NEW ZEALAND AS A DAIRYING COUNTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9187, 17 October 1888, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND AS A DAIRYING COUNTRY.

AN EXPERT FROM AMERICA. Slowly New Zealand settlers are carving out niches in the world's markets for the product of their adopted home. In many instances these spring up in unlooked for situations. For a long time a great deal of attention has been devoted to the development of mineral resources, but it would appear as if the products of the cow's udder were to prove the source of the coming boom of prosperity to New Zealand. Much butter and cheese have not yet been exported from New Zealand to foreign markets, and some of that which has been sent away has not arrived in the best of condition, and nearly all the exports of each article have been sent in a form not calculated to prove attractive in the foreign market, or to bring the highest prices going. But notwithstanding these failures, our dairy produce which has been sent away has impressed the minds of the experts through whose hands it has passed, that New Zealand has within herself the natural capabilities which will make her yet a rival of all the dairy countries at present supplying the British market with dairy produce. We recently announced the arrival of Mr. E. Meadows in our midst, the representative of Messrs. Trengrouse and Co., of London and Chicago, who has come to make arrangements for a supply of New Zealand dairy produce, and to give instructions as to the manner in which it should be got up for this trade. Mr. Meadows informed us that lie had partaken of butter in Auckland of a qualitv equal to the best he had ever tasted, and all that was required to secure a first place in the London market for Aucklandmade butter was to arrange to have the butter landed in London in the same condition as that in which he partook of it in our midst. Closely on the heela of Mr. Meadows comes another seeking to share in our output of dairy produce. This time the visitor comes from America, and not from Britain. By the mail steamer Mariposa on Monday morning Mr. W. D. Grant was a passenger. Mr Grant has been for many years a partner in the extensive firm of Messrs, A. W. Grant and Co., Qtica and New York. They have branch establishments in other parts of the .States, a branch in Canada, and one in Liverpool, under the style of Boyd and Grant. In a conversation with Mr. Grant, he informed us that he had been a reader of the Auckland Weekly News for some time, and gathered from its columns that the New Zealand climate upon the whole was remarkably mild, and well adapted for the raising of provisions of all kinds. The more acquainted he has become- witli the colony through the perusal of its journals, the more convinced he has become that the New Zealand settlers were asleep to the vast resources that lay at their disposal in the matter of dairy produce. When some of the New Zealand cheese and butter reached Britain the branch establishment in Liverpool obtained samples: and though despising the mode of get up, and even in some instance the mode of manufacture, they became convinced that the counti'y which had a soil and pastures capable of producing such articles should be looked after. The branch firm wrote to the head house to that effect, and the result is that Mr. W. I). Grant is amongst us now, and is to examine all the dairying districts in the colony ; and, if his expectations are realised, a branch of this large house will be opened somewhere in New Zealand for the purpose of feeding their Liverpool establishment. Thus, the farmer of New Zealand as a provision producer is gradually becoming known, and the more that becomes known to the general public, we doubt not the time is coming when New Zealand cheese and Xew Zealand butter will command relatively as hiuh a position in the world's inark'ets as New Zealand frozen mutton and beef do now. The firm which Mr. Grant represents is a very extensive one, and in the course of a year deals with verv large sums of money. Last year the purchases of cheese at Utica alone was between seven and eight millions of dollars, and at present they have stored up several millions of bushels of wheat, for which they anticipate to realise at least a dollar and a-quartcr. Mr. Grant is a practical butter and cheese maker, and strongly objects to variety in the appearance of cheese and butter exported. He says, if the settlers here wish to make money by dairying, for which New Zealand is so well adapted, they must sink their individual conceits, and allow butter and cheese to be made by the factory system, where tens of tons can be turned out of a uniform quality and appearance. Unless this is done it will be impossible to place it satisfactorily in a foreign market, however superior each small lot may be. To sell abroad, uniformity must be obtained, and when uniformity is combined with uniform excellence he thinks it will be the fault of New Zealand dairymen if they do not succeed in getting hold of from one to two millions of British money every year from the produce of the dairy. Cheeses should ran;:e in size from 601b to 6olb each. Mr. Grant does not intend to make a general visit to Auckland dairying districts at present, and proceeds to the .South, but may be expected back again by-and-by. He further stated that some Auckland-cured ham, of which he partook at his hotel on Monday morning, was of such a quality that if he could find who the maker was, the maker would have no trouble in finding a purchaser so long as he produced an article of equal quality.