22 



Our Imports of Dairy Produce. 



various parts of the Empire the greater number being- 

 situated in the northern provinces. In most of the co-opera- 

 tive dairies the cream is separated from the milk by the 

 centrifugal process and manufactured into butter, the skim- 

 milk and butter-milk being returned to the members. 



In 1892 the number of cows in Germany was 9,946,000, or 

 198 per 1,000 of the population. 



Some particulars have already been given above of the 

 results shown by the balance-sheets of typical Danish 

 co-operative dairies, and it may be interesting for purposes 

 of comparison to notice here the accounts of two co-operative 

 dairies in Germany, one of which is situated in Mecklenburg 

 and the other in Hanover. The former is the property of a 

 society consisting of 23 members holding 1,400 cows. The 

 quantity of milk dealt with by this dairy in the year ended 

 June, 1895, was 646,209 gallons. Practically the whole of the 

 cream was manufactured into butter, and a large quantity of 

 the separated milk was used for the manufacture of cheese. 

 The working expenses, including interest on capital sunk 

 and a payment to the reserve fund, were ;£ 1,835, or 5 s - 8d. per 

 100 gallons of milk. The price paid to the members for milk 

 supplied during the year was 39s. 8d. per 100 gallons, and 

 the receipts were 45s. 9d. per 100 gallons of milk. Thus, in 

 this case the total returns to the shareholders amounted to 

 nearly 5 pence per gallon of milk. 



The dairy in Hanover is a smaller concern, manufacturing 

 butter only. In 1895 the quantity of milk manipulated was 

 315,478 gallons, which was paid for at the rate of 27s. nd. 

 per 100 gallons. The working expenses, including interest, 

 capital, and depreciation, amounted to 5s. 2d. per 100 gallons, 

 and the total receipts to 33s. ud. per 100 gallons, so that the 

 sum received by the members worked out to about 3^d. per 

 gallon, but in addition they received from the dairy, free of 

 charge, 70 per cent, of the separated milk and butter milk. 



The bulk of the butter exported to the United Kingdom 

 from Australasia is the produce of Victoria, where there 

 has been a great extension of dairying since the intro- 

 duction of butter factories about eig'ht or nine years ago ; 

 the erection of these establishments having been promoted 



