DAIRYING IN WAIKATO

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21326, 29 October 1932, Page 10

DAIRYING IN WAIKATO

BEST SPRING FOR YEARS CONDITION OF PASTURES BENEFIT FROM FROSTS [from our own correspondent] HAMILTON. Friday "This spring is the best the farmers of the Waikato have hail for very many years," said Mr. Dynes Fulton, chairman of directors of the New Zealand Co-opera-tive Dairy Company, Limited, to-day, when referring to seasonal conditions. The favourable conditions wye attributable to a great extent to the dry winter and the long succession of frosts that were experienced this year. The frosts had a very beneficial effect on the land, said Mr. Fulton, and the iecent rains had given the desired moisture to pastures and loots. There was no factor that sweetened the Waikato land so much as frost. The excellent rains of the past few weeks had stimulated growth and abundance of feed was the result. Mr. Fulton said ho had never seen the farm lands of South .Auckland looking better than they did at present. En-silage-making had commenced in many localities, and excellent crops were being cut. It was evident also that an abundance of grass would be available for haymaking in the summer. A noticeable feature of farming operations in South Auckland this season was the amount of ploughing that was being done. There had been an increased demand for horses, with a corresponding increase in prices for useful farm animals. The experience of last season had been a lesson to many farmers. The winter of 1931 was very wet and the summer very dry, with the result that th 9 hay crops were light and there was a shortage of supplementary feed. Farmers were this year making provision for root crops as well as for hay and ensilage. This, in Mr. Fulton's opinion, was a very wise precaution. Nature, lie said, had been exceedingly kind to farmers during the last five or six years, and it occasionally happened they were caught, napping. The present indications were for heavy production this season. It was impossible to state what the financial returns would be, for prices for New Zealand butter and cheese would depend a great deal 011 climatic conditions in .Australia and on production in other parts of the world. Mr. Fulton expressed the liopo that the efforts mada by the itish leaders in favour of preference ior Empire, goods would be rewarded by higher price levels for Empire products. Concluding, Mr. Fulton appealed to New Zealand producers to show their appreciation of these efforts by buying British goods in preference to those of foreign origin.