DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION.

Evening Star, Issue 14626, 24 July 1911, Page 5

DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL MEETING. The 12th annual meeting of the Dunedin and Suburban Dairymen's Association was held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Rattray etrest, on Saturday evening. There was a fair attendance of members. '1 ho president (Air Koyj occupied the chair. Tim annual report stated, inter alia: The books show 60 meinbeiS on the xo!l, and we regret the nou-emoiment ot any new membeis since hist year. On account of tho un pieced en ted scarcity of feed for stock it has been found nectary to increase the price of milk this year further than usual, and it is to be regretted, even with the advanced prices, the da.ry farmers are not being paid for their labor. The scarcity of labor is still Having a detrimental effect on the dairy farmers. Your executive ariangul with Mr Sedgwick to explain his Inimig.ation scheme for boys. A meeting was held in the Oddfellows' Hall, Rattray street, when a large number of members and others intcresUd attended, and we are now anxiously awaiting the decision of Parliament, to see whether they will encourage tho scheme or not. That a demand exists for farm hands is a fact that cannot be contradicted. As requested by members, the as.ocia..ionhave joined the Ihiiploytrs.' Association, who will look after our interests in ail questions of laboi'. We note the Wellington Milk Empowering Bill has passed through the House, and it will he quite inter, sting to note how the "'would be" dairymen are coing to control tho trade in that part of the Dominion. Financial satoinent of accounts shows 1h:-t we have a cr-dit, balance at our bankers' of £59 Qs lOtl. Out of a momocrship of 60, <!1 nifinbeis have paid to date. On the Health Ollicer suggcstiii;;: the testing of milk for tubereiij 10.-i*. vein- e-ecutive waited on him, and ! bv cov.-ent of the association promised j iher hearties!, simper, and assistance. ' Since ihnt the S'ook IV-pir' nr-nl has taken i the man." up. .-"d is doing the testing it- , i self. In tliis laborious t"st the depart-] '< ni.-nt has the support of the dairying com- j I nn.nitv, as it is a mailer on which we I I hope to bavo nn authentic prononncetrent. < It is to be regvrt'ed that the pa-l season i has in manv instance.-- been dis-'.-t'Oiis to i iWrv fae-nu'rs, many of whom have gone i out of the trade, owieg to same borne: an ! unprofitable one. the div seas-n a".! insect i pcst. P having plaved havoc with crops and | pasture to a verv rrrcat evtept in ties dis--1 trict Tn c-mob.sion. ih<> retirmex cmmittre j trust that, members will ee.n'imie to work I I strenuously to support th" n-'seciatioii. as lit is only'by uniled action that we as an i association can improve the dairy in;.' m-j I dustrv. , , j The Chairman said that the annual I mectinn- of the association was one oi the i few occasions when members might meet to discuss matters effect in:: the industry, and it eavo him verv great pleasure to preside at their meeting. The could not regard the east year a-, one_ of particular prosperity for the as tneir j membership had not been addeci to as it ; should have boon. Moreover, a number ot members seem.xl to have forgotten tnat. the association needed the financial assistance of their subscriptions, lor a number of those remained unpaid. Tho pact year had been one of the worst, from a dairyman's point of view, that they had ever experienced. One bad year might always bo retrieved bv a good one following, but when it .•ante'to a succession of dry seasons such as thev had experienced in the past four rears." the position for many runs was almost hopeless and farmers were brought to face a position quite j unusual for this part of the Dominion, j Farms usuallv well graced, and from which larce supplies of milk had been drawn, had been almost devoid ot anv milk-p'roducin- feed, many paddocks of , young pastti.'.' had been rendered useless : bv tho ravages of tho white grub, and fields j of turnips which promised well had, after all the expense of sowing, manuring, and thinning, simply died away. The scarcity J of water for stock had also been very ! severely felt on many farms, and when it j was considered that a cow in milk should j consume eight gallons of water per day! it was a serious problem for any fanner j I whose supply ran low. They might say | that this was a very doleful picture of the , dairying industry in their distric!. but it ! was far from being overdrawn. The posi- ! tion which now suggested itself was that, j I with present prospects not much better j j for next season, farmers must seriously ! consider tho question of meeting condi- I ! Lions that iniirht arise. If the early spring I i showed no tdgns of bri-.ging plenty of rain i 1 it would be "veil for fanners to consider j [ the dry fanning methods of ih-'iV Aus- : ( Indian'brethren. One of the easiest a.nd ! simplest methods of retaining the moisture [ in the soil was. immediately after the rain. Ito lightly harrow the surface, thereby | arresting" evaporation, and at the samo 1 time clearing young weeds that might be 1 starting to "row. "liven if the crop was | ; above "the ground light harrowing would j : tint hurt it-, but lather help its growth. I I'he fani" applied to turnips/ 'The of toner j the horse hoe was ui-'cd between the drills, | the better for the crop, ac it both, killed j | tho weeds and to a very large extent j I Stopped evapoinfieu. The question of J ' turnip-growing was now bi'i railing a. very ', serious "matter. Without root crops it was j I impossible, to ki->p on winter .-iinphoa ot j milk, and when turnips had lailcd tor I vears. something els--' mur 1 take their | place. Man-els "ba.d not been gLown to I anv extent in this di.i'.ael, lei! !lr:o who | had tuccessfuliy g; own thein h:u>. found j that they wttristnod (he ory weather better than turnins. and ver- not .-übjc-: !o the-; '■ ta-.-ages of" bliche and olht-r in.:-" f. ;.<•■.-ts, j while, if properly f>A'i to itcs'h, Lnev vouild j produce even more, and bett.r mike tiian j ' turnips. The mangel teed, in the tirst i stage of germination, was v<-:y delicato, I and" should be sown in soil that had beet: j worked thoiongiily line with tiv stromr i aetiiei.d mauuiv, <»n which it. \'.'ou!d feed : wlu-.ti the plant wa,e once i''S.:.ao:j:-:nn!. Ltvvd- ii.'i i.-ccary, ihci'eforv;. t'o- manuro j desper than the see;!,.-.'.- that until tin. t.etxi- ; ling had devebfied I'cots it would not come into contact witn manure continuing so much salt. On. tlie matur or feeding the mangel to cows, it was necessary that the farmer s.houid have .-.erne knowledge of its [»eerliariiie.s. krcsh-puil:Kl j nceneek fed in any quantity to cues were. ; net only injurious to the. but ! produced very inferior milk, and if fed j fresh from the paddocks should form only j a ejnrJl part of the daily ration. Stored i mangels, on the other hand, produced almost opposite result.-. The r.xUi in the mangels that had been ttond for iwo or three months, by a natural process of for- j mentation, turn ■! into sugar, and un- j proved tho feeding propertie» to a :nr- j prising extent. Hy the succitsl'ul j growing s.ud storing of mangels much ; unpleasant work wa« avoided in tho | winter months, and tho ground on j which they had hceu growing' conld I bo ploughed earlier and was ready i for use earlier the following spring. The j growing of soiling crops was a matter that [ might "bo given" more consideration by j dairy farmers, as in the event of long ; drv spells, when paddocks got bare, and j mi'lk fell off. any green crop cut and fed j to tho cows was"of very material benefit, and no farm ehould be without a. patch of some green crop to help tho cons nn ' 'ht. months of January, February, ami ...arch, when they invariably needed all the attention thai could be given them before the proper winter feeding started, j lie had dealt rather lengthily with this matter, but he thought it one on which thev wanted all the information available. In'conclusion, he wished to thank the] hon. treasurer (Mr Beisfcl) for the manner | in which ho had conducted tho business entrusted to him, also Mr \V. B. Ander- | son, their auditor, and the secretary (Mr j \V. Gray), who had at all timoe filled Ills j position" with courtesy. He moved tho adoption of the report and balance-sheet. I The motion was carried. ; I'he following members were elected to : act on the. executive. : —Messrs Roy (presi- ; dent). Brunt nn, Shale, O'Connell, Pryde, : iM'Ciartliy, ATathieson, Mi'Grcgor, Gourlay, Monat. Beissel (hon. troaeurer), W. ; Gray (secretary). i