ety, his work, and his expense are reduced by half, through the
simple agency of a friendly climate. And yet this same climate is
also his most dangerous enemy.

"There are certainly also adverse influences which must not be
forgotten, but a careful examination of the whole position will
probably lead to the conclusion that Australia is, on the whole, a
good dairyman's country.

"The advantages include:--(1) Cheap land, (2) cheap cows, (3)
inexpensive buildings, (4) a climate permitting cows to be in the
open all the year round, (5) a convenient market and a fair price
at the factories, (6) helpful Government supervision.

"The disadvantages are:--(1) Dear and scarce labour, (2) an
inferior stock of milk cows, (3) occasional dry seasons, and (4)
the farmer's inexperience and ignorance of scientific dairying."

These several points are touched on in this pamphlet in the chapters
dealing with the individual States, but some general remarks are offered
here in regard to the four points mentioned as operating
disadvantageously.

(1) _Dear and Scarce Labour._--Every young country at times experiences
the difficulty of procuring sufficient skilled assistance to keep pace
with the rapid expansion of its industries. Australia is no exception.
Dairy farmers there have not always been able to obtain experienced
milkers. The farmer with children old enough to assist him is at a great
advantage, and some of the most successful dairy farms in the
Commonwealth are worked mainly by the owners and their families. But
where the herd is too large, or the family too small, the milking
machine, which is really a valuable aid to the dairyman, has been
pressed into use, with satisfactory results.

[Illustration: A fine herd of Holsteins.]

There is no doubt that rapid as has been the expansion of this industry
in Australia, its development has been distinctly retarded by the want
of reliable milkers.

But what is the farmer's bane is the farm labourer's boon. The scarcity
of labour has checked the farmer's operations, but it gives the man
seeking employment a wider field.

Competent milkers readily find employment at $4.80 to $6.00 per week and
keep. In every important district good dairy hands also have facilities
extended to them for entering into arrangements for dairying on shares,
with profit to themselves (see pp. 16-18).

(2) _An Inferior Stock of Milk Cows._