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Otago Witness, Issue 2164, 15 August 1895, Page 8

which there are hopeful indications. Although there are indications of better prices for breadstuffs in future, the British farmer must direct his attention more to breeding, rearing, and fattening of live stock, in conjunction with the production of dairy produce ; and in this .connection is shadowed forth a new nystem of manageruent, which will rapidly extend to the derelict tillage lands, many of which are well adapted to the raising and feeding of stock ; all that is required is_ the equipment of the holdings with cheap buildings. This system, if carried out, will do more to restore the horny-handed sons of toil to the land than it is possible to attain by any system of small holdings. Take the dairy counties, and what do we find? Nearly the whole system of management has devolved into a milk trade. "Under present circumstances the supply jibes the heel of consumption ; hence, as a natural sequence, prices recede. To-day— May 25— the best country-made butter produced from the pureßt rawm»terial any country can produce can bepur-Chaat-d at 8d per 1b ; at the same time, best Danish readily commands lOd. Here we find no crumb of consolation, either to the ratepayer or the hardworking farmer, for the largo sums that have been spent on technical education in butter-making during the past few years. Home dairying can only be successfully carried on by means of creameries or other manufacturing centres, where new milk or cream can be dealt with in quantity, and despatched to the purveyor or retailer direct The greater part of the separated miik can be profitably utilised by the farmer for the purpose of raising young stock, for which it iB well adapted ; the residue of solids other than fat have a high feeding value ; an equally efficient equivalent may be added at a much less cost than that of butter fat. For the purpose of calf feeding separated milk, when used in a Bweet state, is worth 2d per imperial g»llonto the farmer. Separated milk at lid per gallon is equal in nutritive value to mangels at 10s per ton, if mixed with meals and other foods and' fed to " cows. Many are clamoring for a legalised milk standaid of under 12 percent, of solids — as they say, to put a check on adulteration. If this were co, •would it not be encouragiag the production of a low class of milk ? It wou'd then be a waste to use expensive foods ; the object would be the production of quantity. The only prospect of enhancing prices, and co benefiting the producer, is to improve the quality, and sell it for what it is worth j In this way the farmer is compensated for his euterprise and outlay. Some object to this on the plea of extra trouble. This is obviated at a very tmall cost by having the milk tested for butter fat by an independent person, say once a week, and the prices are regulated in accordance •yvith his report. To show you that the system is practicable, I am interested in a creamery where the milk is paid for on these lines, and the suppliers express themselves well satisfied with the arrangement. A normal standard is fixed— say at 3 per cent, of butter fat ; if it comes out at & per ceut. of butter fat, the value of the milk is increased Id per imperial gallon. There is yet another system of payments by,,resuitsr~"ljarge quantities of cream are Ireland and the -^pr^vincesio-Slstlfenester and other large towns, where the cream is churned, and the butter produced is paid for at the average weekly pticsa of a given market. Ou t»mall farms a email hand separator would be sufficient. On large holdi> gs * small oil engine would be necessary ; steam can be raised in 10 minutes. The cost of working will only be £d per normal borse power per hour. The separattd milk will be on the spot where it is required and of most vilue. As the crexm seed only be sent to the creamery once a day, a considerable outlay to the farmer would be saved. We have already hinted at what the tillage lands of EDgland are likely to do in the production of milk and in the breeding and feeding of stock : the public taste is setting in favour of small joints in which the fat and lean are well mixed ; this is only possible in young animals. From a financial point of vi«w, the sale of the entire milk as a raw product has utterly collapßed *. and, unless the farmers can see their way to establishing and supporting creameries and using the greater part of the by products on their farms, the sntir* dairy industry will still further suffer. As we have already said, milk of superior quality can be produced quite as cheaply on well-managed tillage land as it can be on average grasi land. Take the case of Italian ryegrass and mixed clovers, where in ordinary seasons by the judicious use of nitrate of soda, your crop is either fit to cut or graze fully a month before that of the permanent pastures, and the land will produce, more milk in four months than the old graiß land will do in six, and 'the quality of milk will be much richer; the tillage land can be cropped to meet the wants of tha stock at different periods, all the most valuable varieties of foods, including flax, necessary for building up the frame of the young animal and for producing the greatest weight of meat or of xnilkbeisg grown. As to the practicability of the ■SBtem I could give you many illustrations ; e.t the ritk of over-taxing your patience, I will hazard giving you my own experience. I arrived at Carlisle on the evening of April 18 of the present year for the puipoee of attending the auction Bales on the following two days. This is the grtat mart for the celebrated polled blue greys of the Border counties. There was a magnificent show of this class of stock, chiefly from two to two and a-half years old, the greater part being heifers. 'I bey were sold in tens and twenties. These were all store or grazing cattle, and made up to £24 per head. The agents of our noble chairman to-day bought largely. I purchased 50 at what I thought high prices, and would have taken more, but was deterred by that proverbial caution with which my countrymen are credited. When I saw them at home on the pastures, my only regret was that I had not purchased a greater number. Some of the cattle had been wintered out, others in open yardß, their food being hay, straw, roots, and a small allowance of cake. I mention these facts as a word of encouragement to the dairy-farmors of the Midlands in order to induce them to take up Blockbreeding with more spirit. The universal complaint of the graziers has been the difficulty of finding good sock. There is everywhere a marked deterioration in the quality of the young stock. Although the price of all kinds of dairy produce, more particularly butter, is lower than it has been for years, yet I do not take a pessimistic view of the situation. The prices are to a certain vxtent in the hands of the farmers theniselve*. Give up to some extent the raw milk trade, reduce the number of cows, and go in more for breeding and feeding ; use the separator and: patronise the creameries ; regulate the price of wilk in accordance with its value, whether it be

new or separated ; let the butter be manufactured in bulk, and despatched early to the wholesale merchants or retail dealers : then the British farmer, with the beßt breeds of cattle, fine pastures, and a favourable climate, can successfully compete as to quality with any country on the globe.