DAIRY INDUSTRY

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 August 1925, Page 3

DAIRY INDUSTRY

SOME INTERESTING FIGURES. AUCKLAND, August 26. “No country in the world is so fitted as New Zealand for the production of the ideal dairy cow,” sard Mr W. D. Hunt, the retiring president of the New Zealand Friesian Association, speaking at the annual meeting. New Zealand, he continued, could produce a dairy cow of a type that could not be beaten anywhere in the world. Mr Hunt added that no other country offered better grazing facilities. Unlike Holland, where cattle were obliged to lay in the winter, grazing in .New Zealand was possible all the year round. There was every reason to believe that the Dominion was being appreciated the world over for the quality of its dairy cattle, and if full use were made of the natural advantages with which the Dominion was endowed dairymen throughout the world would look more and more towards New Zealand for their standard. High production of dairy stock implied continual testing. Mr Hunt said the time had passed when buyers would purchase animals just because they were purebred. What they wanted was evidence of producing capacity, but there were far too many breeders who were breeding inferior stock, and they had only themselves to blame if they failed to get a satisfactory market. A great deal was heard in England about" the 2000 gallon cow. It was interesting to know, however that in New Zealand tne 2000 gallon a year had been exceeded 103 times and by 00 individual cows. One cow exceeded

2000 galons on five occasions, and another on three. Speaking of Friesian cows he said that no fewer than 82 had produced over 7001 b of butter fat a year. Of that number 49 had given between 700 and 8001 b of butter fat a year, 26 had given from 800 to 9001 b, five had given from 900 to 10001 b, one from 1000 to 11001 b, and one had given over 11001 b. It was .only by constant testing that any advance could be made against the competing countries of the world, and if breeders of purebred dairy stock failed to undertake testing it were better that they went out of business, because they would not do any good to themselves or to others. Referring to the coming show of the Royal Agricultural Society to be held in Christchurcn in November, and the pastoral division at the Dunedin Exi.r.. uoLi FlinL frmn

hibition, Mr Hunt said tnau the viewpoint of cattle producers they would be two of the most remarkable exhibitions ever held in New Zealand. The Royal Show would undoubtedly be the finest all-round exhibition of live stock ever held in the world, for he was convinced that no- other country could put up such a record as New Zealand. Some breeds might be beaten by foreign stock, but in dairy cattle New Zealand could easily beat Britain, and when it came to sheep the Dominion could lose the others. Mr 0. E. Robertson, of Wellington, who reported to the meeting on his visit to South America, where he attended the last international cattle

show, expressed the view that Zealand would do well to consider the importation of Canadian or South African bulls. Great care, however, would be required in selecting animals for the smooth type of show bull so popular in Canada was quite unsuited to- New Zealand dairy requirements. Some interesting comments on tne success of the Rangiwahia-Ruabine Dairy Factory in the world’s butter championship competition were made by Mr G. J. Arnold, manager of the factory. News of the success, Mr Arnold said, was received by telegram last Wednesday, and came as a surprise. It was his wife’s birthday, and there was a wedding being celebrated in the small township. The victory of

the dairy factory in the world’s championship seemed to be the very thing required to complete a day that would live long in local history. Mr Arnold candidly admitted that he did not expect to secure first prize. He had scored points, the winning total in the world’s championship, in Dominion competitions, but he thought that higher points would be required to win such an important event, and ‘ one that had attracted so many overseas entries. When he was making the butter that was destined ’to achieve such distinction, he considered it was about equal to the best he had produced. He then thought the first prize-winner would require to grade 97 or 98 points. . Apparently some of the overseas competitors had not the same experience as Dominion factor-

ies of manufacturing butter that required to be kept for a lengthy period. However, he was convinced that the Dominion could produce butter equal to the world’s best under any conditions. Taking the Rangiwahia district as a sample, Mr Arnold said it was difficult to obtain cream in the district from what could be termed clean pasture. The country was rough and only small areas on the majority of farms could be ploughed and cultivated. The land was good, but in most of the holdings weeds had got a hold on the pastures. This, anparently was a common condition in bush districts, but efforts should be made to eliminate it, otherwise the lot of the factory manager would be particularly difficult. , Mr Arnold is no tyro in competitions. He has been engaged in the industry for seventeen years and scored his first success in competition fifteen years ago, when he was butter-maker in the Kairanga Dairy Factory at Palmerston North. He has been manager of the Rangiwahia-Ruabine factory for four years, and during that period has been a consistent winner at various winter shows of the North Island.