June, 1909,] 



555 



Live Stock. 



almost impossible it is to get a supply of 

 pure rich milk at a reasonable price - 

 owing to these difficulties the great pro- 

 portion of the people, who would prefer 

 fresh milk, have to be satisfied with the 

 preserved tinned stuff. Is it possible to 

 supply the pure article so that the 

 suppliers and the supplied will both be 

 satisfied ?• I maintain that it is possible 

 to supply pure rich milk at 15 cents per 

 bottle, at the same time yielding hand- 

 some profits and quick returns without 

 any great risk. The business man will 

 say — " This is all very fine ! but I want 

 more tangible proof than this before I 

 embark my capital." Quite right ! the 

 object of this article is to prove this by 

 facts and figures. I may say that I am 

 not convicting a theoretical story, but I 

 am applying my knowledge and per- 

 sonal expeiience gained elsewhere to 

 what can be feasibly done in Ceylon, 

 A branch of the work of a large mixed 

 farm I was managing in Australia was 

 the supplying of milk to a town five 

 miles away ; the portion of the country 

 the farm was situated was not physi- 

 cally suitable for dairying as the average 

 rainfall was 14 inches per year, so that 

 every bit of the food of the cows had to 

 be grown under irrigation, which meant 

 the great expense of pumping water by 

 means of expensive machinery, etc. ; but 

 still handsome profits were the result. It 

 is a well-known fact among the farming 

 world that there is no branch of agri- 

 culture that brings in better, safer and 

 quicker returns than dairy farming, i.e., 

 the supplying of fresh milk to towns. 

 Every other branch of farming is guided 

 by the market, the prices of grain 

 and fruit, rise and fall &c. ; while the 

 cultivation of even our coconut palm, 

 tea and rubber, etc., means the outlay 

 of a large amount of capital and the 

 waiting for a good number of years for 

 the first returns, whereas with dairying 

 the price is a fixed price, and from the 

 day the milk supply starts, the income 

 starts. In Ceylon we have not the 

 adverse circumstances I had to contend 

 with, as most parts of the country have a 

 splendid rainfall averaging from 00 to 90 

 inches — the best spots are available for 

 the pioneers to pick and choose ; the 

 market is unlimitted, so there is no neces- 

 sity to go to the less favoured parts of 

 the Island. Suppose, for example, a com- 

 pany was started to supply Colombo with 

 pure rich milk at a reasonable price. 

 What capital will it require ? What 

 would be the working expenses ? What 

 would be the returns? What risk is 

 there, and how should the farm be 

 worked ? I do not think there is any 

 necessity of labouring the subject of a 

 market, as everybody knows that there 



is at present an unlimited market for 

 pure rich milk at a fair price, i.e., cents 

 15 per bottle delivered. I estimate the 

 capital required at Rs. 40,000 for a dairy 

 farm of forty cows— I estimate fairly 

 high to be on the safe side— as per ac- 

 count below :— 



Rs. Cts. 



80 acres of land at Rs. 200 pet- 

 acre ... 16,000 00 

 40 cows at Rs 200 each ... 8,000 00 

 1 stud bull ... 400 CO 

 Cost of importing cattle ... 400 00 

 Implements and tools ... 1,088 75 

 Dairy utensils ... 250 00 

 Two milk delivery carts ... 400 00 



1 Double bullock cart ... 100 00 

 4 horses for delivery carts at 



Rs. 150 ... 600 00 



Buildings ... 1,500 00 



Ensilage pits ... 800 00 



Fencing and clearing ... 1,800 00 



2 pairs of draft cattle at 



Rs, 150 ... 300 00 



Sundries ... BOO 00 



31,488 75 



Cost of growing fodder and 

 preparing for the introduction 

 of the cows as follows : — 

 Salary of manager at Rs. 150 



per month for sixmonths... 900 00 

 Wages of five men at Rs. 10 



per month for six months... 300 00 

 Seed for green fodder crops 



and ensilage ... 50 00 



Cost of feeding two pairs of 



working bulls for six months 143 00 



Rs. 32,831 75 



Working Expenses for First Year. 

 Manager's salary at Rs. 150 



per month ... 1,800 00 



3 milkmen atRs, 12 each per 



month ... 432 00 



6 coolies at Rs- 10 each per 



month ... 360 00 



1 Overseer at Rs. 15 per 



month ... 180 00 



2 responsible men to drive 

 and deliver milk, at Rs. 20 



per month ... 480 00 



Horse food for 4 horses ... 844 00 

 Two horsekeepers to look 

 after horses, at Rs. 12 per 

 month ... 288 00 



Cattle food, artificial— oil 

 cake at 4 lbs. each per day 

 (for 30 cows) ... 2,740 50 



Seed for green fodder and 



silage crops ... 50 00 



Cattle medicines ... 20 00 



Sundries ... 500 00 



Rs. 7,694 50 



