DAIRYING PROGRESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14924, 23 February 1912, Page 10

DAIRYING PROGRESS.

THE NORTHERN WAIROA. In few places of the Dominion (writes our Northern Wairoa correspondent) has tho dairy industry made greater progress than in the Northern Wairoa district, and the Dargavillo factory has now the greatest annual butter output, of all the many fattones North of Auckland. Last year it was 266 ton?. During the flush of the season 2j> ton* of butter were, daily manufactured, and (Turing tins month the output is 12 tons daily. For the month of January tho output t-bowed an increase of 13 tons over that of tiie corresponding month in tho previous jear. Fully 99 per cent, of the* supply is home-separated, and the factory manager {Air. Downs) states that it compares equally with the. article treated at the creameries. Of tho latter there are only two now in. existence, at Raupo and Kuawai, a»s dairymen find it to their interest to supply only cream instead of bulk milk. As proof that the home-separated cream does produce highclass butter, the whole output of tho Northern Wairoa Company has throughout this .season secured a grade ranging from 92 to 33 points, which is higher than that secured by many to which homo separation is unknown. With tho exeception of that •e.uled for local use, the whole output is shipped to London, and the directors have had the pleasure of receiving very commendatory Setters from butter merchants in tho Homeland on the quality of their manufactured article. It is probable that with the high prices now ruling in Vancouver next season a shipment may he made to Canada, as that Dominion, instead of exporting, is now importing butler for it-, rapidly-growing population. Duly one grade of butter is manufactured, although some shipments of tinhalted have been made to order to cater for the peculiar tastes of English consumers. A point in tho Northern Wairoa factory is thai it runs throughout the year. Biting winters are unknown in the tipper Kaipara district, and feed in most localities is plentiful throughout the annual period. In ilobson County alone there are 4803 dairy cows; but the Northern Wairoa herds number close on 6000, for they embrace several hundreds on tho Raupo Flat, in lower ■Ilokianga, and on the upper reaches of the river, which places lie in Utamatca, Holi- " miga, and Whangaroi Counties respectively. The factory manager, who is new' to tho district, expresses surprise at, the way supplies are keeping up. He reports that, herds on the hilly country are showing a decline in milk production, owing to the past dry weather, but that those on tho river flats an* keeping a good balance. lie advocates paspalum for the* high lands, and asserts that in it lies the salvation of the Northern dairy industry through summer seasons. Mr. Downs is striving hard -with suppliers for the institution of a cow-testing association. Ho has this season been keeping a test of severai herds, and though in th« aggregate they have given fine returns, still leakages were found, and several euphoni-ously-named cows hare Ik-oti branded as hoarders. Fie maintains that a cow which doe* 1 not, furnish a minimum return of 4s 6d ■weekly should be cast outside the dairy pasturage area, His company is prepared to test till herds supplying tho factory, but tho number of cows must not be below : ; ,000. -"With this manlier, close testing can ]«> carried on throughout a full season, at a cost of only 3s per cow. and tho necessary outfit' suppliers would average £1 10s. There is no getting away from the fact that the Northern cow is not yielding sufficient profit, for those who have made if, their 'business to investigate assert that the average return is about £3 per head. Of course, on the alluvial flats some cows are returning up to £18 per season, but. taking all the milking cows in the North, there ia tremendous leakage. Better milking drains are needed, but tho chief want is grasi cm the hilly country, not the parchedup. hybrid growth that gives little or no Mi«teiinnce during the long, trying summers, bin. rich, verdant paspnlum, supplemented with an abundance of pure water.