USEFUL^ COMMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 10 March 1923, Page 3

USEFUL^ COMMENT.

CLEANER AND BETTER FARMING

REQUIRED,

Mr F. .J. Na than, who has recently! visited Denmark and the United States j and closely: studied the dairying industry in both countries, gave an address on the subject at Palmerston North the other day, in the course of which he referred to two points which are worthy of the close attention of dairy farmers in this Dominion. The first is that in Denmark the average herd of dairy cows numbers only six. In Denmark there is intensive farming, and Avaste % reduced to a minimum. The cows are all tethered so that the very best is made of the pastures. On the average farm the carrying capacity could certainly be increased appreciably by something approaching the Danish system. The other point is drawn from the United States, where Mr Nathan said in the Humbolt County, California,/that the 50 wprst herds produced an average of 3641b of butterfat per cow—double the Taranaki average of all herds—while the 50 best herds produced 4621b per cow. The cow-testing associations in Taranaki are doing good work, but there is room for a very great extension of the system. Even if our average were worked up to 3001b it would make an immense difference to the prosperity of Taranaki.