THE WINTON AREA.

Southland Times, Issue 19461, 28 January 1925, Page 6

THE WINTON AREA.

Since its establishment the Winton Experimental Area has accomplished ■ a great deal, but this has mostly been in pastures and the value of various fodders as sheep feed. Southland is now so essentially a dairy province that dairymen are beginning to ask if the Winton A. and P. Association is blind to their interests in not pushing for the establishment of a dairy herd on the area. Purebreds were first suggested, but the information gleaned indicated that such herds would be of little use to the ordinary dairyman who is forced to make his living with a crossbred herd. The discussion at yesterday’s meeting of the Winton A. and P. Association has cleared the air, and the Committee has now a definite proposal to work on. The gathering of a crossbred herd of sufficient numbers will not be a difficult task, and when the Committee approaches the Minister for Agriculture again it will have definite proposals to put before him. The herd will not be for the advancement of any breed—that work can be left to the breed fanciers who are quite capable of looking after themselves—but it will be for the gathering of accurate data with regard to the value of pastures from a butter-fat production standard, while the cost of wintering the cows will also be carefully recorded. This is purely research work, and it would be unfair to saddle the whole cost of such experiments on the Winton A. and P. Association. It is work which can only be carried out successfully by departmentalofficers in full charge of the herd and its feeding. There are also other in the elucidation of which the herd can be utilised. At present the Dairy Division cannot trace various taints which occur sometimes in the milk and prevent good cheese being made. This work could also be investigated with a dairy herd on the area and many of these problems solved by co-operation on the farm. Every year brings keener competition in the London markets, especially now that the Argentine is beginning to export dairy produce. The Argentine farmers do not hesitate to spend money in order that .their products will be first-class, and every year sees competition from this progressive country more intensive. Our old rival Canada is also making amends and improving her products, and we should see that we are not caught asleep. At present we hold the premier position, but we can only keep this by constant vigilance and improving our products in every way. The scheme proposed by the Winton A. and P. Association is a sound one and should have the support of every dairy farmer and dairy organisation in Southland. Should the scheme be pushed to a successful issue, and there appears to be little doubt that the herd will be obtained, the data collected will be of immense value to the dairymen who will then know the best pasture to produce good butter-fat returns. Such a proposal is too important to be laid aside and the dairymen of the province should rally round the A. and P. Association and push the herd along for the benefit of Southland.