DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2993, 26 July 1911, Page 23

DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION.

ANNUAL MEETING. WINTER FEEDING. The twelfth annual meeting of the Dunedin and Suburban Dairymen’s Association was held on Saturday evening in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Rattray street. The president (Mr Roy) occupied the chair. The annual report submitted to the meeting stated that the books showed 60 members on the roll, ‘ and the non-enrolment of any new members since last year was regretted. On account of the unprecedented scarcity of feed for ebook it had been found necessary to increase the price of milk this year further than usual, and it was to bo regretted, oven with the advanced prices, the dairy farmers were not being paid for their labour. The scarcity of labour was still having a detrimental effect on the dairy farmers. The executive arranged with Mr Sedgwick to explain his immigration scheme for boys. A meeting was held in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Rattray street, when a large number of members and others interested attended, and the association is now anxiously awaiting the diecision of Parliament, to see whether it will encourage the scheme or not. That a demand exists for farm hands ia a fact that cannot bo contradicted. As requested by members, the association had joined the Employers’ Association, which would look after dairymen’s interests in all questions of labour. The Wellington Milk Empowering Bill had passed through the House, arid it would bo quite interesting to note how the *“ would be” dairymen are going to control the trade in that part of the Dominion. Financial statement of accounts showed a credit balance at the bankers’ of £59 Os lOd. Out of a membership of 60, 41 members bad paid to date. On the Health Officer suggesting the testing of milk for tuberculosis, the executive waited on him, and by consent of the association promised the heartiest support and assistance. Since then the Stock Department bad taken tho matter up, and was doing the testing itself. In this laborious test the department had the support of the dairying community, as it was a matter on which it was hoped to have an authentic pronouncement. It was to bo regretted that the past season had in many instances been disastrous to dairy farmers, many of whom had gone out of the trade, owing to it being an unprofitable one, the dry

season and insect pests having played havoc with crops and pasture to a very great extent in this district. The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the annual report and balance sheet, (Said they could not regard the past year as one of particular prosperity for the association, as their membership had not been added to as it should have been. Moreover, a number of members seemed to have forgotten that the association needed the financial assistance of their subscriptions, for a number of those remained unpaid. The past year had been one of the worst, from a dairyman’s point of view, that they had ever experienced. One bad year might always be retrieved by a good one following, but when it came to a succession of dry seasons such as they had experienced in the past four years, the position for many runs was almost hopeless and farmers ware brought to face a position quite unusual for this part of the Dominion. Farms usually well grassed, and from which large supplies of milk had been drawn, bad been almost devoid of any milk-producing feed, many paddocks of young pasture had been rendered useless by the ravages of the white grub, and fields of turnips which promised well had, after all the expense of sowing, manuring, and thinning, simply died away. The scarcity of water for stock had also been very severely felt on many farms, and when it was considered that a cow in milk should consume eight gallons of water per day it was a serious problem for any farmer whose supply ran low They might say that this was a very dolefui picture of the dairying industry in their district, but it was far from being oven drawn. The position which now suggested itself was that, with present prospects not much better for next season, farmers must seriously consider the question of meeting conditions that might arise. If the early spring showed no signs of bringing plenty of ram it would be well for farmers to consider the dry farming methods of their Australian brethren. One of the easiest and simplest methods of retaining the moisture in the soil was, immediately after the ram, to lightly harrow the surface, thereby arresting evaporation, and at the same time clearing young weeds that might be starting to grow. Even if the crop was above the ground, light harrowing would not hurt it, but lather help its growth. The same applied to turnips. The oftener the horseshoe was used between the drills the better for the crop, as it both killed the weeds and to a very large extent stopped evaporation. The question of turnip-growing was now becoming a very serious matter. Without root crops it was impossible to keep up winter supplies of milk, and when turnips had failed for years something else must take their place. Mangolds bad not been grown to any extenjr in this district, but those Who bad successfully grown them had found that they withstood the dry weather better than turnips, and were not subject to the lavages of blight and other insect, pests, while, if properly fed to stock, they would produce even more and better milk than turnips. The mangold seed, in the first stag© of germination, was very delicate, and should be sown in soil that had been worked thoroughly fine with the strong artificial manure, on. which it would feed when the plant was once established. It was necessary, therefore, to sow the manure deeper than the seed, so that until the seedling had developed roots it would not come into contact with manure containing so much salt. On the matter of feeding cows on mangolds it was necessary that the farmer should have some knowledge of its peculiarities. Fresh-pulled mangolds in any quantity were not only injurious to the animals, but produced very inferior milk, and if fed fresh from the paddocks should form only a small x>art of the daily ration. Stored mangolds, on the other hand, produced almost opposite results. The acid in the mangolds that had been stored for two or three months, by a natural process of fermentation, turned into sugar, and improved the feeding properties to a surprising extent. By the successful growing and storing of mangolds • much unpleasant work was avoided in the winter months, and the ground on which they had been growing could be ploughed earlier, and was ready for use earlier the following spring. The growing of--soiling crops was a matter that might be given more consideration by dairy farmers, as in the event of long, dry spoils, when paddocks got bare and milk fell off, any green crox> cut and fed to the cows was of very material benefit, and no farm should be without a patch of some green crop to help the cows up in the months of January, February, and March, when they invariably needed all the attention that could be given them, before the proper winter feeding started. Fie had dealt rather lengthily with this matter, but he thought it one on which they wanted all the information' available. In conclusion, he wished to thank the hon. treasurer (Mr’ Beissel) for the manner in which he had conducted the business entrusted to him, also Mr W. B. Anderson (their auditor) and the secretary (Mr W. Gray), who had at all times filled his position with courtesy. Several other matters were touched on by the chairman. The association, he said, was not in any way a political organisation, but many of the members took a keen interest in politics, and might bo relied on to endeavour to have returned to Parliament only members who wore approachable, who ' ecognised that the prosperity of tho country as a whole -depended on the prosperity of the farming community, and who were pled>ged not to a! low legislation detrimental • to the farming community to be placed on the Statute Book. In that respect they must not forget that, though their membership was comparatively small, they represented a very large and growing industry, and that very large numbers engaged therein looked to the association, to take the lead in matters affecting the industry as a whole. Dealing with the question of compulsory military training, how, ho asked, was the work of dairymen, who were de-p’oiidleint on the services of latte for tho delivery of milk, to be done if the military authorities were to round up all the ladle in a given district for a fortnight at a time. It would be well for the committee to sot about making inquiries and arranging tho best possible terms with the military authorities, who would, he was sure, see the seriousness of the position, and rreet tho farmers as reasonably as possible. He also- counselled members of the association to give every to the dcxiartment undertaking tho bacteriological examination of milk for tuberculosis, to make the examination as thorough as possible- The association should aim at being able to say to the public that they had proved by thorough examination that the

milk supply of Dunedin was absolutely free from the bacteria of that dread disease. The motion was carried. The following: members were elected to act on the executive: —Messrs Roy (president), Brunton, Shale, O’Connell, Pryde, McCarthy, Mathieson, M'Gregor, Gourlay, Mouat, Beisscl (hon. treasurer), W. Gray (secretary), and W. B. Anderson (hon. auditor)-