DAIRY FARMING.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 155, 24 August 1881, Page 2

DAIRY FARMING.

! Dairy ryo-, is a branch of farming, which has jet received l'lile atleution m New Zealand, and this is, probably, on account of thc'O beu'g i?o outlet foi' any quantities of the produce. Now, however, that tho English, market is made avai'ab'c. and consequently a permanent oui lot for produce cstabl'^cd, more attention should be devoted to it. The meat refriegei'atmg process will now give ever/ facility and assistance to farmers, m procuring ror them a sure means of direct oominunication with the Home mr.rkets, AVitb the superior soil and cl'mato of the Manawatu, we think, dairy farming would almost prove more lucrative thau graiu growing, and for this reason, tbat the former would not impoverish the soil to the same extent. Another argument m favor of dairying is, that there is not that danger from wet seasons, droughts, or winds, or even fluctuating markets, as m the case of grain growing. No farmer can tell when he sows his field, whether he will ever get a return for his labor, for he, of course, has to take his chance of tho season. Aga : n, the grain producer has to wait a whole year for big return, while the dairy farmer can get a weekly or monthly r turn for his produce. On the" whole the dairy farmer has many advantages over the grain grower,' for instance he has no quantity of land to break up, nor has he to await the gt-owino-harvesting, or threshing of his gram, he cm manage his dairy himself and to children— if any— can attend then- school and assist m the dairy work as well. Let any man review his own experience within the past five years, and say how man? dairymen he has known to become bankrupt m that time, or let him compare the prosperity of one c-nss agamst the other, and we think it would be found that the dairyman is and has been best off. Tn South' Australia, Victoria, aud New South Wales, and even m Eh sl and, we find tbat the dairy farmer alone is making any headway ; indeed m Victoria, it is sard, many farms have been deserted by agriculturists who could not make a sub&is ence, and taken up by dairynr.n who do well on them. Here, then, is a case m po-"nt. It becomej clear, that the evpenses attendant upon agriculture must either be tco heavy, the system of work mo- defective, or last,' but not least, the prices realised at harvest time clo not cover t.T>e ye<v's ex- 1 peases. The latter io our nvnd is j the most feasible phase of the subject. We know it will be argued, that every farmer must produce gram to some extent; m this we are agreed, but it is of the la>-e;e graui growers we speak. There n"e many more interesting features to this subject, winch we shall probably consider m a future issue.