AGRICULTURAL YEAR.

Northern Advocate, 11 January 1912, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL YEAR.

A REVIEW,

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY,

The present dairying season was not so satisfactory at the outset as the previous one as far as the dairyman vas concerned. Last year there was an early spring and a plentiful supply of feed for stock In the early months, although it became very dry towards the close of the season. As a consequence, many of the dairy cattie wintered rather badly, owing to tht scarcity of feed. Although the effect of this was bad, it should have served as an object lesson for the farmers in that it must have impressed upon them the necessity for providing something in the nature of supplementary feeding to meet a similar position in the future. Having started the season rather badly, the cattle took some time to make up the lost ground, and did hot give as good a supply of milk as they would have done had they come in in fair condition. The weather experiencec. up to the present has not been at all favorable —in fact, it has been the worst spring and early summer experienced for very many years—and has been right against high supplies of milk at the factories. There has been ah abundant rainfall, but the weather has been bitterly cold, and high winds have added further to the general discomfort, and have interfered with the milk supply. The prospects at present, however, are fairly bright. There is now an ample supply of grass, and, given normal weather and plenty of sun, the production of milk from now on to the end of the season should be considerably ahead of that for the same period last year. It is one consolation that the prices for both butter-fat and cheese for the present season have been vnusually high. In fact, the prices paid to date constitute a record for New Zealand dairy produce. To some extent these good prices should make up for the loss resulting from the unfavorable weather conditions. SUCCESS 01 HERD TESTING.

Another gratifying feature about the dairy industry at present is the increased interest which farmers are taking in the productiveness of their herds. For many years past attempts have" been mad.? to increase rhe supply o.* milk given by individual animals, but it was not until the herd-testing associations commenced operations that the full benefit of his work was realised by the farmers. The work done in this connection so far has been the means of creating a movement amongst farmers towards the general grading up of herds. Where the associations have been started the farmers have taken a very keen interest in them, and the movement is being extended gradually to other districts. Notwithstanding the success which has attended the established associations, there is still an enormous field in which the extension of cowtesting has yet to be pushed. However, as each season comes new associations must be formed to continue this excellent work for the good of the farmer and the country generally. Following on the experience gained' through the associations started by the Department of Agriculture's dairying staff, several societies have been started during the year at the instance of the farmers themselves. This is one of the most gratifying features of the movement, showing, as it does, that the farmers are becoming alive to the recessity for ascertaining the value of each individual cow in the herd. CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE. One of the various ways in which dairymen have shown their confidence in the future of the dairy industry has been by investing thousands of pounds in the importation of pedigree stock during the past 12 months. Practically every b-eed has been represented in the imports, but the favored breeds have been Holsteins and Jerseys. Many first-class animals have arrived, and these have come from the best herds of Great Britain, America, and Australia. The enterprise of breeders in this connection must have its reward in a general grading up of the herds of the Dominion. It is an excellent sign that farmers are becoming more and! more alive to the necessity for the use of pure-bred sires only, in the building up of their dairy herds.