WEST COAST DAIRYING.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 29 December 1923, Page 9

WEST COAST DAIRYING.

. Writing of the V\'est Coast, -which has generally in the past been 'associated wrth mining, the Press special says th?t '"if there is one industry in which, the latent notabilities of the West Coast, and of Westland m particiriar are anparent to the most, casual glance," "it is that of dairying. ,'An abundant rainfall ensures a *ree- ' dom frora those losses of output and incidental worries with y/hieh, the

dairyman in less favoured districts has to contend." The first dairy factory was built at Kokatahi in 1898, the Dlace and year which saw the first machine milking. After a brief period it became evident that a new era was opening for dairy farmers, and the advantages of. factory production, aided, by refrigeration, vyere grasped at once. Government inspection established the production of a first-class article, which has retained its reputation to this day. ' There are five other factories now operating in the Westland district, these having commenced operations as follows:- Arahura, 1904; lnter-Wanga-nui (cheese), 1911; "Waitaha (cheese), 1913; Wataroa, 1914; and Kumara; the figures for which are not available,. A glance at these figures shows thu»t it is only during the last twelve years or so that dairying has been carried cm; on anything than an insignificant scale. The returns per cow at Inter-Wanga--nui in 1918 averaged £17 10s, and at Wataroa £11. The, number of acres allowed per cow v.arifid in that year from, an average of four at Arahura to six. at Inter-Wanga.n.ui. To-day, much, of; the land at Arahura which has sincebeen top-dressed, can carry a cow tf> the acre. The. return Der acre was estimated at £2 18s 6*d at Inter-; Wanganui in 1918, and at £2 4.s- at Wataroa. A few figures will serve to repeal' the giant s.irides made in production,. Taking the figures over the throe.- sea- i sons, including the first year of opera.-.: tions and the years 1918 and ; 1923 (ending August), the figures arc as follows : | KokataM—lß99, 32 tons; 1918, 103 tons; 1923.. 175 tons butter. : Arahura—l9o4, 19 tons; 1918, 58 i tons; 1923, 71 tons butter.. i Inte-r-Wanganui—l9ll, produce^ real- \ ised £2598; 1918, 159 tons, cheese and ■ 2 tpjas butter; 1923, 220 tons cheese i and 5, tons batter. i Waitaha —1913, figures not avail- | abje; 1918, 67 tons cheese and 1 ton .1 butter; season ending July, 1922, 65 | tons cheese and 2 tons butter.. ( Wataroa—l9l4, produce reslisedi £2289; 1918, 42 tons cheese; 1923, 87 , tons cheese and 5" tons butter-: j Kumara—Earlier figures ia*>t avail- . able; 1923, 23 ions butter.. ! The dairy herds are remarkably free ; from disease, an occa.eJonal attack of , contagious mammitis being about the only trouble. The breeds chiefly in use are Jersey and Jersey cross, witl\ a growing number of Holsteins. a*^] with tho exception ot: the Inter-War^o-a--mii. and Wataroa districts, milki'jo^is carried on almost entirely by the dairymer, and their employees, but in the disiH'ir-ts named sliaremilking, Ims been 'A-lift Wished to some extent v