, in the course of a world tour.

The history of the dairying industry in New Zealand presents a record of remarkable development, particularly during recent years, states the article. This development dates from 1882, when successful refrigeration led to the possibility! of an export trade in butter and cheese. The same year also marked the beginning of the new cooperative system of butter and cheese manufacture which to-day is uniform throughout the Dominion. The Government in 1882 offered a prize of £SOO to the co-operative cheese factory which first reached an output of. 50 tons of cheese in one season. Within 10 years 214 co-operative factories were operating in the manufacture of 'both butter and cheese, and to-day, I am informed, there are 500 of these in existence. Last season, out of a total manufacture for export of 140,000 tons of butter, all but 8000 tons came from co-operative factories; and less than 2000 tons of cheese, out of a total production of 101,000 tons, was made by proprietary factories. The increase in the number of cows and the advance in butter-fat production provided interesting data. In 1902-3 the cows in milk and dry numbered 429,000, returning an average butter-fat yield of 123,481 b a cow. In 1920-21 the number had increased to 1,005,000, yielding an average, of 154.251 bof fat and in 1933-34 the herds had advanced to 1,933,000, with an average production of 222.801 b of fat a cow. In 1920-21 the total butterfat production of New Zealand was 155,000,0001 b, against 427,000,0001 b in 1933-34.

It is generally admitted in New Zealand that herd-testing has played important part in improving the but-ter-fat production of the herds, resulting as it has in the culling of "boarder" cows, better breeding, and improved farm management. Every year since 1923-24 has seen a steady advance in butter-fat produced of the cows under test, and the recognition of the value of testing is evidence in that the number of cows tested has increased from 107,777 in 1923-24 to 286,889 in 1933-34. The average production in the first-mentioned season was 213.011 b of fat, and in the latter 262.4411> of fat. On calculations based on herd-testing figures, but applying to all cows in the Dominion, 4.7 per cent, of the cows produce an average production of 69.8 lb of butter-fat per lactation; 5.5 per cent. 123.41 b, 18 per cent. 174.41 b, 25.2 per cent. 224.91 b, 21 per cent. 275.61 b, 13 per cent. 322.01 b, and 9.6 per cent. 398.81 b. Taken the basis of the average herd production, 3.6 per cent, of the total herds produce an average of 107.71 b of fat, 15.9 per cent. 175.21 b, 36.4 per cent. 225.41 b, 34.2 per cent. 275.21 b, 9.2 per cent. 318.61 b, and 0.7 per cent. 366.71 b. For the season 1919-20 approximately 63,000,0001 b of butter-fat was used in the manufacture of butter and 58,000,0001 bof fat in the making of cheese. In 1933-34 the quantities were approximately 308,000,0001 b and 93,000,0001 b respectively. The quantity! of butter manufactured iri 1919-20 was 33,327 tons, of which 51.50 per cent, was exported and 48.50 per cent, consumed locally. Every year since that date has seen an advance in production and a consequent natural increase in the percentage exported and a decline in the percentage consumed in New Zealand. The returns of 1933-34 show a total production of 164,163 tons, of which the exportable surplus over local requirements was 83.60 per cent. The consumption of cheese in the Dominion has always been under 4 per cent, of the total production, and of the 106,288 tons manufactured in 1933-34, 97.40 per cent, was marketed overseas.

Besides being a necessary mineral constituent of all classes of animals, lime acts also in correcting acidity in the stomach. It also makes the curd portion of milk more readily digestible, particularly by young calves. Lime-water of the requisite strength is easily made on the farm. There need be no fear of making it too strong, as water will only dissolve a certain limited amount of 'lime— % grain to the ounce, or 10 grains to the pint. Add a bucketful (say 201 b) of lime to about 10 gallons of water in a wooden barrel, stir" well, and allow to settle. The clear liquid resulting can be used, and water added and stirred daily until all the soluble portion of the lime has been reached, and a fresh supply of lime should be added to the barrel. When the young calf is changed over from a diet of whole milk to one of skim milk, some torm of concentrate should be added to replace the butter-fat that has been removed in separating. Experience has shown that an excellent addition is a thick gruel made from 31b of crushed linseed and 21b pollard, carefully stirred into 3J or 4 gallons of water, and slowly boiled for at least half an hour. One pint, of this should be added to each gallon of pasteurised skim milk, also one wineglass (2oz) of lime-water. This gruel should be added in small quantities at first, so that the calf may become acquainted with the flavour, also so that its digestive system may) adapt itself to a new class of food. If fed in full quantity at first the animal may either refuse the food or will be rather severely scoured by it.