THE FARM INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 604, 4 September 1909, Page 8

THE FARM INDUSTRY.

?— A "DAISY" fN THE HERD. NIREAHA AND YIELD-TESTING. Mr. 0. Hoist has been trying to interest suppliers to Nirealia Dairy Factory - in tJio yield-testing scheme recently started under Departmental guidanco' at Carterton. Speaking at a smoke concert on Tuesday evening, lie alluded to tile amount of money lost to dairymen through not having properly tested herds. He said that suppliers could' not always expect to get 12id. for their butter-fat. Seasons of adversity wero bound to come, and to combat theso every man who milked should know whether tho cows kept him or ho kept tho cows. . The only way to ascertain this was by a thorough system of testing. Mr. Hoist told of an experience he had had at a testing station.. A farmer possessed an Ayrshire cow, which ho called "Daisy," and which ho considered by her appearance was a tip-top butter animal. 'The man," said Mr. Hoist, "brought a sample of the milk to me, and tho result.y/as a 2.5 test." Every farmer had a "Daisy", or two in his herd, • and theso were the animals' that conduced to retain tho dairyman's nose to the grindstone. In Denmark cow-testing associations 1 had proved an inestimable boon, the yield during the past few years having increased by 35 per cent, as a result. . The Government was talking about establishing testing associations; but his advice was not to wait for tho Government.' They should start an association among themselves at once, and endeavour this season to have the individual cows of their respective herds tested. In conversation later with an "Express" reporter, Mr. Hoist stated that testing could not prove of permanent value unless systematically followed up. "What," said Mr. Hoist, 'would 1)6 the advantage of having a herd that tested well if tho progeny was to prove 'wasters'? Some dairymen have gbou cows and retain' the calves of these got by a male animal purchased in a saleyard for a pound. This is tho crucial point in dairying. 'In Denmark, associations .give enormous prices for pedigree bulls, and it pays them handsomely. In this district a malo animal of a milking strain would prove of great value if used in conjunction with, u testing association, which I trust dairymen will seo tho. advantage of inaugurating." , "Would not heavy culling prove disastrous to those who could not afford to replace tho animals thrown out?" was asked by ihe reporter. v , "Certainly not," replied Mr. Hoist. "4 dairyman can always receivo some figure for his culls, but even if not replaced a man can make more money with them off : 's farm. Dairying is like, any "other business— itcannot be made to . pay. while . 'wasters' abound,". FLOATING THE FREEZING WORKS. A PROCRESS REPORT. A report by, the Management Committee of the Wellington Farmers' '. Co-operative Freezing Company, to bo submittal- to the crucial. meeting of shareholders at' Pahiatua on September 10, states that canvassing for shares has' been assiduously maintained from the date of! registration of tho company up to August 18, when, the committee considered - it advisable to suspend operations until after. the statutory meeting. The shareholders are well distributed over the various districts,on tho eastern-side of the range, tho.majority of subscribers being-in. the , Weber, Pahiatua, and. Castlepsint Counties. Next on.tie list comes Featherstanv while Mnsterton and South .Jfairaraiia are' in the minority. Thero is still a largo amount'of-: canvassing to. he dono, ; Maurieevillo and Akitio Counties being as yet practically 1 untouchod, a considerable amount of canvassing has yet to bo done m the other counties.' The settlers of'tiro WestCoast, so far have only subscribed £700 of shares' Tho number of shareholders is 361, and tho committco-anticipate that before the lists are closed the number will be doubled. Tho tightness of inonoy has seriously ;ntcrfered with tlio. canvass. Jfad the:financial position of this part of the Dominion been as it was two years ago, it would h'avo been possible to raise the whole nominal capita) of- £100,000. Tho committee recommends the appointment of a managing director, to carry .'on- tho .affair's-of, the company'until the works aro completed and ready . for operations.' > " Tho directors'-report states that the total number of shares allotted is 5553, representing a nominal valno of £27,765. Tho, total amount of cash received in respect of. tho said-shares'is '£3834 10s. • . v DAIRYING OR SHEEP? A CASH CONTRAST. A writer in tho "New Zealand Farmer" ha's made up a calculation of the average financial results of dairying and sheep-farm-ing.. Ho'says:— : "Take a section ,of land that is about equally suitable for dairying or raising fat lambs, and that will carry 300 ewes and their lambs from, February 1 until the same date the following year. The system carried out ia that the supply of breeders aro obtained from farm—that is, all tho lambs aro sold as fat—and. tho owes are also all disposed of every year, or, if not, thero must bo something allowed for depreciation bv old age,'which 1 have sot down at 2s. per head. 'With regard to. rent, vthere is littlo land to bo had fit for dairying or fattening lambs at less than at tho rate of Bs. por head for lambing; ewes, or £3 a head for cows, tho rent being in each caso'the same—£l2o. "Allowing that tlio lambs fattened amount to 90 per cOilt. of tho eives put to the ram, that gives 270' lambs at 125.-, The wool of the ewes I have set down at .ss. per head, leaving the account stand thus: Dr.: 300 owes at 155., £225; 5 rams at £4, £20; rent, Bs. per head on 300' ewes, £120; —total outlay, £365. Cr.: Wool from ewe 3at ss. a head, £71 55.; 270 lambs sold at 125., £162; valuo of 285 owes on hand or sold, allowing 5 per cent.-death rate (135.),, £185 ss.;— total receipts, £418 55., leaving a balance of only. £53 ss. for labour and management. "Now, let us seo what 42 cows would give us, taking tho ratio as at eight; sheep to one cow, which is at fair average on most lands. On the debit side we lind : 42 cows at £7 a head, £294; bull, £10; 'horse, cart, and cans, £35; —total outlay, £339. While on tho credit side I consider a return of £8 per coiv as about' the-average; in fact, it is to be feared that more herds return less than that, taking tho Dominion as a whole. This gives 42 cows, milk at £8 each, £330. After deducting 10" per cont. of, the valuo of tlio cows and plant when starting, thero will be to put to credit £300 125.. making a total of £630 Bs., from which has to bo taken the initial cost of cows and plant (£334), leaving £302 125., less tho same rent as for the sheep (£120), leaving the substantial balance of £182 125., in comparison with £53 ss. received from the fat lambs.

"There is the labour bill to bo considered, i however.' A fair estimato to make would I bo that one man would have to be engaged ( for tho year who'would attend to 30 of the 1 cows, and the extra work belonging to the 3 lot, leaving the 12 cows to the farmer to 1 milk as an offset against nothing set against ' tho sheep for looking after them; this would i mean £104 a year to be debited against the ' cows, leaving the farmer £78 12s; for his < work. Of course, if.there is a family that can do the work themselves,; some may consider that there is no labour bill. Still, the correct way to make up a balanco is to take it that the labour involved has to bo paid in one way or .another. And although the farmer puts all tho milk money in his pocket, thinking, tho family are paid when fed and clothed, yet ho must remember that ho; would havo to do this when rearing lambs, whon they think they have nothing to do. "There'is no doubt that dairying is . tho man-with-the-faniily's ideal business in many ways; but, liko many .other good things, at times, too much is mado of them; and when making a computation it must bo done commercially." . • ' > I AS CANADA VIEWS OUR CHEESE. 1 Writing of Now Zealand checse, tho "Moil- 1 trcal Herald" says:—"There,is a very satis- i factory demand for cheeso from tho Dominion i at present. .The fact that the quality of the ( Canadian cheese shows u superiority over i that of tho Now ZeaJand commodity has, of course, given a fillip to tho former. There ' is strong rivalry between the provisions imported from these two parts of tho British dejywlMinlfft. No paina ore being spued by .

the Now Zealand authorities to still further strengthen the hold upon the British market's. In spito of these it is satisfactory to find, that the- Canadian shippers are a bio to beat the rivals as regarde the quality of the choose; Thero is no doubt that advantage is being taken of tho experience gained iu previous years ns regards, tho requirements of tho British markets. Tho Canadian commercial agents who are . stationed in various parts of, the country havo also been able to forward to the Dominion some valuable information . as. to the needs of the British customers, and this has kept tho trade up to a higher level. , '\