RUSSIAN BUTTER INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 3, Issue 5, 15 November 1911, Page 407

RUSSIAN BUTTER INDUSTRY.

REMARKABLE STORY OF PROGRESSION.

In the development of no rural or urban industry has co-operation played such an important part as in that of the manufacture of butter and cheese. New Zealand owes much of the present prosperity to the principle, which has been availed of by the milk-producers of the. Dominion to an exceptional degree. Not only have they adopted the most modern ' methods of converting their raw material into a commercial product of the highest quality, but they have combined with equal success in order to reduce the cost of their butter and cheese packages, and the freezing and cooling of their produce, to a minimum. In some countries of the Old World where the small farmer is not enjoying the same measure, of independence and prosperity, co-operation is playing even a more important part in individual and national progress. Russia is one of the last countries which might be expected, to present an example of the beneficence of co-operation, and yet in Siberia a remarkable instance is being afforded of the value of co-operation in transforming the conditions of a community of small farmers. According to a late report of the International Institute of Agriculture there were in 1909 a total of 1,400 co-operative dairy factories in Western Siberia, against only 14 in 1898.

Rouble, l|d. ; kopek, |d. ; poud, 36 lb. avoirdupois.

From the above it will be seen that the larger the . factory the greater the economy, and consequently the better return to the producer, although in one case the largest factories did hot average quite as good returns for their butter as those having an output between 25,000 and 35,000 ponds.

Quantity of Milk annually treated. Number of Butterfactories. Yield of Butter. Cost of Production' of a Poud . of Butter. Price obtained. Bor a Poud of Butter. For a Poud of Milk. Up to 15,000 pouds ;. 15 19-7 2 r. 41 k. 12 r. 93 k. Kopek. 53-1 From 15,000 to 25,000 pouds 30 20-0 .. 2 r. 12 k. 13 r. 03 k. 54-6 „ 25,000 „ 35,000 15 19-8 - 2 r. 11 k. 13 r. 07 k. 55-2 „ 35,000 „ 50,000 - „ 11 20-1 1 r. 91 k. 13 r. 01 k. 55-2 ' „ 50,000 „ 85,000 • „ 8 20-0 1 r. 83 k. 13 r. 04 k. 55-9

The relative cost of production between factories ..working with varying supplies of milk is shown in the following interesting Table: —

— 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. ■ 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. R.K. R.K. R.K. R.K. R.K. R.K. R.K. Annual average revenue of a peasant’s household from milk supplied 43-13 52-24 60-33 84-72 70-65 64-93 72-90 Annual revenue per cow .. 8-59 11-40 12-94 17-65 15-28 15-03 16-20 Annual average quantity of milk supplied per cow (ponds) 27-20 29-80 29-40 34-10 31-10 33-20 33-10 Average price obtained per pond of milk (kopeks) 34-00 41-20 44-00 46-30 47-30 44-70 48-60

The following is another instructive table. It shows that while the value of milk has considerably advanced, and is now at a satisfactory level, the annual average production is remarkably low. However, the cost of production must be on a proportionately low basis:-