FARMING IN NEW ZEALAND

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 8 June 1912, Page 10 (Supplement)

FARMING IN NEW ZEALAND

♦- AS SEEN BY A NEW SOUTH WALES FARMEK . :

jDAliil" CATTLE AiNi) iViLvuiD

'FARMING

(.JbJy I J. W.T., in the Sydney Mouiuig

HeraldJ

As a member of the Australasian Provincial Press Delegation, which recently visited New Zealand, subsequently touring the provinces, I had ampie opportunity of making a research into the agricultural and dairying interests of the Dominion. Undoubtedly, New Zealand is far ahead of Australia in the matter of horse breeding, particularly oi: draught stock. Some magnificent samples or the Clydesdale are to be mcc with, especially in the South Isiand, wHere more attention is devoted to this industry. Australia is the best market for these horses, no less than 6615 being exported to the Commonwealth last year. A large number were also sent to the Islands and to India and South America. There is a Government supervision of stallions, but, as in Australia, there is no restriction against an unsound stallion. But the authorities propose to deal with this matter immediately, and a Bill has been drafted wnich, if adopted, will, in the course of a few years, make the un sound stallion a thing of the past. The system proposed is on a sliding scale, and will only operate against three year-oids the first year, iour-year-olds the next year, and so on until time will eliminate the unsound animal altogether. This sliding system will eventually obtain for the dominion immunity against the undesirable unsound entire without being unduly hard upon the owners of such horses. As a cattle-breeder, 1 felt more at home amongst the dairy cattle, and an investigation of the dairy stock of NewZealand is particularly interesting to the Sydneysider, as the generality of the dairy cattle in the dominion have been buiit up in different lines from those in Australia. In other words, the lNew Zealanders have gone to greater length in experimenting with various crosses. Favorite crosses met with are the Ayrshire-Holstein, the Jersey-Hol-stein, and the Holstein-Fresian and Holstein-Shorthorns. The net result aimed at appears to be the establishment of a successful dual-purpose cow —one that will give a large yield, with a fair percentage of butter-fat. She must have a large frame, so that she will be profitable for the meatworks when her career in the milkyard is over. This is why the Holstein is in great demand in the North Island. Being a large yielder, this breed of cow is always very popular with the cheese producer. But dairy farmers are also specialising in the recoguised dairy breeds, and the Jersey, now so popular in Australia, is making great headway, borne importations from the Old Country have given them a lift along whilst a number of importations have also been made from Australia The exceedingly high price of Jerseys in comparison to Shorthorns has been a puzzle to our friends across the water, who would like to purchase more freely in Australia but for what they term the restrictive values that obtain here. Ayrshires have always been popmar in New Zealand, and they have developed an almost distinct type of the breed of their own. They are certainly larger-framed Ayrshires than those to be seen in New South u'ales. The Holstein-Fresian cattle nave given good results, and there is a keen demand for them. These were originally imported from America. The Department of Agriculture also contemplates the importation of some Guernseys from the United States. -But present indications point to a i check being administered to the specialising of the recognised dairy herds owing to the strong tendency of the butter-producing districts to go in for cheese-making. This industry has proved so profitable of late years that butter factories have been induced to eschew butter production in favor of cheese. This tendency to go in for wholesale cheese-making is rather disturbing to the breeders of the specialpurpose dairy cow, as the Jersey and the Guernsey are admittedly not cheese producers. If the craze for cheesemaking 1S going to last, then the Holstein and the crosses of that breed will oeconie more popular than ever. The New Zeaiand farmer is certainly well placed for a system of profitable mixed farming. He will dairy about OJ or ,U cows, and with his spare grass He is tupping off sheep for the freezing works, besides fattening a number of cort-s (mostly those which have run to tim end of their dairy careers). GenelaHy, the cows which are fattened off are either culls, or have run to the end lot their tetherj and, mostly, they are jspeyed and then gradually fattened ;on, often being miiked almost up to ;the time that they go to the meat works. Ihus, it will be seen that our ■mends across the water are making more money out of their effete and cull cows than are the farmers in this Mate. As a rule, the Australian farmer is lucky if he/can get £1 for such cows irom the proprietors of boiling down works. Undoubtedly, there are dairying districts in New South Wales —such as the Northern Rivers—which •u-e losing money through not having rreezing and canned meat works in then- midst. Effete bulls have been Known to realise as high as £5 in the -: south Island for meat-canning pur- i poses; -in this State such animals are i O'Uy worth hide and pig-meat prices. : iiull meat does not suggest savory I meat, but I understand that it is i leavened with good meat and sent to | certain foreign country, which feeds i • , its array and navy on* "bouilli" beef, i-: liie whole thing suggests that the i ■ «ew Zealanders caii give us a good i start and a bad beating in the matter \'. or enterprise. I ■ Mention of cull cows reminds me of I v the good work being, accomplished for . the New Zealand farmer lay his Gov- ! ' eminent m the way of herd testing. • Avery encouragement and facility are ! given the farmers there for having ; their cows tested by competent depart- > mental officers, with the result that : : over 14,000 cows have been tested7, i ■ Jhe results have astonished farmers,;. who are now most enthusiastic supporters of the system. Indeed, bo great *

fo %'J^{^^ &*£

periencing a shortage of store stock tor meat production, owing to the daily farmers only rearing the progeny of cows which have come through the testing creditably.