DAIRYING FOREMOST

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 146, 21 June 1916, Page 12

DAIRYING FOREMOST

PRODUCTION OF MILK

[WELLINGTON'S WINTER SUPPLY.

MACHINERY AND THE COW

Despite the various other land activities which have come in recent years, dairying remains foremost in the Otaki

district, though the day will undoubtedly come when it will have to give place to

market gardens and orchards. However,

the transformation is bound to be gradual—it is .coming about gradually now—and it will be many years before the herds.in the district are notably reduced. The. high price .which rules for milk in both summer and winter does not encourage the cutting up of dairy farms, but, as Wellington grows, the time for this will surely come. Practically the whole of the coastal area is adapted to dairy farms. Stock thrives exceedingly well on a splendid growth of gra-ss, and the continual salt spray ;which. spreads over the district is also said by many to be largely responsible for this state of things. {The Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P., Luke) compared the district with his i native home on the west coast of Hng-; land, particularly Cornwall and Devon-, shire,'where the sea spray has an excellent1, effect on . the; dairying: land. (There;,the...salt.,., certainly improved the ■quality -'of the*-: milk. '£he soil, too, is -'-Of-course, there are 'many areas irT Qtaki."..particularly suitable for dairying^toid'nothing else, and they will ;l>e held^as 'sucli.— ;. --SMALL" HOLDINGS. ■'- The'outskirts of Otaki are to a large1 extent cut up into comparatively small holdings, and for a country place may be ' 'teaid to be fairly closely inhabited. Both ;the land and the climate are particularly favourable to dairying stock, and as the majority of the farmers are more than ever realising the value of having nothing but the best, there are many firstclass herds. The weeding-out process has been encouraged. In the winter months the whole of-the district is an .important factor in the supply of milk to Wellington. This article deals par•ticularly with-'Otaki and-its surroundings, Tie H6ro~being- treated separately. In '.the summer^months,,.,the., city's demandis amply met in other quarters, but in the winter, when there .is a serious shortage -in the city—when, too, the prices are high—it pays the Otaki farmer to send his milk to -Wellington. With its mild climate Otaki can do better than most places, and the supply keeps up fairly-well. The majority from September to April are under contract to supply some 'cheese, or butter factory, but a clause'in "the contract permits them to send their milk where they like in May, June, 'July, and August; And so every day in the winter considerably over 1000 gallons, of milk leaves the Otaki Station. ■It is carried to the city, by a slow pas-senger-goods train leaving about half-past .9 in the morning and arriving at Thorndon at a-quarter past twelve. , THE TRAIN "FACILITIES." The milk carts seem to come into Otaki from all directions, and the scene at the station is an exceedingly busy one. The milk', is mostly in cans capable of hold"irig twelve:to fifteen gallons. These cans are placed in a van at the rear of the train—a van that does.not appear to be ' especially adapted for the carriage of milk. Its only distinguishing feature is that at some distant date (very distant in some instances) it was painted^ white. The van is not insulated, and in that direction an improvement is badly needed. As shown below, the milk is usually properly cooled before being canned, and, if the full benefit of the cooling process is to be obtained by the city, the vans must be insulated. The train collects milk all the way from Pal' merston North, and the van is full by the time it leaves Otaki. The milk from To Horo and further south is placed in the ordinary van, amongst the passengers' luggage, etc. . However, as the \ lids on all the cans are of a tight-fitting pattern, there is little fear of contamination. In the winter a slow train is all right, but in the summer the need of a : faster service is a matter which urgently /needs attention. CLEAN CONDITIONS. During the milk controversy in Wel- ■ lington the farmers have often been blamed for the poor quality of the milk, and for various contaminations. From rwbat a Post reporter was able to gather ■'. and see, the milk is produced in this district under the best conditions. In some cases the word ideal could be used with every justification. Before a farm is permitted to supply Wellington it muff|< : undergo a thorough inspection at the hands of an officer of the Health Depart- . meut. This year the inspectors have ■ had a busy time, because so many farms have been induced to supply the city, attracted by the big prifces. The majority are receiving Is Id per gallon, which they consider very satisfactory. Verj often the inspectors have insisted on drastic improvements before they agreed to grant the certificate, which, by the ■way, some of the farmers resent. They ■.- charge the inspectors with being bver- ' cautious, but others realise the importer anee and the necessity of clean condi- ■• tions, and there are not many coin- : plaints. ; A TYPIOiL MILKING SHED. The Post representative visited many ; milking sheds, and the following description is typical of many, though there were some places where improvements would ' not be amiss. The bails are concreted, .: and likewise the outer yards. There is ■• a plentiful supply of water at Otaki, so , these can easily be hosed down and kept ;;' clean. .. And they certainly are kept 1 very clean indeed. All the woodwork .-. is whitewashed '" regularly. Milking ' machines have come greatly into favour, ' and in an up-to-date shed the milk need • -never, become-contaminated by anything. Usually a, plant capable of milking at least six-cows is installed, and the writer saw one plant which dealt with 12 cows when.in full use. The machines are driven either by an oil or a steam engine, and- as the latter ensures a plentiful supply of steam for.cleansing purposes it is regarded by many as the best. In all the sheds steam sprays are installed, and the cans, and in fact all the utensils, are kept thoroughly clean. In more than one shed there was every possible device to keep the milk pure. ...,r;COPLING;THE MILK. If.'iiiilk: is.'to: keep fresh for any length of' time,'it;-must' be-thoroughly cooled almost as soon -as "it-is extracted from the cow. Some,Tpf.::the .cooling systems are quite elaborate,:; ;By a vacuum, the ■milk is drawn—up into the main pipe, ■and-is 'ffien-run.along':a":narrow, tray, iisiSetiines.;:f.(3r. l Ta.:..'distance.' of from 40ft to; '50ft. • When it-reaches the, canning shed-it-is •quite cold, but, 'in' order to rnake'.'doubly'.sure,."it is run through, a copier,, which: means that its temperature is reduced to a very low. point. T-lifs"ls-"as:.it':shoi.ird-"-be, because milk, .bncQl.rednccdltol ascertain . temperature,. vn!l.:\not'jisG"agai_n ;(under:.ordinary'-cir-1 ■cumstancesj•■unless, heat is applied! -The nmpCof.°'aJi'"msulate3.'-vari,...especially': iii tfie'Vs»'rftin'fer-.'>sh6uM' be'realised when these facts ara known, - j