DAIRY PRODUCE YIELD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19962, 2 June 1928, Page 10

DAIRY PRODUCE YIELD.

RECOVERY OF THE HERDS. BUTTER RECORD CERTAIN. AGGREGATE FOR 11 MONTHS. CHEESE SHOWS SLIGHT DROP. The latest computation of the quantities of butter and cheese graded at the stores of the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company. Limited, shows that for the eleven months of the current dairying year up to May 31, production in Auckland is only 0.27 per cent, below what it was for the corresponding period of the 1926-27 record season. A new record in butter production, however, is certain. Dairy herds continue to recover in a surprising manner from the effects of the dry summer, spell, the complete figures for May showing that production in that month in terms of butter-fat was only 9.4 per cent, below the yield of May, 1927, whereas March showed a decline of 25.5 per cent, and April 22.5 percent. With but. one month to go in which to complete the dairying year, it is now evident that the abnormal production in the spring and early summer and the recovery in the late autumn will serve nearly to neutralise the sharp drop which followed the rain famine. •The 1927-28 season cannot, at the worst, be more than a very small percentage in production of both butter and cheese below the best in thet, history of the country. Improvement in May.

Receipts of boxes of ' butter and crates of cheese into grading-store during May, with the figures for the previous May in parentheses, are: Butter, 95,467 (103,395); cheese, 9750 (12,218; or in terms of butter-fat, 5,120,7001b (5,653,7001b)—a decrease of approximately 9.4 per cent. That denotes a marked improvement on recent months, but the recovery of herds is made more apparent when the figures for April and May.are compared. Normally there is a very acute fall in production after April. In the 1925-26 season. May returns were 48,636 boxes of butter below those of April; in 1926-27 the drop was 50,245, but this year the difference is only 25,233 boxes. The season is drawing to its close strongly, with herds rapidly regaining the record production form with which they commenced. Comparison of Three Seasons. The following table shows the monthly receipts of boxes of butter and crates of cheese at the grading stores for the elapsed eleven months of the current season, compared with the figures for the correspond; ing period of the two previous seasons:—

Favourable Store Position. The returns for the eleven months of the current season ended on May 31 show the production of butter is still ahead of that for the 1926-27 record year—--1,890,367 boxes against 1,863,139 boxes—a margin of 27,22$ boxes to the good. Seeing that May represented a loss on the same month of 1927 of only /928 boxes, it is certain the present season will establish a new provincial record in the production of butter. Cheese manufacture, however, has suffered far more seriously from the effects of the dry spell, the make to date being 152,711 crates, against 176.581 crates for the corresponding period of last season. The current season is bound to show a deficit in this respect. In terms of butterfat, butter and cheese received to date this season aggregate 98,773,5001b, compared with 99,045,3001b for the corresponding period of the 1926-27 season, a decrease of 0.27 per cent.

The position respecting stocks in store remains, as it has done throughout the current dairying year, extremely satisfactory. Butter held totals 79,864 boxes, compared with 221,045 boxes this time last year. Cheese in store amounts to 5579 crates, compared with 26,931 crates.

BUTTER. July August ... September • • October . . » • November • • • December . « • January • • . • February . . . March . •. • • • April . • ... • May 1927-28. Boxes. 20,100 . 68,109 . 151.315 . 237,013 . :;04,666 . 314,792 . 244,117 . 178,560 . 155,528 . 120,700 . 95,467 1926-27, Boxes. 9,853 48,497 125.383 209,097 258,099 295.995 246,153 208.211 - 204,816 153,640 103,395 1925-26. Boxes. 9,706 43,466 111,266 - 183,459 220,950 263,163 203,991 185,456 160,285 109,076 60,440 Totals • * 1,890,367 1,863,139 1,551,258 CHEESE. July . . . . . August . . . • September • • October • • • November . . December • • • January . . . . February . . March . . . s April May ...••• 1927-28. Crates. . 1,561 . 2,023 . 10.172 . 17,316 . 24.035 . 25,485 . 21.674 16,071 . 13,312 . 11,307 . 9,750 1926-27. Crates 1,467 1.215 8,610 18,711 25,104 27,507 23.025 21,661 ' 20,854 16,159 12,218 1925-26. Crates. 889 1,260 9,565 17,048 20.634 27,157 21,881 20.152 19,354 13,504 7,742 Totals . * . 152,711 176,581 159,183