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Advantages in Agricultural Production. 
in any of those countries in cheapness of land. Labour is a little 
cheaper than it is in most English counties, but not much. Where 
these European competitors have the “ pull ” of our dairy farmers 
is in the employment of less labour, most of the work being 
done by the farmers and their families and in the dairy factories. 
In the supply of butter during the winter season, which has 
now been made a very long one, Australia and New Zealand bid 
fair to beat Denmark and Normandy. I believe there is no 
country in the world which has as great natural advantages for 
dairy farming as New Zealand, in consequence of the abundance 
of grass food grown there all the year round. Yet Victoria, 
with greatly inferior natural advantages, has left New Zealand 
far behind in our markets, by means of her factory system and 
her Government inspection of exports. There are a few good 
brands of New Zealand butter which realise the same prices as 
the best of the Victorian supply ; but the bulk of the former 
commodity is so far inferior to that of the latter that wholesale 
dealers have given up the name “ New Zealand ” as applied to 
butter, and adopted “ Colonial.” In all probability New 
Zealand, by extending the factory system, and by ceasing to 
send strong butter, which is a drug in our markets, will attain 
the position which her natural advantages entitle her to aspire 
to ; but the great superiority of quality in the Victorian exports 
of butter is a striking example, just as the Danish success has 
been, of what can be attained by taking trouble. Whether the 
export trade from Victoria will pay if the bonus paid by the 
colonial Government should be entirely withdrawn, as it has 
been partially, remains to be proved. It is no longer paid on 
exports ; but a considerable sum is devoted to refrigerating 
stores, and this goes into the pockets of the shareholders of the 
factories, many of whom are the dairy farmers themselves. The 
only natural advantages which Victorian dairy farmers possess 
are cheap land, cheap cattle, and — most important of all — their 
antipodean position, which gives them summer during our 
winter. Wages in Victoria, as well as in New Zealand, are 
double those of most parts of England. Neither colony has yet 
done much with cheese, though New Zealand has sent some 
quite equal in quality to the best Canadian. 
Fruit and Vegetables. 
In the production of early fruit and vegetables, it is hardly 
necessary to say, many countries have advantages greatly superior 
to those of Great Britain or Ireland. But it is also true that 
many have natural advantages superior to those of our Channel 
