DAIRYING IN WAIKATO.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9171, 28 September 1888, Page 6

DAIRYING IN WAIKATO.

[from oue own correspondent.] Hamilton, Wednesday. That dairying will become the mainstay of the Waikato ia a fact now thoroughly believed in ; that the question of markets and the proper conditions for placing our butter upon them in its most attracti-e and saleable form, as time goes on and the exporter gains experience and knowledge of these markets, is equally certain. this matter l,he farmer need not trouble him self. He may safely leave that to the cream" ery associations to whom he sells his milk His part lies with the production of the milk' and, above all, in keeping up a regular and constant supply, and that of good quality If the creamery associations are to be-orn,! a success, it will only be by the farmer* attending faithfully to these matters Tl * creameries cannot afford to work half-tim* and to run establishments at full cost r* nearly so, on half supplies of the raw mate' rial. Not only must, the quantity' b° maintained during the flush of ir but as it falls off in autumn and' for the matter of that, throughout th* winter ; and for a continuous supply a*-' these seasons the creameries are r jrt'n"ir 1 to give and do give an extra price for the milk. How few fanners, however U themselves out to fulfil these requir . ments, and yet how easily they could do so with direct profit to themselves tl improvement 01 their farms, and' th? knowledge that, in so doing, they would in the aggregate assist in extending and building up the dairy industry °on basis which would ensure their ovr material prosperity as a class. \t tV present season their cattle are the full enjoyment of the first flmh af spring grass, the milk pails are full to'uver flowing, and there is no thought of the future. Yet, as sure as night succeeds the day, the dry season of the earlv autumn and then the winter will be upon"them, and in either case, unless due provision be made the milk supply will drop oif as before.' jSow is the time, even when the necessity least seems to exist, for providing against a state ot things so certain to comedo take measures for providing against it. The autumn drought from the end of February to the middle of May needs as much preparation to provide for as the cold wet of winter, if a regular supply of milk is to be maintained, and it will shortly be none too soon to make ready for its coming. With such a climate as this there need be no difficulty in keeping up a suptuy of artificial green food of every variety from the beginning of February to the middle of October ; and without this the dairying industry will never become the staple it should be, or our dairymen reap one-half the benefits from it that"they should do. Carrots, mangold wurzel, or better, sugar-beet, should "be sown as the main supplies for winter feed, and the preparation of the ground for these Jtops should be at once proceeded with. Later on sorghum, maize, Cape barley, and oats will be needed for late summer and autumn feed to supplement the failing pastures, and later crops of the same will be required to supplement the winter roots. Besides the few kinds of green food enumerated, the farmer has half a score more to choose from, tares, red clover, alfalfa and the like, and may base his selections of these on the capabilities of his soil or other circumstances ; but of this let him rest assured, that, unless he lays himself out to provide a sufficiency of some of these helps, neither will he reap the full benefit of his dairy stock nor will the dairying industry on which his indivinual prosperity as a milkproducer depends, become the certainty and remunerative market to him that it otherwise would be. With the exception of wool, perhaps, there is nothing more profitable to the farmer than milk. His grain crops are produced at considerable labour and cost, and, as is ever the case with his wool, he has to wait very many months for the return, but the incomings from his dairy are an overflowing source of revenue, and really in many cases keep the farm and house going, materially helping also to the getting in of the grain and other crops. The labour cost, too, is inappreciable, a* the work of milking, night and morning, is or should be done before the regular work of the farm begins, or alter it is ended.