108 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Fes., 1898. 
Although, in 1896, we sent out of this colony £42,457 for butter alone, I 
think it is wise on the part of those engaged in the business to keep on 
gradually exporting and building up a reputation for Queensland goods in the 
English market. To further the development of the dairying industry of this 
colony, many important matters require the immediate attention of the milk- 
producers. The cost of milk-production must be reduced, and more attention 
must be given to the breeding and feeding of cattle, to bring about this reform. 
Aérating, cooling, and more careful handling of milk, are essential to successful 
dairying. I have spoken so often and written so much of late on the import- 
ance of these matters that it is needless for me to repeat myself. 
I could not be so foolish as to tell the farmers to collect their present 
herds and boil them down. Such a thing is not necessary. An improvement 
may be brought about by culling the present herds and using a good bull with 
the best cows. This is the cheapest way to become possessed of good stock. 
The cattle should be bred to suit the country upon which they are to be kept. 
I really believe that a good Ayrshire bull from a good milking strain, crossed 
with our present herds, would give good results. ‘The progeny from this cross 
would, Iam sure, suit our climate, and prove good butter-producers. The 
Jersey cross with a strong-constitutioned female animal, will give good results. 
However, there are good and bad in all breeds, and a man who favours an 
distinct breed is surely ignorant of all other breeds. : 
The Australian farmers do not place sufficient importance on the necessity 
of rearing the calf. If the calf be badly fed and stunted in its growth, the 
constitution will be weak, and it will never make a good cow, not even if 
selected from the most excellent breeds. 
Feeding cattle is one of the most essential points, and one which we must 
study carefully and adhere to, before we can claim success. It is not 
necessary to feed the animal when there is abundance of grass, but food should 
certainly be conserved for a time of need. 
To tella man how and when to feed his cows would, I consider, be an 
insult to his intelligence. The practical farmer knows, better than anyone 
else, the crops that his soil is best adapted to produce, and these are the crops 
he should grow :— 
Lucerne is one of the best and most profitable crops that can be grown, 
and certainly suitable for the production of rich milk. Men who have no 
knowledge of feeding it to stock, and who certainly cannot know anything 
about its value as a fodder, are bold enough to tell the farmers of this colony 
that it will taint milk, which is quite erroneous and misleading. If lucerne 
tainted milk, more than one-half of the butter shipped from New South Wales 
and Victoria would be tainted. If lucerne be “ wilted” or fed to cows after 
milking, there is not the slightest danger of a taint being carried into the milk. 
Green maize, imphee, and sorghum are all good fodders, and make good 
ensilage. The best winter fodder that I know of is Cape barley, which 
requires very little rain, produces a heavy crop, and will stand two or three 
cuttings in the season. Always give the stock just sufficient food to satisfy their 
appetite, for if too much be given there will be a waste. One well-fed cow is 
worth three poorly fed ones. It is needless for me to further dilate on the 
feeding of stock, but I am quite prepared to answer any question that may be 
asked later on in the evening. 
: The cow should be milked at a regular hour each day, and always milked 
out, as the last of the milk is much richer in fat than the first. The cow 
should not be beaten or excited during the operation of milking. If the calf 
be allowed to run with the mother, she can no longer be considered suitable for 
dairying, as the milking vessel becomes destroyed owing to the calf being 
unable to consume all the milk the cow is capable of producing. 
x=. The person who understands his business will have an equal number of 
cows in milk all the year round. 
