OUR GOVERNMENT EXPERT'S IMPRESSIONS OF AUSTRALIAN DAIRYING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1263, 14 May 1896, Page 5

OUR GOVERNMENT EXPERT'S IMPRESSIONS OF AUSTRALIAN DAIRYING.

Mr Mac Ewan, the Government dairy expert, was interviewed the other day by a Mail reporter as to his experiences during his recent trip to Australia, lie found that owing to the drought of the past year the export of butter in New South Wales and Victoria had been very much reduced. On visiting tho chief d drying districts Mr Mac Ewan found that the general impression was that there will be a decided increase in their export of butter in the future. He next visited the I'oyal Agricultural Show at Sydney, where there were 5G intercolonial entries, which created considerable interest. The first prize of LSO went to Victoria. It was given by the Department of Agriculture of New South Wales. While in Victoria Mr Mac Ewan, in company with Mr David Wilson, the Government dairy expert, visited the principal dairying industries, meet ing with the dairymen and looking generally into the conditions of dairying as they exist in Victoria, lie found that they have developed their dairying industries over there very considerably, a'though there was a decrease in the export, in consequence of the drought, of from 12,000 tons to 8000 tons. Under normal conditions they ex| eet to export 1.3,000 tons next year. During his stay at Hobart he noticed people were being supplied with butter from Victoria at a cost, after payment of duty, of about 1.3 d per lb. He was strongly impressed in Victoria with the splendid possibilities for dairying in these colonies. The districts he visited are splendidly adapted for the production of cheese and butter, although he was of opinion that more attention should be paid to producing an article of unvarying quality at a minimum cost. At the present time one of the drawbacks to the industry, both in New South Wales and Victoria, is the concentration of the butter factories both in Sydney and Melbourne, where the cream has often to be sent in long distances, in some cases as far as 250 miles, which renders it almost an impossibility to have the cream delivered in good condition, especially in the hot weather. These huge companies are realising that such conditions are unfavourable, and, especially in New South Wales, they are starting butter factories in the country, and having the butter sent into the cities in insulated chambers in preference to sending in the en. am.