DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16583, 16 November 1921, Page 5

DAIRYING INDUSTRY.

THE ECONOMIC ASPECT. Under the auspices of the Canterbury Pi ogress League Mr A. H. Cockayne, Biologist of tho Department of Agriculture. is delivering a series of lectures in Canterbury centres on the ” Economics of Dairying.” Yesterday afternoon he addressed a meeting of dairyfarmers at Rangiora, in the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s rooms. There was a good attendance, including a number of pupils takiug tiie agricultural course at the High School, but unfortunately a considerable number of those specially interested in the dairying industry were unable to he present, owing to there being a large cattle sale in progress at the market yards close by. Mr P. R. Climie outlined the league’s programme in connection with tho lectures, and emphasised its desire to be of service to the farming community. He then introduced the lecturer. Mr Cockayne, in the course of his lecture, gave a very large amount of valuable information of an instructive character which if acted upon by the daily farmers could not but have the effect of greatly improving the dairying industry. Pointing out that tho economy with which dairy cows can convert grass and crops into marketable commodities made dairying the soundest rural occupation that could be adopted on any land suited for the purpose, he went on to show that the future success of the industry lay mainly along the path of adequate feeding. He quoted figures to prove that in no part of New Zealand were cows fed during the whole of the lactation period to the maximum of their production. He also stressed the point of insufficient feeding during the dry period and also during* the second half of the lactation period as being a fundamental weakness in the Dominion dairying. As one remedial measure he strongly advocated t-lie growing of mangolds and lucerne as being most valuable supplementary crops on the dairy farms. The lecture was illustrated with lantern slides and at its close, after Mr Cockayne had answered a number of questions, he was accorded a hearty vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr J. E. Strachan.