A CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY IN DENMARK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2210, 9 July 1896, Page 4

A CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY IN DENMARK.

Although soma of the French provinces, Normandy notably, have long enjoyed a high reputation for their butter productions, many danulations have been flenfc hv successive

Ministers for Agriculture to study and report upon the methedical processes of manufacture adopted in Denmark. Two years ago a report on tbe objectß sought to ba accomplinhed by the Danish dairy factory associations, their mem' bership and administration, from the pen of M. Leze, Professor at tho Government Agricultural Sohcol at GrignoD, was published in tho Bulletin dv Minifcte're de FAgrieuHure, followed by a translation in some of the leading British agricultural journals. Of the many associations noticed, the organisation and operations of the Kildewceld Dairy Factory Company, whioh manufactures butter onjy, will bg fi-und interesting to practical dairy-fanners. This factory was equipped in 1888 by a loan of £1792 at 4 per cent., redeemable in 16 years. To became a member a person must (1) possess milch cows ; (2) be elec'.od by & tw^-thtrds vote in general meeting ; (3) nay an entrance fee of five crowns (lOcrownß Danish equal ttf'lls 0! f i English:) per head of cows (the founders pay cue crown perheadef cattle). Members possessing- one to 10 cows have one vote ; 11 to 20 cows, two votes ; 21 to 40 cows, three votes ; above 40 cows, four votes. The administration is confided to a board of five members, chosen, iv general meeting, the board elecfirg" its chairman, secretary, and treasurer from ita own members. Thee officss cannot be united. The members of the board reader their services gratuitously, bub they may engage a cltrk or accountant ab a maximum salary reckoned a£ 40 ftrcs x>ei cow per annum (about £25 per 1000 cows), payable, like other administration expenses, out of the cotnrtanj's treat ury. A manager appointed by the board has charge of tho factory, i s boi'ks, and k< ys, excepting the key of the safe aud the minute book. A member withdrawing for any reason forfeits half his share in the profi's. A mem-* bsr expelled by general meeting loses all rights. Members' books are balanced and acc.uats paid monthly. The company undertakes the collection of milk and- delivery of separated milk and buttermilk, and provide* vese's and carbs for the purpose. Members may net sell miik to other dairies, or make butter or cheese for said. The skim milk and buttermilk are repurchased by the membtrsat one ore per Ib Danish (about ljj.'i per gallon) until the joint loan io re deem' d, atfcer wbich a general meetiog reconsiders the terms. Strict supervision of the byres and j dairies is exercised to enforce eleanliues', milk from diseosod cows is prohibited, and should an ou' break of contagious diueaie < e'eur among the members of the lamily supplies of milk from the farm musb cease until the premists are free from infection. Certain foods may not bs given the cows under any pretext, while the use of others is restricted. The prohibited fcods are swedts, .cabbages, and kohl-rabi, and tbe manager of the factory must be apprised of the circum&tauces wLen potatoiß, rye, vetches, su&flower, or svrachida cakos ara fed to cjwj, so that he may rtjecb the milk if he considsra the butter product would be inju'td. In,ordsr to giva tbe bufc:?r au aroma eoch member is advised to provide biojsslf with enough rape cake to farn'sh. each cow lib per day duoipg the winter. Foods for cattle nny be purchased in quantity by> tbe board or its uomineec, and distributed to the.members. The board may also inspect and advise on laying down arid improving pastures andma.s purchase j desirable seeds and seeds of "forage plants suitable for cultivation.

The payments received by each shareholder are of two kinds — weekly paymfn's exactly propotiioiied to tbe quantity a;td quality of the miik supplied ; and yeariy pa} meats resultiug frcm the general profit made by the company during the piriod. Tho price paid per Ib of milk is fixed by three f act Jta :— (l) The richness in cream. (2) The number of pounds of milk of average quality (say 28) assume! to give lib of bulter. The figure in fix dby the by-laws of the ccmp&ny, and is always considerably above the truth, in order that t^e full value of the cream may not be paid for on del very, a margin being required to meet the working expenses of the concern. (3) The "official price" of butter fixed weekly by the Copenhagen market. An analysis of the accounts of this KiJdcewold dairy factory for a number of years is given in the report of the French Government, and the items below, showing; the working of the compiny for the year 1891, aresst forth as fairly representative of theseties :—: — Number of shareholders ... 163 . Miik dealt with in the year ... 621,708 Average Dumber of cows ..". 1,0-10 Annual yield of milk par cdw WUral Daily yield of butter (iu.')}lb For each 10001b of milk treated (litre was— Ex- RepeucL'd. ceived. 8. d. a. d. From salo of 37"4 Ib of butter ..; ' 37 4 Receipts from other sources ... . . 9 9} • 47 1* Carriage. ... „. ... ... 15 Fuel » 0 7 Salaries 0 30 • barrels 0 7£ Interest aud accounts 0 7i Kepaiis „ ... 0 2i • 4 3i 4 3J Dififerenca paid to shareholders .. # ... 42 10} To which mint be added • proportiocnte auvn credited to sinking fund of 10an... 0 4 Shireholdm' profit by reselling 9201 b of separated milk aud buttermilk bought from the ddry at lid per gallon aud resold at 2id 9 3i Return from 10001b milk E2 E& The return from each sow averaged £13 11s annually, principally because of the high average yield of 501 gallons of milk per cow per annum in a country where the winters are long and Bevere. Of course the profit derived from the sale of separated milk wss a substantial contribution to tbe incomings ; but allowing that of tbepe by- products 450 gallons per cow were sold at l^d per gallou over the faotory charje, the amount of £2 7s would, if deducted from the gross return, still show a money return per cow of £11 4s, with the skim milk and buttermilk for such profitable use on the farm as would cover the return price of l£d per gallon charged at the factory. The KildeKce'd Factory here noticed is regarded as one of the best, but the differences between the many establishments in the country are very elight. They have stimulated endeavours on the part cf farmers to obtain not only more milk per head of cattle, but also milk rich iti butter. Only a atperior class of cows is now k«pt, and their, management throughout is f. uiuled on systematic high feeding. By .these meaus larger yields of superior milk are obtained, the dairy season is prolonged, and operations at the factories uninterrupted, if ilightly , contra c!ed, throughout the winter. Such are, without doubt, potent contributory causes of the present prosperity of the dairy industry in Denmark.

The Minister for Agriculture is being urged td send an expu'b to America to terjorii on the oork industry