598 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[lo Oct., 190J 



Denmark provided the sum of ^6,400 per year for 10 years, and the 

 expenditure of this ^^64,000 was the means of increasing the annual 

 return by ^2,000,000." 



The following table contains the first, (1898-1899) and latest (1902- 

 1903) years' .results of a five years' record of ten associations, all milking 

 cows and heifers included : — 



When the centrifugal separator was introduced into this State and the 

 factory system adopted the Government of the day granted a large sum. 

 of money to assist the dairymen in building up an export trade. This 

 was the means of so rapidly expanding the industry. The factory system 

 was copied from the Danes, and Victorians have been indebted to them 

 since for much of the improvement that has taken place in the various 

 branches of the industrx . Those engaged in the manufacturing branches, 

 have almost, as far as circumstances permitted, kept pace in the matter 

 of quality, cost of manufacture, and management, with their competitors 

 in Denmark and other butter manufacturing countries. Those who 

 devote their time and calling to the production of the raw material have 

 — with a few bright exceptions, of ^v'hich some will serve as illustrations — 

 almost remained stationary in perhaps the most vital part of their work, 

 that is, the improvement of their dairy herds. Since the inception of 

 the factory system little improvement has taken place in the dairy herds. 

 Certainly what has taken place is not at all in keeping with the great 

 strides made in nearly every other branch. The dairy farmer is slow to 

 make any effort to improve his herd b\- a system of record, and it is only 

 by such that any substantial improvement will be brought about. He 

 thinks it is too costly and takes up too much time to be bothered with ; 

 but if he will only try he will soon find the time is well spent and the cost 

 fully repaid. The following figures will illustrate how stationary the 

 average production of the dairy cows of this State has been since 1901 : — 



Year. 

 1901 

 1902 

 1903 

 1904- 

 1905 

 1906 



Cows. 



483,650 

 510,54.6 



5i5>i79 

 632,493 

 649, 100 



701,309 



Average Yield. 

 322 gallons 

 274 

 336 " 



329 „ 

 328 „ 



330 ,. 



According to the above figures the improvement in the average vield 

 since 1901 is so slight as to be not worth recording. 



