WAIKATO LEADS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 19, 23 January 1929, Page 10

WAIKATO LEADS.

Us "■",• '■ dalrVing prospects bright.

RECORD OUTPUT ANTICIPATED

OPTIMISM OF FARMERS.

OHDWtf&QF HERD TESTING.

As' the farmer "sows,", so shall New Zealand reap,' for it is essentially a primary producing country.

The city dweller and the producer are inseparably linked one with the other. Certainly the Dominion, with its wide variety of fertile soils and wonderful climatic 'conditions, has many sources of wealth, but its economic life is dependent on production on the land. In Canterbury,' l cropping flourishes; in Hawke's farming. the case of the combined Auckland Provinces, extending from v the North Cape to the Central King Country, the staple industry is dairying. And, of all these districts famed for the quality of their butter and cheese, none has precedence to the Waikato. - , r Hichljr Endowed Conntry. Nature has endowed the South Aucklaud Province, withideal eonditions for ,the,develfjpinent,of dairying. Abundant sonshine and rain that stimulate growth, fertile':and .verdant for the most part undulating and easily workable, have combined to" niake it the most productive dairying district in the Dominion. But the Waikato has not always held this high prestige. Hard work and initiative were required to achieve this goal. Scientific farming and the remarkable response j of the soil to fertiliser* has accomplished the rest. At the moment the Waikato, in common with, other parts of the Dominion, is flatbed with 'bright ; prospects. A change of Government has put fresh heart; lata the producer. Finances are { SS^i* B P irit of optimism is 1 ZllS^fc*£*9 dd s ion ' the favourable sttmriLrf JS !?JW experienced has , tuTM are maintained in fteS^S!*• I ! excellent condition, the prSL^ eMnt that i—* — -»- JL~*!Z+- P '""P****. are W "««*-wfli| Wbfla the Waikato is ,&,&- J

of the need for attention to details that tend to consolidate its reputation for turning out some of the world's finest dairy produce. In this direction the dairy companies are lending encouragement to their suppliers, realising that with a vastly increased world output of dairy products, quality is a determining factor in the disposal of large quantities at the highest prices. First came herd testing, and following closely in its wake, calf marking and compulsory cream grading. The testing system alone has worked wonders. Its advantages are manifold, but primarily it assists the producer to eliminate the "drones" from his herd—cows that barely pay for the feed that they eat— and substitute them with profit-earning stock. The system in vogue is by no means a new innovation, but, although it has operated in Denmark since 1895— New Zealand's greatest competitor on Smithfield markets—it was not introduced to the Dominion till 1022. And here again the Waikato set an example to the other provinces. Testing was inaugurated by the New Zealand Farmers" Union, and in the 1922-23 season 157 herds and 6900 cows were dealt with. In the following season the New Zealand do-Operative Herd Testing Association was formed and assumed control of the work that had been well begun and amply justified itself. The season ended up by 31,000 cows being tested. Last year the total had increased to 76,697 cows, and this year it is estimated that 80,000 animals will be tested. And so the forward march goes on. Briefly over 30 per cent of the cows in the South Auckland Province are now under test. Other districts have not pursued the system so vigorously, as is instanced by the fact that the Dominion percentage is only sixteen. Popularity of Electricity. Among other aids to greater efficiency on the farms of the Waikato, electricity plays a prominent part. In the past decade various power boards operating in the district have established a network of transmission lines throughout the country to distribute power from Horahora. Milking motors have been installed in their hundreds, and consequently much of the drudgery formerly associated with milking has been eliminated. The extent to which the Waikato relies on electrical energy these days was strikingly illustrated when plant at Horahora was damaged by fire fast year. The position for the dairymen, and, incidentally, of many factories, who relied solely on power from this source was seriously jeopardised, but fortunately the wheels of industry were kept turning by the Auckland Electric il«2 ww » Bo * rd feeding back much needed ratS2na! rom £W"« M 4 &*»*'• wharf