296 Journal of Agriculture. [8 May, 1907. 



is almost as effective from a sanilarv point of view as a brick floor, cement 

 grouted. 



Groundless Fears. 



As has been noted by super\-isors in other districts, there has been 

 here also a certain amount of apprehension among farmers as to the 

 possible requirements of the Department in the direction of construction 

 and situation of dairy bnildings, and some most erroneous and even 

 foolish reports had gained currencv. To some extent this had resulted 

 in a certain amount of stagnation in the industrv, for owners, instead of 

 [jroceeding with such improvements as the\ liad intended to make, had 

 allowed matters to stand over till the supervisor called, in case — as thev 

 said — that those improvements should not be " in accordance with the 

 Act." If it were not for the loss of time which has resulted to manv 

 people who thus worried themselves bv doing nothing, this matter might 

 be treated lightly ; but to' find men, within daily postal communication of 

 the Government Offices, suffering themselves to be deluded into Ix-lieving 

 that the Department of Agriculture would deliberatelv put any one of 

 them to unreasonable expense is hardlv concedvable. But such has been 

 the case, with the result as stated, and those who failed to allow their 

 dairying operations to make their normal advancement now find that thev 

 are in several ways losers through their want of confidence or inactivity 

 If these farmers, instead of listenijig to idle talk, had communicated 

 direct with the Department, or had even carefully read the Journal of 

 Agriculture, they would have soon been made aware that the intention of 

 the Act was to obtain cleanliness and hygenic conditions i,n dairying with 

 as little expense as possible, and sO' to assist the industry instead of hinder- 

 ing it. In actual practice, it has been found that where a dairyman has 

 kept his animals under reasonable cleanly conditions, by providing a 

 reasonably dry and sanitary floor surface, and by arranging for the proper 

 removal of manure and drainage from stalls and styes in order to pre- 

 serve the atmosphere surrounding the dairv buildings in as pure a state 

 as possible, and has also kept his separating and cooling rooms clean, anv 

 suggestions that may further be offered for the more convenient handling 

 or improvement of his produce are appreciated, and acted upon. On 

 the other hand, where those very necessary conditions have been gi\en 

 little or no attention, and the farmer has carried on his dairying amidst 

 filthy, bad-smelling surroundings — as unfortunatelv manv do — then truly 

 there are .some drastic and immediate alterations necessarv and demanded, 

 and, as might be expected, it is by this cla.ss of dairyman that improve- 

 ment is looked on in the light of iniustice. Even then, however, the 

 required alterations are not always necessarily expensive, for there are 

 few locations which do- not naturallv furnish gravel, stone, or timlier; any 

 of these, with the addition of cement or lime and sand, can at a small 

 outlay, be worked into an impervious flocfing, and the facilitv with which 

 the cleaning up and general work can be executed under the im[)ro^■ed 

 conditions more than repavs the cost of construction. 



Healthy Stock. 



Comparative! V little disease has been known in the stock of the shire 

 for some vears past. Tuberculosis — externallv evident — has on recent 

 inspections been found in only about i per cent, of the milking cows ; so 

 the district may be said to be in a comparatively healthy condition in 

 this direction. 



