NEW ZEALAND DAIRY FARMERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21195, 28 November 1930, Page 14

NEW ZEALAND DAIRY FARMERS.

DENMARK AND JERSEY.

NOTED HERDS.

INFORMATION PLEASANTLY ACQUIRED.

(From Odb Own Correspondent.) LONDON, September 10. The complete tour of the New Zealand dairy farmers, who have been travelling under the aegis of Messrs Thomas Cook and Son, ended with the trip to Denmark, but some of - the party took the opportunity offered to go to the Channel Islands before dispersing. ' Tours were made in nine European countries; each day 'was full of absorbing interest; there was no hitch of any kind from- beginning to end, and now that it is all over many in the party wish it could be repeated; they nil now realise what a wonderful time they have had. The last stage was from Hamburg to Copenhagen, the journey being made by rail. During the night the New Zealanders who looked out of the windows saw, their train going on to the ferry between Warnemunde and Gedser, and later between, the Danish Islands, Copenhagen being reached in time for breakfast. " Copenhagen,” writes one who was with the party, “is a fine city with grand palaces and public buildings, but these are not the features which strike the eye. We arrived just as the world was coming into the city to work. Bicjtes, and then. - more bicycles, thou* sands and thousands fill the streets. It is said every other person owns one. Outside the large shops special stands are placed for these machines, a truly amazing sight I A drive round the city gives a good opportunity of seeing the slights, and a visit to the Co-opera-tive Society was of real interest.

PROFITABLE PIGS. “ Next day we motored out into the country. Our first visit was to the State Experimental Dairy and Farm at Hillerod. Here we saw the T-andrace pigs kept under very hygienic conditions, and the herd looked yery well. The great length of this , breed' is very, marked in contrast to the, English breeds. The farm-grows a great quantity of grain, and we were interested in the methods of harvesting, storing, threshing, and crushing for the , pig feed. Here also we saw our first herd of Danish red cattle. ,It struck us, however, that not the same attention has been given to selection and breeding cattte as in other countries. We were surprised to leam that herds throughout the country averaged rather 1 a low test, and it would appear as if pigs and poultry are considerably more profitable than the cattle.

visrted the creamery attached to the State Farm, and found it very up-to-date and quite equal to any we have seen. ,

There was time to visit , the castle of Fredenkabork, ,at Hillerod. This is a great old palace built on an island in the middle of a beautiful lake. Wo went over three drawbridges, and finally entered the courtyard. In the centre is very beautiful fountain, and all round the walls are decorated with statues and groups giving a very nice effect to the beautiful paintings, but the chapel is a real gem. Early sixteenth century with the most wonderful stone carving and gilded work. The organ being specially worth of note, bears an immense number of figures and designs in stone. We then drove through some very pretty , wooded country, with quaint little villages, to the King's summer residence; Near here We saw a stork’s nest on - the church roof of a little village, and so to Toftegaarde. At Toftegaarde was truly the finest pig farm we have seen on the Continent; in fact, it is so dean that if we had not seen the pigs we could not have told by our senses that pork was at home. We stayed some time in the buildings mid gained a ,lot of interesting’information about.the pork industry in Denmark: Here also we saw a 1 herd of about 40 fed cattle, which were considerably above the average for yield and test, and compared quite favourably with any herd we have seen.

**A,.ton of a few miles and we entered real romance. Elsinore. and Kronberg Castle. . We walked on the ramparts with careful, s aid hesitating step, for here Hamlet saw. his father’s ghost The spot is now occupied by a battery of old 60-pounders which took part In the Battle of Copenhagen against Nelson., Fwm here a lovely view of Sweden was obtained, just six miles away across the sound. Back to Copenhagen along the beach road in, a perfect evening. ‘ The 'narrow* strait is the only way, into the Baltic an dis full of shipping, and little yachting bases, bathing beaches and villas line the road and make a .truly delightful picture. Evening twilight saw'- us in. Copenhagen—ll o’clock saw ua on board the steamer passing through the straits of Aarhus.

IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES., ; “ Aarhus is the second town in Denmark, and the centre of the oil cake and margarine industry. We' visited the Cooperative Foodstuff Society and watched the handling of many kinds of feed being prepared for despatch to the farms. We then spent a very interesting time at Mr Overgaard’s farm at Stantrup. Mr Overguard is the leading breeder of Danish black and white cattle. The red cattle are to be found mostly in Zealand - and Western Jutland, whilst the black and white are in East Jutland and the south. The herd we saw has had no new Mood for 250 years. The animals are .somewhat similar to Friesians in appearance, but they are, smaller and finer in the bone. They have a high toil setting wMch Is very distinctive. The yield and test for the herd is excellent, being as good as a good Jersey herd. “A point we also noticed was the great use made of electricity at this farm. Threshing was being done ont in the yard, the drive being by a portable .electric motor, fed by a long flex from a power'plug.

' FASHIONABLE DANISH RESORT. “ We entrained and ran couth to Fredericia round some beautiful lakes and a lovely fjord at Veile. The country is rather interesting from a geological point of view, being formed entirely of moraine deposits from the Great Lee Cap, which covered Northern Europe in Tertiary'times. At Fredericia we turned due west and so reach Esbjerg, where we took the ferry to' Fan Island, This delightful spot is the fashionable Danish seaside resort, and made an ideal stop for the last day of our great tour. We

celebrated the occasion by a gala dinner and a -happy little ceremony of thank*-' to our goods, friends the couriers from Messrs Thomas Cook and, Son, who had been our guides, philosophers and friends' on our two and a-half months’ trip.” HOME OF THE GREAT LITTLE COW. It is recorded by the same correspondent that Jersey looming up out of the Channel mists at 8 a.m. almost brought' tears to the eyes of one member, who said: “ There lies one of the goals of my life: one of my greatest ambitions hasbeen to visit the Island of Jersey, the home of the great little cow; \Qtich has become the backbone of the West in America, and the only breed of importance in New Zealand.” ' The Royal Agricultural Society took the travellers to their hearts, and did ‘ all they possibly could to show the maximum in the minimum time. Sixteen of the members took them to their farms, and spent a lot of time showing their stock and telling about their pedigrees and records. Jersey is a truly wonderful place. Ten miles long by five wide, an area of 43,000 acres, almost every, inch is cultivated. The climate is such that three crops a year are produced. The export trade in early vegetables to England is immense. PEDIGREE CATTLE. The farms are very small, averaging only 30 acres, but they are worked to v , the very best advantage. Since '1703 no imported cattle have been allowed on • the Island to stay, and since 1840 nb. cattle whatever have been allowed to land. There are about 6000 cows and a total of 12,000 head on the island.' Is it not therefore amazing that'although, every year the best animals are sold to America and Australia, the Island breed is steadily improving both, m type and production. A number ofshows are held every year, and there is keen competition amongst the breeders for the ribbons. The cattle seen were of a high general. average, with many . quite outstanding good ones. The production figures are about the same as in New Zealand, but the keeping of records is not general. This fact is due to the American market, which prefers to buy a.pedigree of good strains proved in America than to buy animals tried out in the Island. The point that particularly struck the New Zealand farmers was the colour-of the animals. They saw all- grades from black, dun, yellow, red and patched with white. There is no prejudice against any particular -colour on thp island. In fact the best *cow seen was a black one. ‘ Some of the principal farms are delightful old inanor houses dating from Norman times, set in gardens Well worthy of them. Jersey wffl always be a beautiful spot to anyone, hut to the •' Jersey breeder it ie the Metea. In conclusion, my correspondent'offers the accompanying advice to farmers in ■. New Zealand : “Join the New Zealand Dairy FatTrip to Europe next year, now being organised by Messrs Thomas Cook and Son, and you ’ will not * only see Jersey, but visit the principal herds o£ '* a “_ breedH,in England and Scotland, and then on the Continent.see hbw.farm- • ing is done, and why the other fellow is Buch a strong: competitor in the’markets. The party* who took the tour this- year have, had a wonderful .time, and indeed it is, a lifetime’s experience to make a 35,000 mile tour and visit such places as are included-in the route folldwed.” ; - >