MAORI DAIRY FACTORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19418, 28 August 1926, Page 14

MAORI DAIRY FACTORY.

SEASON'S WORK COMMENCED. GOOD OUTPUT ANTICIPATEED. [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] GISBORNE. Friday. The Ngatiporou Dairy Company's factory at Ruatoria, owned and run by Maoris, opened for the season to-day. Up to the present there are not a great many cows in the district being milked, but it is anticipated that there will be big increases during the next few,weeks. For some little time the factory will be making butter-for the local market only, but export should again be commenced next month. It is expected that there will be a fairly large increase in -the quantity of butter made this season, as there are a number of new herds in the district. • THE CHELTENHAM CONCERN. A DISCOURAGING POSITION. [bv telegraph.—press association.] FEILDING, Friday. The necessity for better breeding, feeding, and testing was emphasised at the annual meeting of the Cheltenham Dairy Company by Mr. C. D. Deimer, chairman of. directors. It „was, he said, very discouraging to fine! the number of cows tested last, year was less than the number tested the previous year. It-was more discouraging to find that of the cows that ; were milked nearly half produced less than 2001b. of butter-fat. This, to his mind, disclosed a serious position. He had for years past advocated better breeding, better feeding and more testing. •He was convinced that many of the cows could produce more than 2001b. of butterfat if they were moderately well fed, One of'the great evils was that the pasture had been depleted of phosphates during the past 30 or 40 years, and that no attempt had been made to put back those necessary soil elements. Most of the farmers knew their land would not grow 50 per cent, of the amount of feed that it did 15 years ago, also that the feeding value of the grass was 50 per cent, below what it used to be. He was sorry for the man who had poor cows, but he thought the bringing down of good cows to 'the level of poor cows, by lack of feed, was little short of criminal.