DAIRY FARMING

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 115, 12 November 1930, Page 17

DAIRY FARMING

jWSTT TO CONTINENT

SWISS AND DUTCH

.THE PARTY ON TOUB

(From '-'The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 16th September. The touring New Zealand dairy farmers had a marvellous time in Switzerland. They immensely enjoyed the fine seeneiy and the interesting features of farm life of the countiy. A member of the party reports that, on reaching the higher altitudes after Montreux and Leysin, they at once ■ noticed the herd of Simmenthal cattle grazing on the rich pastures which this Swiss call "Alps,".the word being applied Jo the pastures as a technical ex- ' preesion.-though it means merely a high ; place They saw haymaking being carried on on'all sides, and noticed that : ' the pastures consisted of an immense variety of plants, such as dandelion, ■ white- clover, ana alpine plants but i very little grass. They were, told that . this was aked by the farmers and tho cattle, a. these plants absorb more nutriment *rpm the soil in the ,areft«d atmosphere.than grass does. The haj ?s cut short at about six, to eight inches hieh ' and twice ana _soinetunes turee timolayear, -The cattle aio pastured lon the mountains tot four to six months of tho Year-, and the remainder stall-tea ' on the W' They st.uck the party as tn, fine hardy breed ,well adapted for ' ■ I'cdoial Government ' showed the New Zealandeis over their ajrricuHural Institute and the Dairy School At -the institute they saw a ■ fine herd'"of-the red ana white Sjinmen- ' thal^cattle,-arid obtained an excellent " idea of the: aims of. Swiss Agriculture. The "cheese stores at Zollikofen too« «reat sight-over 7000 great 2001b Gfrnyere cheese can be stocked. SWISB BBOWN CATTLE. By funicular- railway the party was - taken 6000 f«et up to Bigi-Kulm. As £ train passed high above the clouds ' It Une-inVblazing sunshine. -After- - luncheon-at-the. hotel jm the top.of tho fountain, the New Zealanders were met by Mons. Buergi, one of the largest bleeders of Swiss Brown Cattle who showed them over his farms. It •was interesting to learn that in the ■western cantons, or provinces of Switzerland, the red and white Sinmwnthal . cattle are reared, whilst to the northeast, east, and south, and even 10 Northern Italy, the Swiss Brown Cattle are ;*te-breei. Shft-ytat-to iL-Buexgi's farm' was tot instructive anff was also <r r ea't fun, - The party set off walking down the'mountains through splendid pastures coveted with lovely blue gentians in full 'flower, do.tted with little clumps of pine trees, and here and there shelters'for the cattle. On all sides they saw the cattle, each animal -vvearine a bell.- Some of these bells were over, a foot square, ana many are a. hundred, years* old. , ,They descended about 2000 feet 'to , the lower larni, wheto they1,: saw about seventy fine cowi ' *rom ttiia point they returned •to tftcir hotel at the summit by Back they descended by rail to Arfh-Goldau to visit M. Buergi s Jowof farm and to seeMs splendid bull "Edpl ". which won the International Championship at,Mjlaß.'^ey also saw aboult tnirty young bnlls.at this farm. Fi-bm Lake,, Zugithe1 party reached Zuriish,- Schaffhansen, the 'Ehine tails, the Black, 11-ore'st/crossed' the Danube to the summit 'of the "Vvatershead (through • thirty-two, tunnelst), thenco via ,the Ehine'Valley- to' Hoidelberg, and on to Cologne., ,\ My -'..correspondent remarks'. "Our trip 'Is- riearly over; only two weeks ie : main of the-most enjoyablo period of our lives. We'-hear that a party is

being formed for a similar visit to Bui ope next year, and every one of us wants you to know how we have onjoyed ourselves, and we should like you to have such a, chance next year by joining the party that is being formed." COMPACT DUTCH FARMS. The last fortnight of tho'trip began iii Cologne, and a great deal of interesting sightseieng was done, German centres of culture being included in the itinerary. Brussels was reached from Louvain, and then in turn came Malines, Antwerp, Eosendaal, and The Hague. "A. bathe," says the writer, "on I the wonderful sea beach at Sehevenin-1 gen, one of the most fashionable lesorts in Europe, was just the one thing neces-' sary to perfect the day, and we all returned to our hotels completely in love with Holland. Train thiough Utrecht, round the south of tho Zuyder Zee into Triesland was as good as a sightseeing excursion. From our rcseived coaches our exports watched the fainting and stock, saw the compact small farms with rich grass paddocks supporting a greater heTd of cattle than any previous country in Europe we have seen. The great dykes carrying the water to the sea 10 feet; above tho general level of the country are fed by pumps from tho small canals, worked by windmills." Under the guidance of Mr. Blinck, the Trade Commissioner of the .I'riesJand Agricultural Society, tho New Zealanders had a most interesting day. He explained how the industry is organised by Farmers' Co-operative banks, creameries, i cheese factories, and central marketing establishments in such a way that .tho maximum is obtained by the Jarnjer for his'goods. They then visited a farm and cheese and butter factory and a Priesian stud farm,'and then the central cheese marketing stores. Each was more interesting than the other, if such were possible. "Mr. ATassenaai's herd of Pnesians was ceitainly the best cattle of this breed the party expected ever to see, and his farm was a maivel of cleanliness and skill. The cheese marketing stores were very interesting. The manager, Mr. Fritema, explained all about the thirty different kinds of Dutch cheese marked. Some idea of the size'may be obtained when it is stated that the annual turnover is £2,000,000, and three weeks' supply is kept in stock. Then there was something like 2000 tons of cheese to be "Atr tife~" Diitch-German frontier an amusing incident occurred. One of the party bad bought a large Dutch doll representing a boy in native dress with the! wooden clogs. This was discovered ,by the Customs, and when rescued by the 'Courier, it was fbund that the Customs officer had been asking if the doll was a statue of his baby or merely a souvenir! At Brcinin, a most interesting city on the Weser, the fruit market and ■dpeks—were: visited-,- and jtlicn^ .came Hamburg, the drive lound tho _ city being conducted by a lecturer. The great River Elbe was very impressive. The beautiful lakes of the Alstcr Kivcr with the canals, promenades, and avenues, make the city Very fine indeed. At night they went to see tho Recperbahn, a great street perhaps 100 yards wide and a mile long. It was one blaze of coloured lights from end to end, and every house in the street provides some form of amusement.