. Beport of the Dairy E,rj)ert. 225 



meat trade. His long continued lal)Ours in this direction were su un- 

 selfish and far reaching, as to entitle him to be ranked by posterity as 

 a great national benefactor. For eight years after the first successful 

 shipment, meat was our only perishable ex])ort. The fii'st consign- 

 ment totalled 400 carcases of mutton and lamb, while last year (tv^er 

 400,000 carcases left Victoria. During the last eleven years. Great Bri- 

 tain has paid us about two and a half millions sterling for frozen meat. 

 Recently more attention has been devoted to breeding a special class 

 of laml) and mutton to suit British requirements, and the method of 

 management adopted by breeders is also being rapidly shaped towards 

 the same end. Special provision, so successfully adopted in other 

 countries, has hitherto not been made here for topping off lambs and 

 sheep for freezing. A very satisfactory stage has been reached in 

 New Zealand, where the volume of lamb and mutton export has com- 

 pletely overshadowed ours. This is largely due to their making a 

 specialty of the growing of turnips, rape, and other fodder. Special 

 efforts are needed in this direction in Victoria, in order to enable her 

 to compete against rivals in the world's markets, and to rapidly and 

 successfully develop the industry, and we should lose no time in 

 emulating the example of New Zealand. 



BVttek. 



And now a word or two about butter. During the last thirteen 

 years, which covers the whole history of the export trade in butter, 

 over 1 10,500,000 sterling has been paid to Victoria for her exported 

 surplus. Our exports were nearly doubled during each succeeding 

 year until the season 1894-5 was reached ; but, owing to the four 

 years' drought — from 1895 to 1899 — they receded instead of showing 

 an expansion. The elasticity and vitality of the industry are demons- 

 trated by the fact that during the two following years our best records 

 were achieved, only to be dashed again through the terrible drought 

 of the last two years, from which we are now happily emerging. 

 Among the lessons of this experience, indelibly imprinted on every 

 dairjanan's memory, the most important is the conservation of fodder. 

 As a large section of our dairymen are now taking precautions, it is 

 likely that similar disastrous results will not recur. Unfortunately, 

 the losses already entailed are not to l)e gauged by the shortage in 

 production only, for markets are left unsupplied, and business con- 

 nections severed, to be eagerly acquired by our competitors. There 

 is every indication of next season proving one of the best this State 

 has ever had. But the stronghold so hardly won in former years we 

 have been obliged to abandon, and commence the attack anew.' Our 

 competitors in the meantime have been afforded the opportunity ti) 

 entrench themselves and strengthen their defences. The drought has 

 smitten our industry so much that during the last two seasons the 

 Argentine and New Zealand have effected for themselves a firm 

 lodgment both in the South African and British markets at our own 

 season of the year. We have, too, to encounter a most formidable 

 competitor in Siberia, and those who have followed recent events in 

 Manchuria need not be told that the Russian bear does not easily 



