426 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Junx, 1899. 
them. It should be the aim of progressive growers to obtain a corn short in 
status with fair length of hurl, and a minimum of seed. Such a species would 
materially help to cheapen the cost of production, and would be an advantage in 
harvesting. There is a variety often produced in New South Wales that is very 
indifferently valued by the factory proprietors; it is a red-seed variety, coarse 
and unsatisfactory in colour, and realises as low as from 5s. to 165s. per 
ewt., while the other varieties, if in good condition, will range as high as 20s. to 
25s. per cwt. Consequently the farmer contemplating the production of this 
crop will find it to his advantage to first procure the most improved sorts as 
nearly true to name as possible, which will, to some extent, indicate the treat- 
ment in tillage to be observed, and will assure the commercial value of the fibre. 
Jt is chiefly by the selection of good varieties approved for the purposes 
required by the exactions of the trade, that the farmer can best make this crop 
most profitable. In all phases of rural economy, the producer must needs study 
the requirements of his customers, and in no instance is this truth more 
pronounced than in the one in question. The farmer once in possession of a 
strain of seed, prolific as regards yield and profitable as regards value, will do 
well to take every precaution to keep his seed pure, by which means the 
uniformity of the resulting crop as regards colour, length of fibre, and tough- 
ness, will prove of mutual advantage to the grower, no less than the manufac- 
turer whose many mechanical operations are considerably simplified and 
expedited when in possession of material having these characteristics. 
Dairying. 
THE DATRYING INDUSTRY IN NEW SOUTH WALES. 
A corrEsponpENT of the Sydney Daily Telegraph points out a danger to the 
butter industry in New South Wales owing to the enormous increase of smal] 
separators, and he eyen suggests the idea that a Goyernment inquiry into the 
matter is warranted. He says :— 
Coincident with the marvellous development of the dairying industry, which 
has done, and is doing, so much for the farming population of Australia, has 
been the spread of the small separator system throughout the dairying districts, 
During the last twelve months this has been especially noticeable, and the 
number of small plants which have gone into use must represent an enormous 
figure. The central creamery system in consequence is suffering a rude shock, 
Tt may recover from it, and it may not. The whole system has reached such a 
stage that Government inquiry at least appears to be warranted. “ Why?” 
many people will be inclined to ask. It can be answered in a few words. 
The hand separators produce cream of an inferior grade. They take the 
industry back almost to the old dairy methods. A dairyman now, as a rule, 
merely separates his own cream, and, storing it for two or three days, then carts 
it to the nearest butter factory for sale. It is a great saving to him, because 
he has now to make periodical trips to the central creamery with his cream 
instead of twice daily as before with his milk. Neay’_ ery producer now owns 
his own small plant, whereas formerly the hand .Uarators were practically 
unknown. The result of all these developments is that the butter of many of 
the districts is sadly deteriorating. 
Mr. R. C. McDouall, the first man to embark upon the dairy business on a 
large scale in the Hunter River district, has just been giving an opinion on the 
whole matter that is worthy of consideration. He has drawn attention to the 
fact that, while experts and officials in Victoria and New South Wales practically 
admit the great danger of the system so rapidly spreading, no steps are being 
taken to regulate the evil. 
