FIRST CENTURY OF DAIRYING IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 



made to combat the visitation of these droughts, no matter ho\v often 

 they may make their appearance. 



At no period in the history of New South Wales could the farmers 

 or settlers honestly assert that they did not have in their possession 

 a certain number of dairy cattle which were worthless for the pur- 

 poses for which they were being kept. The question at once arises, 

 Why are they kept ? In days gone by this practice was excusable, 

 inasmuch as banks and loan companies used to- advance money on 

 the number of cattle on a farm or station without inquiring as to 

 their quality. In future it must be quality, not quantity, which is to 

 guide advances ; and as there cannot be quality without both breeding 

 and feeding there should be a silo and a barn on every farm, even 

 should an Act of Parliament be required to place them thereon. A 

 drought is often long remembered ; but can we acknowledge that, 

 even from a dispensation so severe, an element of value has ever been 

 elicited ? Or that, whilst contemplating the sad wreck of herds, 

 caused primarily by overstocking, the dairy iarmers will ever bring 

 that judgment and skill which we are graciously permitted to acquire 

 for the purpose into play in order to counteract these evils ? 



The injury done to the farm itself by the practice of overstocking 

 is very serious ; amongst other reasons because it both propagates 

 and encourages weeds and inferior grasses. Although a dairy cow, 

 almost apart from any other animal of the farm, is a great eater, 

 devouring every kind oi food coming within the range of feeding stuffs. 

 still there are herbage she will not touch, and these plants are, there- 

 fore, often left in sole possession of the ground, where they grow 

 and seed with tenfold vigor. 



There is, all must admit, some difficulty in arriving at the exact 

 number of dairy cattle that a farm will carry and keep in top condi- 

 tion in consequence of the varying of the seasons with respect to 

 rain ; but if those who have farms impoverished by overstocking de- 

 sire to change their system, let them at once reduce the number of 

 their stock to a quantity which the farm will carry in average seasons, 

 and then when a good season presents itself, store up the surplus 

 instead of buying up extra stock to eat it off. 



In the late eighties the dairying industry gave study and profitable 

 employment to some 12,000 of our people. The machinery and plant 

 employed in its production were valued at 130,000. The cows regu- 

 lary in profit were estimated at 800,000 head. The annual production 

 of butter was estimated at 2i,ooo,ooolb. ; cheese, 5,ooo,ooolb. ; bacon and 

 hams, which are adjuncts to this interest, 5,ooo,ooolb. 



Without entering into the cost of the land used -for the purpose of 

 dairying, which was large, and the most valuable on account of it-, 

 superior quality, let us examine into the value of the cattle at ;i mode- 

 rate estimate. Those in the production would realise at 4 per head 

 1,460,000, and the balance in the progressive stages at 2 each, 

 870,000. This estimate proves that the cattle and plant were worth 

 2,460,000. Such were the interests vested in the manufacture, sale, 

 and export of dairying products. 



Having thus reached the surplus stage in production, it is worth 

 serious consideration as to whether we adopted the IH-M method-, 

 then available of getting rid of our growing surplus. A stage in 

 production had been reached where the best thoughts of tho- 

 gaged in the business was .seriously demanded to give ear and help 

 where neees.sary towards still further development, and thereby avoid 

 a collapse of the industry, owing to the extraordinary progress made 

 during the previous few years from 1880 to 1885. 



Modern invention was rapidly reducing to terms of equality the 



K'4. 



