THE DAIRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10768, 14 May 1913, Page 2

THE DAIRY.

NORTH ISLAND NOTES. [Fbom Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON. May 3. The southerly storm, which set in on Thursday, and is still going merrily, must have a decided effect on the dairying position. The cold, blustering gale will at once affect the milk yield, and bring about a rapid cessation of milking operations in many quarters. "Were adequate shelter provided for dairy stock and abundant feed available in a convenient manner, the cows would be little affected, but ; unfortunately, the New Zealand dairy cow is still largely at the mercy of the elements. It is when adverse conditions suddenly happen that the value of ensilage is appreciated. To have such an ideal milking_ food always at hand for such a contingency is economical provision of the greatest importance. With more intensive methods of dairying becoming imperative ensilage will, no doubt, appeal mora and more to our milk producers. Provision of winter fodder is certainly becoming more common, just as advanced methods .are being more generally adopted, of which herd-testing is an example. I notice in a recent issue of " Hoard's Dairyman," of America, that Mr Barton—the Featherston stationholder who recently imported some high-class Holsteins from the States—has been giving his views on New Zealand dairying to the readers of that paper. Coming from a man who has not been -in close touch with dairying as practised in this country, the information is not as correct as it might be. For instance, Mr Barton complained that New Zealand importers of purebred dairy stock were not encouraged in their enterprise owing to there being no official testing of their stock. As a matter of fact, there is an excellent official register of merit scheme in progress, and the Societv controlling the interests of the breed in which Mr Barton is now interesting himself, was the first to adopt the excellent scheme proposed by the Department of Agriculture. There is nothing better in the world than the scheme now well under way in this country.

According to late Canadian advices, ■there is a big shortage of cheese in Canada, and owing to the improving position of the butter industry the make of cheese next season will probably show a decline. Should the American Government be able to give effect to its policy of removing Customs duties from the necessaries of life, a great fillip will be given to the trade in Canadian butter with the States, which must largely contribute to a reduction on Canadian cheese exports, to our great advantage. One or two of the big cheese-making concerns of Taranaki will commence butter-making next month, the advantage of a dual plact. While the short-sishted opposition of interested people effectively squashed the dairy regulations which the Department endeavoured to bring in a few years ago—regulations which in the main were sound and reasonable, marred only by one or two proposals which couW easily have been eliminfrted by sane criticism—other countries are bringing into effect even more drastic provisions in connection with a better milk supply. One State in America has passed a law making it illegal to use an alkali, or in cream, a practice which is common in our dairying districts where home-separation is practised. A Dairy Regulation Bill and tuberculosis order is about to be introduced in England, compared with which our discarded reflations were a philanthropic measure. Denmark has just issued an order which gives the Department of Agriculture very strict control over butter quality. Compulsory butter examinations are to take nlace. If any butter does not reich a certain number of points as to qualitv, the dairy company will be warned that it is in fear of losinff its right to carry the national brand and will be advised to enll in an export to investigate the conditions in the factory and help to improve the quality of the butter, when, after a time, the Department will again cnil for a sample of butter (a cask) for examination. Tf the quality is still below the standard the factory will be deprived of the right to use the national brand until it has managed to improve the quality of the produce. Under certain conditions the factories can be deprived of the right to carry the brand without any warning beforeband

An important announcement is made bv the big co-operative boxmaking company at Eltham, which manufactures the butter boxes and cheese crates for practically every Taranaki dairy company. This is to the e-ifect

that it has purchased a great area of white pine forest in the King Country, which will enable it to maintain its supply of batter boxes mid cheese crates tor another fifty years. According to an Australian paper a thirty-six weeks' test of butter stored in an envelope of paraffin paper, parked in an Oregon pine box, has proved satisfactory to the Victorian experts. Tho cost of the envelope is about 4d and tho Oregon pino box can be made for Is. This is cheaper than the paraffin-paper lined white pine box to tho Victoria a factory, but there is no comparison in the appearance of the two boxes. Though the Eltham company has been fortunate in securing a half-century supply of butter-box timber, tho question of afforestation is a serious ono for the Now Zealand dairy farmer.

The conference at the National Dairy Show promises to be particularly interesting this year. Mr Primrose M'Connell, the capablo manager of the Ruakura Experimental Farm, will read a paper on tho dairy industry, and the question of deterioration in our cheese, raised by the recent circular of the director of tho Dairy Produce Division of the Department, will no doubt lead to an animated discussion. WELLINGTON, May 10.

Winter is with us, and the end of the dairy export season is in sight. However, herds are milking remarkably well under the circumstances. Complaints, I understand, are still being received of the quality of New Zealand cheese. This is a very serious matter. Badly-flavoured butter can generally be detected in grading, but in cheese the weakness in manufacture is too often not pronounced till after the produce has been graded; and the weakness is aggravated by the want of proper cool storage facilities at this end. Thus t producers are labouring under a distinct hardship in providing on a co-operative basis the best of plant and curing facilities only to have their produce prejudiciously affected before it even leaves the country. Of course it is the weak cheese from factories controlled by directorates which place quantity before quality which is most adversely affected by having to be stored in ordinary wharf slieds prior to shipment, but the injury is general. I heard of a case the other day where a cheese passed as first-grade was not exported, but subsequently sold in the dominion, and in that interval had deteriorated to a second grade. The purchaser blamed the grading system. The Department, however, can hardly be held responsible for the failure of producers, port authorities, or some one to provide the cool storage facilties necessary to bring about the maturing process. It is to be hoped this matter will be _ thoroughly well ventilated at the coming winter shows, and action be there decided on which will effect the desired improvement. A movement is on foot to establish a milk sugar business in connection with some Otago cheese factories, the milk sugar to be extracted fsom the whey which now goes to waste. It is said the promoters have discovered a process of greatly increasing the amount of _ sugar which can be saved under existing methods. The factories concerned will receive a good price for the whey, and will participate m the profits from the venture. The promoters are said to be confident of success.

The big property secured by the Eltham Co-operative Box Company in the King Country, which is said to contain sufficient white pine to enable the company to maintain its output of butter boxes and cheese crates for fifty years at least, is said to also contain a great area of totara. Mr Jacob Marx, who recently inspected the property, says he is more than ever impressed with the magnificent probabilities of the purchase. Most of the factories are receiving milk every second day. The seasons are drawing out very much. Maybe we will practically have no off season in a few years time. Dairy farmers have every reason to be gratified with the results of the season s operations, even if in the majority of cases they elected to consign instead of selling at tempting prices. The autumn has been exceptionally favourable.

A case came under my notice the other day where two young men carrying on a dairy farm in a way-back district were thinking of throwing up milking because of contagious abortion, not more than half of their cows having bred this season. They will no doubt come to realise in time that to succeed at, milk production a man wants to leave nothing to chance, and that the only way to fight such disastrous troubles as contagious abortion and contagious, mammltis is to take every means to prevent them. It does not pay in these days of heavy cost of production to take any risk in such matters. Especially should every eare be taken with bought-in cows and more particularly with the bull. The wise man will buy a young bull, before he has reached a breeding age, and make sure that he cannot bring disease on the farm. m Then by careful and consistent irrigation of cows he will he able to keep such a disease as contagious abortion effectually at bay. Milk producers would be well advised to plan out improvements in their methods in the off season. One thing which woiild vastly improve the carrying capacity of the majority of farms would be smaller paddocks, and the better utilisation of some of these by growing supplementary fodders. Resting a pasture benefits it in more ways than one. The better grasses get a chance to reassert themselves and the cattle appreciate and show it in a practical manner. Few dairy farmers realise the value of a small flock of sheep. Where the fields are of small compass the sheep can be crowded on to each in turn and eating them down bare at a favourable time maintain the pasturage in the best condition. Generally the management of pastures is a subject the dairy farmer could give more study to with distinct advantage to his pocket.