The Dairy.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 999, 24 April 1891, Page 25

The Dairy.

NOTES. The milk l-egister of the hei'd of dairy shorthorns kept by Sir Richard Paget, M.P., at Cranmoi’e Hall, Somei-set, has been issued. In all 49 head gave 27,835 gallons of milk, or an average of 568 gallons each during the year. In 1889, 44 head gave an average of 528 J gallons each ; in 1888 44 head gave 578 gallons, in 1887, 45 head gave 532 gallons each ; and in 1886 43 head gave 605 gallons each. The past year lias thus been marked by an average yield. The cows are ordinary crossbvQcl shorthorns.

Arx-angements are been made by the Agricultural Department of Yic-toi-ia for shipments of butter to England during the ensuing season. Those

0 _ of last year obtained good prices, and it is expected that better x-esults Avill be obtained in the future through a more uniform quality of butter being exported. There are likely to be exti-a demands for space in the chilling charn-bei-s of the mail steamei-s, and the necessary details are being ai-ranged in anticipation of these. Most of the butter which has been sent home in the past has come from the Western district.

The Canadian butter trade appears to be in a healthy condition at pi-esent. Accoi’ding to the Monti-eal Trade Bulletin, the exceptionally sevei-e winter experienced in this country has had the effect of Aviping off a large part of the supplies of butter and inquiries are being made in Canada for further consignments. This has had the effect of stimulating the max-kets there and of raising prices. A lot of creamery (says our contemporary) that was of-fex-ed at 21|- cents a few Aveeks ago has been sold at 23 cents, and another lot offered at 21 cents 3 weeks since Avas placed a few days ago at 22J cents. As these lots Avei-e pux-chased for export it is evident that buyers for the English market have had their limits materially increased, and if the intensely cold weather continues on the other side, still higher pi-ices Avill undoubtedly prevail. Cable advices have been received Avithin the past few days, reporting sales of Western butter shipped to Liverpool at prices equal to 16 cents per tt>. net here. "Values ha\ T e recently advanced 5s to 10s perewt in England, and quite a number of cable ordei-s have come to hand this week, some of which could not befilled OAvingtothe high figui-es asked by sellers.

The Dairy Association of Kiel offei-s a prize of £l5O (3,000 marks), for an improved method for determining the fatty matter in new milk, skimmed milk, and bxxttermilk, without the use of a chemical balance as accurately as by the gravimetric process. It must be free from dangei', cheap, and so simple in execution as.to alloAv of comparative determinations of the fat in the milk of individual coavs ; and it must be distinctly px*eferable to all the methods now in xxse. Applicatioixs, marked Avith a motto and accompanied with a sealed envelope, containing the name and addx-ess of the sender 1 , and Avith the apparatus required, may be addressed to Herr C. Boysen, Kiel, up to October Ist, 1891. ANOTHER MILKING MACHINE. Yet another milking machine, Avhich is said to be a considei-able improvemeixt on the one recently invented at Kilmarnock, is the latest advance in dairying appliances. The inventor of this new machine is Mr Nicholson, of Bombie Farm, Kii’kcudbright, and accoi-ding to the Scottish newspapers the apparatus is likely to prove a wonderful success. Briefly desci’ibed, it appears that rubber tipped horn cups of an ingenious pattex-n are placed to the coav’s teats. These cups by means of rubber tubes join together in a leading pipe, which in turn is plugged into a genei-al conducting pipe of protected glass, conveying the milk to a common reservoir. The air in this reservoir being exhausted by means of a pump, a suction ensues, draAving the milk from the coav. Important details haA r e not been overlooked by the inventoi*. In the tube attached to each holder there is inserted a piece of exposed glass tubing, by means of Avhich it is ascei--tained when the udder is completely empty. The cups are then supposed to be detached from the teats, but no hai-nx Mloavs should a delay occur-, as the teat naturally collapses, and the suction then applies only to the outside of the teat. One attendant can easily superintend the simultaneous milking of four or five cows, and should any of the cups be accidentally detached its particular tube automatically collapses until restored by the attendant. The operation of milking a set of cows only takes fi’om three to five minutes, and the number that can be milked at one operation is limited only to the size of the reservoir and pump and the number of attendants. The patentees —Mr Nicholson, Bopibie, and Mr Gray, Sti-ani'aei-, claim that the process is rather pleasant to the animals, and does not affect the qxxantifcy of milk yielded.