712 



Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Dec, 1918. 



supply of farmyard manure is one of the advantages of intense dairy 

 farming, as its use keeps the land in a high state of fertility. 



The illustration on the next page gives an end view of the farm 

 buildings. The gate opens into a pitched yard with a six-stall cowshed, 

 well bricked and drained; adjoining this is the feedshed, conveniently 

 arranged to eliminate unnecessary handling of fodder. Three feeds 

 of oaten chaff, pollard, bran, and chaffed greenstuff are mixed in a 

 large bin at one time, to be measured out as required. The dairy is a 

 weatherboard structure, lined and ceiled, and brick floored, and here 

 the milk is cooled with well water before being forwarded to the city. 

 The situation of the farm on the main Epping-road allow.s of the milk 

 being picked up direct from the farm by the district contract milk- 

 carter, who delivers to the retailer in Clifton Hill within about an hour 

 from cooling — a condition of handling which insures the consumer 

 getting a supply as nearly " direct from the cow " as possible. 



A View of the Farm Buildings. 



The returns from the farm are always the most important feature 

 to the farmer, and are the best indications of successful management. 

 In December last (midsummer) the daily average was 13 quarts per 

 cow; in July, a midwinter month, the average was 10 quarts per cow, 

 which is the lowest return obtained throughout the year. The total milk 

 sold from this farm during last year amounted to 10,676 gallons, or an 

 average yield of about 821 gallons per cow. 



There is a big lesson to be learned from these results. It will be 

 readily recognised that a very fair margin of profit remains between 

 the returns from these cows and the money expended on the fodder pur- 

 chased for them, when it is considered that the average yield of the 

 dairy cow of this State is under 400 gallons per head. So, even allowing 

 for the big expenditure on feed by Mr. Horn, there is still a tremendous 

 amount of leeway to be made up by the average farmer before his profits 

 can be brought within measurable distance of this thirteen-cow dairy. 



