SCIENCE OF DAIRYING.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3465, 14 April 1930, Page 2

SCIENCE OF DAIRYING.

After mi extended tour devoted especially to study of the science of fanning abroad, Dr H. E. Annett, of Mata'ngi, near Cambridge,, returned to New Zealand by the Itangitiki recently wnivinecd that the Dominion can learn little from England or the Continent of Europe about dairy production and the treatment of grasslands. For three years Dr Annett has been carrying Out intensive research and experimentation on his property at LMatangi, and he spent several months abroad investigating fanning conditions, tlie treatment of soils and dairy production methods. .Much was heard of dairy production in Denmark and the high hutter-fat content secured hy Danish farmers, Dr Annett said, hut he was of < opinion that New Zealand had nothing to tear from overseas competition, in regard to hutter-fat production. The Dominion's advantages in dairying comapred with England and the Continent arose Irom three chief causes. ‘■'We have a climate in which we can "row grass practically all the year round,” Dr Annett proceeded. “It is not necessary to grow root crops nor to buy any concentrated food. We can also keep our cattle out ol doors the whole year. This eliminates the necessity of erecting buildings to house stock. Ihe cost ot food purchased hy farmers in England and on the Continent represents a very large proportion of their cost of production. I visited farms in Holland and Germany where farmers owning from JT>* 1 to 150 acres were spending in the ”i----cinity of WtOO a year on concentiatcd fofcds alone. . “Another important point is that there is no other country so far advanced in the use of milking machines as is New Zealand. The releasor typo of machine used here results in great economy of labor. Two men in Now Zealand c-au milk GO cows, but ill England I found that six men were needed to milk Go cows with the bucket type of machine. •Although we hear what woiideriul thhms Denmark has done in co-opera-tive' methods. 1 think New Zealand m even more wonderful in her co-opera-tive development. Wp have a very line system, and it has been built up almost entirely since the war IJecauise of this co-operative spirit throughout the Dominion I think farmers have a more progressive outlook. 1 hey wi 1 adopt a new principle where a Dritisa farmer would not take to it to anything like the same extent. ••At the same time New Zealand farmers will have to mok into their marketing. There are certain complaints in England that dairy produce landed in London from Die .Dominion in the off-season is helow quality. > - j s said that tins arises because hnts ter placed on the market in. say. September, October and November, is probably made six or eight months previously. I think that probably some .system of dating exported hotter boxes would lead to at least a temporarv improvement. What we will ultimately have to develop in New Zealand 'is all-the-year-round milking so that we can place produce on the market during all months ol the year jo more or less even quantities. New Zealand farmers would have to pav further attention to the treatment of grasslands and soil, Dr A illicit added. ‘‘They have been rising superphosphate entirely in the past, i and they have reached 1 1 1 0- stage where [ having taken so much out of the land, they have to consider more systematic manuring. The deficiency ol lime m soils results in the production of grass with a low lime content. Since- the New Zealand dairy animal gels practically no Iced except grass, the production of grass with a high lime content is of very great importance. Similar considerations apply to potash in soils. In hit lire New Zealand will have to Imu her attention to a greater use of lime at probably also of potash manuring. Tlu i\. is now on the market a Ibilisli synthetic ■-niphale nf ammonia which is produced at a price making its use on grasslands in New Zealand .economic;*!. When this, substance is applied with judgment the intelligent dairy tanner should h|. aide to produce a much lamer amount ol Iced on his (arm. “This treatment, where tried, has llinlonhtedl v allowed larnmrs In produce feed several weeks earlier in Ihe spring, am! il lias also enabled them . to grow a larger crop of ensilage or hay. With the increase in lim knowledge of results obtained in esperiinenlal work with sulphate of ammonia. it is likely tlml the use of this .substance, combined with superphosphate and lime, will bring about a very much bigger production in agrtcult oral products.”