lo Dec, 1910.] Echuca Dairy Herd Corn-petition. 797 



The dairy herd of 23 cows and 5 springers have nearly all been recently 

 purchased, and are mostly Shorthorn heifers — two only showing Ayrshire 

 blood — and, on the whole, they are a promising looking lot. 



With building to be done, harvest time almost at hand, and the flush 

 of the dairy work now on, the family has a busy time ahead. 



On the next farm inspected, which is owned by Mr. Wilkins, the 

 conditions are almost the opposite from those last mentioned. There are 

 here 37 acres worked in conjunction with 131 acres of rented land adjoin- 

 ing. The smaller block has been worked as a dairy farm for many year.'v 

 to supplv retail milk to Echuca, and the buildings on it are extensive. 



The 37 acres are subdivided into several paddocks. Eleven acres are 

 sown with wheat, 10 acres with lucerne, and if acres with maize. Of 

 the 131 acres, 41 are carrying a heavy crop of self-sown oats and wheat; 

 and the rest is u.sed for grazing. 



A pit silo about 40 feet long, 13 feet wide, and 10 feet deep, divided 

 into two sections and roofed over, has been in use each season for several 

 years past. Convenient to the silo and the barn is a 17-stall feeding shed, 

 slab floored and brick drained. The milking is done in other shedding 

 nearer to the dairv. Several handy little labour-saving contrivances, 

 especially in regard to the water service, are to be seen on this farm, and 

 the place is neatly kept. 



The milking herd, however, does not show the evenness that might be 

 expected on such a long established farm, though the cows were as good 

 as the average of those seen. Only 14 of the 24 cows on the place were 

 in profit ; but in upholding the milk supply for retail purposes, it is more 

 advisable to have cows coming in at each month of the year than for the 

 general calving to take place at the spring season, as is evidently the case 

 with the stock on the other farms. Some of these dry cows also were being 

 fattened for slaughter. The bull on this farm is paddocked and housed 

 apart from the milking herd. He is a white Shorthorn, showing rather 

 more dairy quality than was generally met with. 



The fiFth farm, in order of inspection, was that of Mrs. Hill, at 

 Wharparilla North, who looks after the herd of 10 cows herself. This 

 farm is 163 acres in extent, divided into three paddocks, and watered by 

 two good dams. None of the land is under cultivation ; the owner pre- 

 ferring to content herself with the returns obtainable from the natural 

 grazing rather than liave the bother of hiring the labour and keeping the 

 plant necessary to cultivate. 



Mrs. Hill makes no prelensions to having an up-to-date farm; but the 

 dairying is carried out in a cleanly manner; and it was to show her appre- 

 ciation of, and interest in this dairy farm competition, that .she came for- 

 ward with her nomination. 



Several of the cows on this farm show good dairy quality ; and their 

 fine bone, lean necks, and bright clean looking skins suggest that there 

 has been a Jersev cross somewhere in their breeding. Three of the 9 cows 

 in milk had recently come in ; and the cream returns showed the other 6 

 to have averaged 7J lbs. of butter fat the week previous. 



The sixth and last of the farms tO' be dealt with was Mr. Muller's, also 

 of Wharparilla. This is more of a grazing than a dairy farm. On the 

 680 acres of good grazing land, only 23 cows are kept, and 20 of these 

 are milking at present. The main part of the land is used for sheep and 

 cultivation. No silage is made; and the cows are allow^ed to dry off in 

 January and February of each year ; and the dairy work is suspended till 

 the following spring calving. 



