THE DRIFT TO DAIRYING

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 193, 9 May 1908, Page 3

THE DRIFT TO DAIRYING

SHEEP UNPOPULAR. : THE'PENDULUM • SWINGS- BACK. Reports- from .all parts of New Zealand indicate a revival of mterest in dairy-farm-ing, and; a temporary, retreat from sheepfirming:. " . '■ ; '■' Tho':-.change , has :como 'suddenly . and ; '.quietly, : and ; has, on; that: ;• account,,,- been scarcely-' ,yet ' observed. ' .It;- is, 'however; qiiite a hatural occurrcnce.. What' can one; expcct ' when . woor ; is : .at' a', slump,- when ' skins' nr6':cheap; :whcn; thoi:fut,iiro .for, mutton' aiid,'lamb:, is riot completely free from *" blemishes,' and when.' the. price, of . land is at a. figure;,'which , leaves a very-. small margin per : acre for a reduction of profits. Yot it is but a' few months ago that one /was held to be justified " in; regarding sheep . station lif.o■:a's '"tho;. acme.; of ' , a, farmer's- ambition-— a-, : , condition ■ full of,'-cash ;. and leisure and , pleasure, void of care 3 envied, by all. who wero:,lstrugglirig: v along. ;6n.-;dairy farms and in other :'liuniblo - stations 'of the* farmers' world. - Sheen .farjning. a few months ago . .was.'tW':havcn',of;,thc:industo\,: r ;lt;is.'dif: fetent.'to-dayi Whafcha's'caused the' change? First, there;";wa's,, , tho;;'drought, ( which'smote : grazier . and' dairy' farmer alike.. Then ;there Vas-;:tho'?fan. iri*,'prices,-' which '.pinched the sheep nian, . but 'mercifully . spared tho m,an : of/ tho . milk 1 pail. '. : Wool 'went , down and '■ down: and : 'down, r :grimly'flouting all the • prophecies of optimists who flxed date aftor date for a .recovery. " For the - American money crash theso optimists foretold a swift ending; they ; riiade us anticipate a quick fall, in the ruinous price ' of' money; they declared that, the -world's < increasing human multitudes would, wear—and -. buy—moro wool. . Everything, .thoy said, jvould be well, and wool ■ 'would;: be ' dear;.: when -'.'intoxicated ; Wall' Street-steadied .itself, ,and , the .firian- ■ . cial: position:;bfecamo '. normal. .. ' But;*. Wall Street'-'is';', steady;; 'and . money' '-'is - normal, ' and . wool ' is ; still ;superfluous. •. It : is, : floating.intoi the. world's;' markets in - a-. ! flood : of : depression, -in : which '. the, deeper - it' sinks, tho ' ha'rder i.it seems "to find tho task - of- rising again. , Wool ,is how , . Worth. ; £s. a br.lo-,loss than';it ;was;last Feb: ' J ruary,i:arid.',tho.'English-j'm'arkets are [over-. : :■ laden vwitE'isupplies arrived "and , arriving.: "' .W 7 ho:can;-'say;.that/;there, will, or. will ; not, be.-. an amnrovemerit' in •.the' noxt ' two or three.-.years? "'' -.' ■''*• ■'. .Contrast, thia :picture , .with; the /state'.of. ...V.the^^fftig^mdustify. - ' Butter'.has .riever '. in'' reeont' times reaclied ' siicli; glittering- prices . asTit:reached'this'autuhin; .';The''cause ,was,.it is. trUe,-only.a temporary ..shortage, .but. though 'that' ; caiiso is not'., now, ' operating, v and < a'revulsion,. if; anj'thing," should: riatur- ;.: ally ;;bo,■ looked 'f or,"; tho '.ruling'- price in London; is still . above normal.;-..G00d, .however,; . "as;-'itfcat";»pri<»T.is v \'fte-ipn&>l still : niucK;. better;:- in; I fact,'''that with r our'-.-stbreS 'full,:; of -';b(itt«r,-':wo"-haye;nono - for . export".:.:.. Butter' ' able: outlets^rcljeese; or ;_the iri'- ' stiSllation,' of 1 dual: plants - has'.'made' 1 either outlet accessible -at : -The^averr • .afep ;'yield';.per: cow 'is,gradually ; being in-' ; . creased,;.-and;''tho i general ...organisation; ,of. 7 the .industr3v'is;'excellent:_:' " 1. i ;': ;;:No. that.'th'eso good ,'.tim'es...;,w-:lli ■ last. One;;.ca!v,' ; only-. guess' ~ up'ori'. 'genfiral .'indications, V: Loridbn'v'prices twill,"have..advertisedbxitter a3 al paying :commodity more! -widely, than 1 " We-could; have', desired,, arid .the'' producing countries [.'.will '•■try.'.-.-.to . produce more next u -succcpd F. p'aii7='i'cow's';cannot;: bo in ■ a -'"■•'year, bi]t"bettb'r'.iise.may ; bf; i iMde ..exists - ingmaterial., tThe' -British 'Worker, again, ,Is/ said; tot'be 1 . improving .his -'Vreakfa'stJ table, aiid;. where f6r- . .1 merly i-.there. j.was ~ margarine;; :But , ''on . the' F_other(.t'handj-m/argpirine^^^-,apparQntly,.:.mak-•,^'ingH'headway:-' in' public favour 'as[ • aii article 1' palatable,; arid'. ! nutritious/' ,-'Andj 'as.' ,we , pointed : olit ; re- ..' ccntly7fign6'l': solitaryßritish,-factory,''. sold during, tbe shutter" famine:- enough; margarine . to- : fee,d'..all: ;,Au'stralia.': : . yThere j riiusti 1 be v'ti' . tug-pf-war^'botween 1 : .'these, tendericies. ' The. prohibition 'of preservativc niay create'.a' ;new,-'difficulty.', yßut '.tho un- ;. .satisfied demand, .for.:.bacon ; .'at,high,prices-r' ~ best bacon co'sts : jOd."''''aird-jlb^'. , a , . i ..pburid;,'re-- . taiiyri-'.iNow: / 'strohgtheris - the:.case!:for ,cows' bsiagains't shcepi'; /; • .There danger' ithat ■;the new. pdpiilarity of butter . production - may' lead . farmers/to. put 'cb^ys:upon 1 land;that : 'is' essentially. more suited'/'for'•"'sheep" or'' grain; . That: is, obviously . not; tho'. jcaso .in, South, for there"wb.-recently : ,- had - a report • of.. a dairy company deciding : ... :to.',: "xease Canterbury.;.'is'. well wedded-tp;,;wh'cat . ; and; lamb,'; and- not. easily - made . faitHless , by, l the "allurements of dairy- - ' ing. :. But' Southland's : experience: of' lamb- : raising, ;even, in the, past; favourable season, has not been quite encouraging/ The lambs . have::fattened very:slowly. >■ In-.the-past iL .. has - generally ; been - grain : growing that has given ! place to' sheep farming. Perhaps . . now, to. some -extent, 'the;' Southland sheep ■may-make/'way -for;dairy: r / ; . ; • It is particuiarly .that r the mdst interesting changes 'may be looked for.;':' '■ At'v'.tprcsent .'prices'.'dairying;.- offers ' . North." Islander's, -far , better,i,prospects . than sheep 'farming.'- 'Consequently,' -a, number of farmers whb/ 1 in the'ordinary: course of- business,; or-through; the stress of the drought, sold "off'. their-shcepi,: flrp, now:, stocking up with - dairy cows'/- -It might/ be-'anticipated thatthis rdrift.'towards - dairying .'would,, be. counterbalanced' by the - recent opening :up '; of large,'sh'ecp/coujitry, .particularly,in -; -Taranaki ;,'.and:; inland-; /Povertyßay.', ! But. {-. reports ■ indicate : that'-'the , stocking ,of/these'-: places.is:'not.:proceGdirig:;v6ry,rapiily.:.''lf' ' rumours'-'be ; :truej'.sorije ■'. np: sheep'in : the, stress .times,'jreljing on '.the needs: .'bfi,these,';ric\yvareas Ho./unload; 'find: • thatoutlet' /unresponsive; ': and ; have' ,: still: large;:flocks-:oh;-harid.'',v':■" '5' : ihbproduction-; , :cattle ,;must ;al-v ... "lost -'of/ necessity, dimiriish'.as 'the land ■ becom'es;; .more;'ciilti vp,te and -'rough, .newlyburnt., ;tiniber':' country.; shrinks :b'ack.'- -This: diminutipn will' bo regretted:-by:,. public; " which ■ likes • its r beef-steaks to ■ be, ,•', cheap, and-- by those ; commercial men: wh'o' realise that', a-.good/output,: of beef 'is avaluable - asset with which to approach, tho . British market, ..'But'it is'j* apparently' incvitable.T "*! '• : Auckland fast ..'concentrating' around dairy-fanning.- It was thought at one timo that the' great northern province would , firow, perhaps ; .beef,, but certainly , : sheep. ~ But v to : day,:tho :trek, ; is "all ,toward the dairy industry.. .One cannot blame the .Northerners, 'iin'-tho -faco.'of-'th'eir fereat -success- with butter, and in the face of tho steady, .high price's.-Out .-of: vail:, this": rearranging, ; which' one sees./taking place , there..may' in/the end, perhaps,, bo evolved, more' specialising. ■ And that, at :least; : ,will be'good.':.