230 Report on the Fm'm Prize Competition in 
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turnips three times, and of barley, wheat, and pea-meal ground 
together, they had 4 lbs. per day each, mixed in two feeds of ' 
brewers' grains. The milkers are women, and are paid 3s, 
per week. They begin their work at an early hour both morning j 
and afternoon. The milk is all passed through a refrigerator | 
together, and then sold by retail in the suburbs of Newcastle at I 
4d. per quart, two men taking it round in carts. From 45 to j 
55 gallons are thus distributed daily. Mr. Fairbairn had con- 
ducted the business in this way for eight years, and there had | 
been a milk trade done from the place for fifty years. He had, | 
at the time of inspection, 150 customers on his books. 
Mr. Reay's cows stood in five sheds in single lines, arranged 
with much uniformity as to size and colour. They were all fine, ' 
well-bred dairy cows of the Shorthorn type, 53 in number, and, 
when seen on May 19, 48 were giving milk. In one byre were 
13 white or light-coloured cows : all with large udders. In ] 
another shed were 10 roans or strawberry-coloured, all very fine 
beasts. In the next were 10 blood-reds, all very good ; in the i 
next 9 roans and 1 black cow, and in the next 8 roans and 2 red 
cows, all large beasts and in good condition. The plan pursued 
here was to purchase only very fine cows recently calved, or near 
calving, feed them well, but keep the bull from them, and sell 
again to be killed as soon as the natural flow of milk abated and 
came to be small. Some were kept only six months, but others 
kept their place in the herd nearly two years, the average being 
nine or ten months. Seven fat cows had been sold since our first 
visit, and an increased number of fresh calved cows of superior 
quality purchased to fill their places and to provide more milk I 
to supply a recently made contract with the caterer of the New- 
castle Exhibition. The cattle were a fine sight when all were 
turned out of the byres and put together into an early pasture 
as we were leaving. There was the same number of cows on 
our final visit, but a few were not doing well, and the sales made 
had not been replaced with quite so good-looking stock. They j 
were still all well fed. Hay and turnips were supplemented with I 
pea-meal or maize-meal or other cereal food of good quality, | 
served with brewers' grains, and with cut chaff steamed, and 
seasoned with sugar or molasses. . ' 
The practice was to watch the market and to purchase j 
that food which was best and cheapest. Newcastle seems to j 
offer favourable opportunities for this. In July JMr. Reay was i 
using carrots, purchased at 20s. per ton from the quays, good ' 
and sound, and wishing for more, or for anything as likely that 
might turn up and be as good. His contract price for milk was | 
Is. per gallon for the year round, delivered wholesale in New- i 
castle twice a day. The milk was all passed through a i-efrige- I 
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