H.—29

Dairying Services. The Director of the Dairy Division, Mr. W. M. Singleton, and his staff have carried through a year's work involving special responsibility, one of the salient features being the putting into force of a comprehensive set of regulations dealing with dairy-produce manufacture, including the important matter of cream-grading. These regulations were accepted by the industry without adverse comment, and in the short period during which they have operated appear to be working well. The establishment of compulsory cream-grading, with differential payment according to grade, marks an important step in the progress of commercial dairying in the Dominion, and its beneficial influence is already observable in the distinctly higher standard of quality of the year's output, an improvement (upon an already high standard) for which such grading can justifiably be held to have been to a considerable measure responsible. Together with cream-grading, the system adopted by the Dairy Board in making differential advances to factories according to the grade of their output proved a factor in the improved quality of butter and cheese ; but the efficient work of the Dairy Instructors must be recognized as being of great importance. The testing for water content of butter has been continued. No complaints regarding excess water content have been received during the year from either the United Kingdom or America. Instruction to Factory-managers. The dairy-factory instruction officers of the Dairy Division have carried out a large volume of valuable work in assisting factory-managers to overcome difficulties arising in connection with their manufacturing processes, and the active co-operation existing between the Instructors and the factory - managers constitutes an important factor in maintaining the high standard of quality which characterizes our dairy-produce. Farm Dairy Instruction. Another branch of the activities of the Dairy Division is that of farm dairy instruction, this being carried out in direct co-operation with individual dairy factories or groups of factories, who share the cost with the Department. The system is working well. The Farm Dairy Instructors keep in close touch with the factory-managers, and follow up to the farm any faulty milk or cream delivered to the factory, ascertain the cause of the trouble, and give the farmer advice and assistance in remedying it. Herd-testing. Final figures relative to herd-testing in New Zealand during the past season are not yet available, but interim statistics would appear to evidence that the movement has approximately maintained the numerical strength of the previous year. Under the herd-testing " Association" system the member takes the samples and milkweights each month, and arranges for delivery of the samples to a testing-depot, usually the dairy factory to which he is a supplier, where they are tested either by a member of the factory staff or an independent testing-officer. The returns are then figured on the basis of the milk-weights recorded by the member and the results of the samples. The figuring of returns involves a good deal of clerical work, all stationery being supplied free of cost by the Dairy Division. The cost of this form of testing to the farmer is approximately 2s. per cow per season. A slight variation of this form of herd-testing is known as " Dairy Company " herd-testing. Under this scheme the farmer takes the weights and samples, while the company arranges for the testing of the samples and the figuring of the returns. In a number of instances the company makes no direct charge for this service, the cost being made a general charge against working-expenses, while in some cases each member is debited with the actual cost of conducting the work. The Dairy Division officers' direct share of the work is carried out on two distinct lines— namely, the certificate-of-record test applied to purebred dairy cows, and the association herdtest applied to ordinary herds. As regards the association herd-test, much of the Division's work has been that of organization and establishment, the testing being continued by local organization and local effort. During the season 8,600 cows have been tested by Dairy Division officers themselves, the compilation of monthly and annual returns for these cows also having been carried out by the Division. Some 700 individual purebred animals were under the C.O.R. test during the year, a number of very high yields having been authenticated.

2—H. 29.

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