8 July, 1907.] Dairy Produce Export Trade. 391 



DAIRY PRODUCE EXPORT TRADE.* 



R. Crowe, Superintendent of Exports. 



LEADING FEATURES. 



Victoria tiie Principal Dairying Country in the Southern Hemisphere. 

 701,309 Dairy Cows in Victoria, an Increase of 52,200, or 8 per 

 cent, for the Year. 



Milk Production, over 200,000,000 gallons. 



Butter Production, 33,611 tons. Cheese Production, 1,918 tons. 



Export of Butter, 20,883 tons from 1st July, 1908, to date (lOi 

 months). Increase, 2,743 tons as compared with the total for last 

 Season. 



Distinct Improvement in Quality. Steps to prevent Butter Faking. 



SUGGESTIONS. 



Further Improvement in Breeding, Feeding, and Management. Unremit- 

 ting Cleanliness. . k^: -.^J^i-.;^-.,.;^ ^i-i':-i^a,. .. -s.:^^' -/k^^:: 



Losal and Export Butter to_be Separately Branded. Churn Marks^to go 

 on Boxes. » -, , ^^ , 



Adoption of Grading with i Brands Masked. Raising the j Minimum 

 Points for the Grade " First Class " from 85 to 88 Points. 



The season 1906-7 now approaching a close has been the best for 

 dairying ever experienced in Victoria. A fair beginning was made in 

 August-September last, production during the spring and early summer 

 reaching a higher level than ever. 



The growing popularity of dairying is evidenced by the fact that the 

 number of dairy cows has increased during the last twelve months by 

 52,200, the total now being 701,309, a gain of 8 per cent., whilst the 

 average yield has also improved. The latest statistics for 1905 show an 

 average of 328 gallons per head, a comparatively low yield for the length 

 of time our dairymen have been engaged in the business ; it should be at 

 least 25 or 30 per cent. more. However, the fact that they have made 

 money at dairying despite the competition of other countries indicates 

 that, when the stress of fight is felt, our latent resources will be drawn 

 upon to balance matters and they will be as well off in the near future 

 even though prices may be lower than the abnormally high values obtained 

 hitherto. 



The exports from the ist July 1906 to date are nearly 25 per cent, 

 more than for the corresponding period of last season. For many years 

 past I have held that in competition with other countries Victoria's future 

 success in dairying depends mainly upon a policy of development, the 

 cheapening of production, and the continual improvement in breed and 



Paper read at the Fourteenth Annual Conference of the Australasian Butter 

 Factories Managers' Association, held May, 1907, at Melbourne. 



