NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11367, 14 November 1922, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND

‘LEADS WORLD IN DAIRYING* HIGH PRAISE FROM FORMER DAIRY COMMISSIONER. CANADA’S GREAT COMPETITOR. A luncheon in the Almonfe (Ontario) Council Chamber, given by the Lady Directors ot the North Lanark .Agricultural Society, was one of the most successful functions in connection with the Almonte Fair. The Council Chamber was crowded with leading men of Almonte and the County of Lanark. Mr T. A. Thompson presided. Among the speakers was Mr J. A. Ruidick, deputy Minister for Agriculture for Ontario, formerly Dairy Commissioner in New Zealand and Canada. Mr J. A. Ruddick was introduced by Mr Thompson as having had a larger experience of dairying than any other man on the North American Continent. He had been Dairy Commissioner of New Zealand and was known all over the world, wherever dairying was carried on to any extent. Mr Ruddick said he had just returned from an extended visit to the markets of the United Kingdom, and speaking of quality, he complimented the society on the fine quality of the butter and cheese on the table at luncheon, which showed that this part of the county lost nothing by comparison He said that Canadian dairy products were holding their own in competition with other countries. NEW ZEALAND LEADS. Canada had at one time been the greatest exporter of cheese to the United Kingdom; it was now New Zealand. Until recently, Canada had had pretty) much its own way, and while he had no fears for the future, he could see still greater competition than in the past. New Zealand, he said, was one ot the greatest natural pastoral countries in the world. There was ' graziug practically the year round. Sheep had been the greatest industry, but gradually, with the increase in the price of land, the sheep lands were being converted into dairy lands. Ordinary raw land was valued up to 600 dollars tp 700 dollars an acre, so that it was too expensive for sheep raising. New Zealand would never be a cereal country in a very large way and they barely raised enough wheat for their own use, but in dairydng they were going to have larger, competition from that country in the days to come. Accordingly the Canadian dairy farmer had to raise the standard of quality as high as possible. CANADA IS CAPABLE. “We are capable of- producing as high a quality of butter and cheese aa any country in the world,” said itr Ruddick, and went on to speak of thn butter of the countries which had a high reputation. Ha instanced Danish butter. While it was good New Zealand butter stood higher to-day than Danish. The secret of Danish success was that they always had a constant supply of good butter. Canadian conditions in the markets of Europe would be greatly improved by keeping up s regular supply., - The situation was improving) for this year Canada had the largest export in the history *>t the business. j The situation in the United Kingdom, he thought, was getting back to normal, and the market was ready to take all Canada had to offer. The consumption in Europe was larger than before the war, and if he had any special message to give, it was that they had every reason to feel encouraged for .the future. ENGLAND’S GREAT SHOW. He concluded by saying that Toronto had the largest exhibition in the world, but as a purely agricultural show, the Royal Agricultural Show of England was the greatest show :n the world. Held at different points of the country yearly, they had no permanent braidings, there iwas not as much as a band on the grounds. He described his experience seeing the show held day after day in the rain, and crowds of from thirty to forty thousand people ankle deep in mud, there to see the live stooK. It was easy to understand why Great Britain was the greatest live stock country in the world.