lo July, 1909.] Rcz'/cic of the Dairxnig Season, igo8-g 



403 



Butter Exports. 



The season about to close is one 

 of the most unsatisfactory yet ex- 

 perienced. Butl:er exports from ist 

 July. 1908, to date totalled only 

 9,456 tons as compared \vith 

 14,567 tons for the one preceding 

 and 21.562 tons for 1906-7 ; 5,983 

 tons were shipped to Great Britain, 

 614 tons to South Africa, 690 

 tons to Eastern Countries, and 

 2,169 tons to Inter-State Ports 

 Twenty -eight per cent, of that 

 shipped to Great Britain was un- 

 salted as compared with 28 per 

 cent, last year, and 30 per cent, 

 for the one preceding. 



The cause of the falling off in 

 production is indicated in my 

 opening remarks, and the remedy 

 lies in the direction of adopting 

 dairying as a permanent and reli- 

 able industry — one that lifted 

 those on the land out of their 

 difficulties vears ago when no ex- 

 port trade existed for surplus 

 perishable products. Then it was 

 considered that dairying would 

 prosper if an average of 3d. per 

 gallon could be relied upon. This 

 bedrock limit has been far ex 

 ceeded, the average prices for tht 

 last two seasons having been from 

 30 per cent, to 50 per cent, above 

 that level. This has unfortu- 

 nate! v rendered many independent 

 of the constant work entailed by 

 the keeping and milk'ng of cows. 

 Successful dairymen have mad" 

 sufficient money to enable them to 

 purchase neighbouring properties 

 at extremelv high prices — to follow 

 the lighter occupation of grazini; 

 and lamb raising. 



In a recent issue of the Age the 

 following paragraph appeared :- 



Colac. — Several farmers in the dis- 

 trict have sold their farms and havf 

 gone to Queensland and New Sout'i 

 Wales. 



In almost every instance the farms 

 referred to were purchased by neigh 

 bouring farmers who had acquired 



eir capital chiefly out of dairying. 



