DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18172, 18 August 1922, Page 8

DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

NEW SEASON'S PROSPECTS.

FURTHER FAVOURABLE REPORTS.

RECORD OF EXPANSION.

Reports relating to the dairying industry in the Auckland Province received from various districts emphasise the opinions already expressed by Waikato correspondents 'that the new season will b© one of record production. In the King Country, which still offers a fine field for development, the season is somewhat later than in districts further north, but an increase on last season's output is confidently predicted.

The Herald's Taumaninui correspondent states that farming conditions generally throughout the King Country are quite up to standard and the past winter is generally considered to have been one of the best experienced in the district for some years. From all quarters come reports of stock being in fair shape and condition and the first lambs came in some weeks back. Indications are that the cows are coming into profit 'airly quickly and there are signs of lan ««iy season, a condition which is bound to have an appreciable effect upon the fupply of milk. There is an abundance of feed, in most parts, and especially is this so in some of the valleys. The fanners m this district have not felt the financial stringency so badly as those m other parts of the Pominion owing to the lact that the maximum price paui ' for land did not at any time exceed £3o per acre. All things considered, it appears that the dairy season .in this district should start out under the best possible auspices and once the new season « m •full swing the financial situation with the farmers around Taumarunui should ease considerably.

Condition In the To Kuiti District. The dairying industry has been firmly established in the Te Kuiti district for 10 or 12 years and is still rapidly expanding. The Hebald : s Te Kuiti correspondent, referring to the prospects for thejnew season, states that tho fanners are optimistic and men who have been dairying for years anticipate doubling their output of butter-fat in the ensuing season. It is noteworthy that a large number of farm- ; ers are turning over to dairying, especially in Oparure and the Hangatiki-Te Kuiti valley; also at Rangitoto. It is significant that the supply of butter-fat from the Te Kuiti district to the New Zealand Cooperative T)airy Company, Ltd., alone has practically doubled within the hist three years. It is estimated generally that with the old suppliers and the new an increase of 50 per cent, will be effected this year. There is a marked increase in the supply at Piopio and Aria, and the factories have found it necessary to increase buildings and plant. The winter round about Te Kuiti has been marked by severe frosts and dry weather. Stock generally has wintered well and with a little mild weather the prospects are of the best. There is a noticeable improvement in the quality of dairv stock near Te Kuiti, and recently there has been a largo nun* ber of importations of high-grade Jersey cattle from Taranaki, prices ranging from HO to 180 guineas. There have also been numerous purchases of pedigree Holsteins.

Dairying aft Waihi. Dairying is now well established in the Waihi district. Dealing with the immediate prospects of the industry, the Hs:raij)'S Waihi correspondent writes as follows:—The post-war fall in butter and cheese prices retarded to some extant the advancement of the dairying industry on th© Waihi Plains and adjacent district*, the farmers mostly "small men," not having available the capital they had hoped for to lay down fresh pasture and purchase more cows. However, with the limited funds available, considerable progress has been mad© in both directions, since the milking season of 1921-22 opened, and during the coming season it is anticipated that from 800 to 1000 cows will be milked for the factory within a radius of from six to seven miles from tho Waihi Post Office, compared with between 500 and 600 last year, when the butter-fat cheques paid out approached £30 t OOO. In addition to increases in the existing dairy herds, some of the settlers have devoted more attention to selection than formerly, and with the culling, and additions of batter class cows, an advance in the butter-fat percentage may be looked for, but taken as a whole, it cannot be said that these important points toward greater production have yet claimed tho attention that mijrht have been hoped for. Nevertheless, there is reason to anticipate that the milking period of 1922-23 will see a marked increase in the butter fat output, and with the more stable* outlook in tho mining industry, more vigorous progress in the dairying industry may be looked for during the ensuing 12 months So far, of a total of sorae,thing like £0,000 acres of land, taken up in the district, much of it being bush country, not more than one-tenth has been brought under cultivation, and as a large proportion of the balance is suitable for dairying, there is ample room for future expansion. Expansion in North Auckland. Dairying has spread rapidly in North Auckland during recent years, and the contribution of tha Northern Peninsula to the butter production of the province is a substantial one. It is not vet a tithe of what it will become when the country is properly settled and roaded. The operations of the past and prospects of the new season in the Mangonui County are reviewed by the Herald correspondent as follows: —

The dairying industry in the Mangonui County might be said to have started 21 years ago, when the Kaitaia Co-operative Dairy Company and the Oruru-J air burn Co-operative' Dairy Companies were established at Kaitaia and the Oruru "Valley respectively. Besides the Kaitaia and Oruru companies there is also the Herekino Dairy Company, established 12 years ago. During the season just ended the three companies turned out 605 ■ tons of butter, an increase of 154 tons over the previous season, the increase being made up as follows:—-Herekino 16 tons, Kaiitaia 88 tons, and Oruru 50 tons. The total value of the season's output was £92,901. and the amount paid out for butter-fat, including the further payments this month, £63,059, averaging: Kaitaia, Is 3 l-3d per lb. fat} Herekino, Is l&d; Oruru, Is Id. There are about 7500 cows milked in the district. Herd testing is done in the Kaitaia district, the Kaitaia Company employing a man for that purpose. The Kaitaia Company has outgrown its present factory, and a new one has to be built to deal with the increasing supplies. j The outlook for the coming season 15 good. The three companies iook forward j to increased outputs, and it is generally i expected that the price for butter will be i better and more stable than last year.