The Otago Witness. DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, AUGUST 26.

Otago Witness, Issue 1630, 26 August 1871, Page 13

The Otago Witness. DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, AUGUST 26.

At the present time, when the farmer in Otago has to pay high wages for labour, and reoeives a low price for his produce, any new idea will be gladly hailod by him which will lead to his forming operations being conducted at a greater profit to himself, From the old country style of farming he can learn but little to his advantage. There, the system pursued runs in one groove. — in the direction of high farming. No doubt constant improvements are being made in the construction of agricultural implements, and in other ways having a tendency to economise labour, from which he reaps the benefit ; but the system of farming throughout Great Britain is so different in many respects to that followed in this province that he must look to other countries, and see if he cannot learn a lesson which will tend to his advantage. And if he makes enquhy he will find that the system adopted by farmers in many parts of the United States will furnish him with some very valuable hints. In that country there is a large class of settlers owning farms from fifty to three hundred acres in extent. The fanners of this class have to contend with many of the difficulties which exist here, and, notably, with a high rate of wages. Every effort has therefore been made to conduct farming upon the most economical scale, and several of those attempts have met with such success that we feel called on to bring them under the notice of our readers. The one to which we shall refer upon the present occasion relates to the system of associated dailies. It is twenty years since this plan was inaugurated in America, and although it has encountered a great deal of opposition from persons possessed of only a superficial knowledge of its operations, it has gradually gained ground in the estimation of fanners, and is now regarded as a fixed institution m the country. At first the system was only applied to the manufacture of cheese, but now many markets are supplied with both butter and milk obtained from this source. An able paper \ipon the subject by X. A. Willard, A.M., lecturer at the Maine State Agricultural College, has been published in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society. The writer confines himself to a description of American Butter Factories, and traces the whole system from the farm to the consumer. His remarks, with reference to the plan of organising associated dailies, are of suck value that we are induced to give them in full. He says :—: — 'The plan of organising factories is somewhat similar to that employed in the cheese districts. The first effort of organisation in a neighbourhood generally falls upon one or two persons, who may be desirous of having a factory where they can deliver the milk from their cows, and have it manufactured. They, perhaps, have examined the workings of some factory, and have become convinced that greater profits are to be realised from the factory system than from the farm dairy, besides relieving the wife and daughter from the drudgery attendant upon making butter at home. They, therefore, endeavour to bring their neighbours to the same

opinion, and to induce them to join in erecting the proper buildings, &c. They go about and talk with their neighbours, and finally call a meeting at some central point in the neighboxirhood, when all are invited to come and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the system. The cost of erecting a good factory, and supplying it with machinery and dairy appliances, is not far from 4000 dollars (£800), and the farmers of the neighborhood are expected to join together and pay for the erection of the buildings, in proportion to the size of their farms, or number of cows from which milk is to be delivered. The shares are put at from 10 dollars to 12.50 dollars each (£2 to £2 10s), so as to be within the reach of farmers who have but few cows. After the stock shall have been subscribed, a meeting is called, officers are chosen, and powers are delegated for the erection of the building and for putting it in operation. The structure being completed and furnished, a superintendent is chosen, and help hired for running the factory; and the expenses are shared by the stockholders in proportion to the amount of milk delivered. The coat of repairs, additions, &c, from year to year, ia added to the expense account. At some of the factories having the milk of 400 cows, the expense account for labour has amounted only to a fraction above two mills per quart of the milk delivered, and the gross proceeds from sales gave to farmers above 5£ cents, per quart (lid per gallon), wine measure.'

One fact is mentioned by Mi' Willard, which will appear strange to our farmers, who have been taught to believe in the superiority of pure bred stock for dairy, and indeed for all purposes. It appears that the dairymen of New York pay but little attention to breeding, and no prominence is given to any particular breed. In this there cannot be the shadow of a doubt that the American farmer makes a great mistake, as any one practically acquainted with the subject knows well that, as a rule, a well bred cow of a good breed will give as much milk as two mongrels. We believe that very fine breeding frequently proves expensive and unprofitable, but we should be sorry to see any indication of carelessness on the part of our farmers in the selection of stock for breeding purposes. While our settlers might copy with advantage to themselves the associated dairy system which is being so successfully worked in the United States, our American friends would find themselves the gainers in the long run, were they to pay a little more attention to the bleeding of dairy stock. As the construction of railways progresses in the province, greater inducements will be presented for establishing the system of which we have been treating, as a large number of farms will be placed within easy access of a market. We shall be glad to hear of an attempt to introduce the system here, as we feel assured that it only requires a fair trial to ensure its ultimate establishment and success.