CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCIV, Issue 14360, 4 February 1911, Page 7

CO-OPERATIVE DAIRYING.

SCOTTISH VISITOR'S ADVICE

Wails Mr James Dunlop, a member ot the Scottish Agricultural Commission, was in Tiniaru, a "Herald reporter liad an interesting diat wuli him on the subject of the value of couperation among farmers. .Mr Duu'op said that he had been pk-:tsed to note that co-operative - undertaking* were not unknown, among tku farming community of XewiZealand. He had visited Denmark;, and Ireland, and considered that the. cooperative idea had been the salvation or the dairying industries in those countries. "No doubt it would have thu same beneficial .results in New Zealand, and he was certain that it couid b" extended at the present time with very beneficial results. He was disappointed to End that co-operative milt testing associations for the test:r.r.- of dairy cows had not b;en instituted in New Zealand. It was through' this system that the cost of producing one lb of butter had been reduced by fl<! in Denmark. Through it the productiveness of their cows had bawi increased, and cows which were the Lest producers were retained and attended to aenrdingiy. They had had six or teven yo?.:V experience of this system in, Scotland, and the results had been most gratifying. The method followed in Scotland was generally for 18 farmer; to co-operate, and obtain the services of a young graduate of the Scottish Dairy School, where milk-testing. butter .and cheese-making were taught. This graduate visited each farmer one day every three weeks, and weighed the two daily mil kings of each animal ia the herd, and tested the milk for butter-fat. That was taken as the average yield for three weeks, and was noted in a book for reference. At the end of the year the farmer could see the exact amount that each cow yielded, and he was then m a position to breed only from the best stock. The tesutt was that the progeny of heavy uulking strains made big prices, and instead of keeping cows that were, living on him the dairy farmer kept only tiose animals that yielded a handsome profit. There was great room for improvement ia New Zealand dairy cows, and the introduction of the system would be followed by great benetits. Mr Dunlop with Mr Jas. Keith left limani on Thursday to go to Christchurch, with Jlr J. D. Ritchie, of the Land Purchase Board. ILr Dunlop »aid bo was sorry that so far he had not had time to look oier South Canterbury, but he would be returning in three weeks' time, and would then go over parts of tke district.