EXPORT OF CHEESE AND BUTTER.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume XIX, Issue 1503, 9 December 1890, Page 2

EXPORT OF CHEESE AND BUTTER.

The following are the le'tcrs received by Messrs Forbes and Co., of Lyttelton. re export of dairy produce, and read before last meeting of tho Akaroa County Farmers' Association : — 14, St. Mary Axe, London, E.C., 22nd August, 1890. Sir, —We are in rocept of your favor of 9th, and in reply will be very glad indeed to receive your consignments of New Zialand cheoset Our commission would be the usuil 3 per cent. In reply to your queries (Ist) what size of cheese is most suitable for your trade ? The usual size of New Zealand cheese imported into this country, as you of coarse know, is about 40lbs each, and we can sell these as heretofore at a figure varying according to quality, but if you are prepared to ship something speci d wo would strongly recommend you to imitate the Canadian cheese, which is of the following shape and si-se, and weighs about Gslbs to 701 bs. Good Canadian cheese fetches the highest price in this market of any importod cheese, and the New Zealand cheese is very much of the same character, although up to the present the parcels have principally consisted of inferior quality cheese, although many recent parcels have npproachod good Canadian in quality. We may mention that several considerable parcols have arrived lately from New Zealand in imitation of the Canadian, and weighing about 60!b each 'Vu hfivo not received any ourselves, but we havo seen them on tbe market and tasted them. They were very good indeed, and at the present moment fetch as much is Canadian. One of the factories in New Z'a'and whore these cheeses are made is the Fuiifield Diiry Factory Co.

(2nd.) WhU colour? Both pile aid coloured cheese aie soid in this mirket, but there is rather n better demand for coloured, and besides it is easier to make a good coloured choose than ft good pale cheese. We would recommend you therefore to send your cheese coloured, similar to a small sample which we hive sent to you to day by parcels post. The cheese we mentioned, viz, that made by the Fairfield Dairy Co., was of a very good colour indeed, and very similar to the sample we send you to-day. (3rd.) What flavour? It ought to be as mild as possible, and above all things free from bitternoss.

(4th). How many cheese would it be heat to pack in each case ? The usual New Zealand package, as you know, is a crate containing three or four cheeses. This ia tho recognised New Zealand package, and in our opinion thix package, owing to tho quantity of bad cheese that has come to this country from New Zealand, serves to depreciate the value of tho goods even although the quality may be good. If at all possible to you wo would recommend you to ship a single cheese in each package, and to employ the same style of boxes as are used by the Americans and Canadians which you must know. We would also recommend you to put in what the Americans call scale hoards on the tops and bottoms of tho cheese Ycu will no doubt know what this is, but in case you do not we enclose a smill part of the scale board taken from a cheese. If the quality of your cheese were good we feel sure this style of packing will considerably enhance its value. Wo do not know what are your facilities for getting tbe Canadian boxes, but if the difficulties are insuperable we would recommend you to ship each cheese, if of the Canadian weight, in a separate crate, or at all events not more than two cheeses in each crate. The large New Zealand cheese referred to above were packed two in a crate and had the scale boards in, the same as tho American.

(sth). What season is the beEt to ship from here ? Of course there ia a demand for cheese all the year round, and we can always sell it, but New Zealand cheese has a better chance here in the months of April, May, June, July, aud August, as during these months American and Canadian cheese comes soft and flavourless and good cheoße ia scarce. These months mentioned are exactly tho months when we receive most New Zealand cheese here.

(6th). What quantity per month could you do with ? Quantity is no object. We can sell nny quantity that New Zealand can produce, and will procure always the best price of the day. Wo do not mention anything about price as it is all a question of quality. We shall always be pleased to receive any consignments you may. make to us of

New Zealand cheese whether of the smaller size or of the Canadian sizs, but we recommend you later on to devote all yonr attention to the Canadian siz<\ as it seems to turn out as regards quality better than the smaller cheese, and it is also much more valuable in this market. The great defect in N»w Zealand cheese up to now has been tbat it does not keep well. We do not pretend to know anything of cheese making-, but we would like to give you tbe opinion of the principal Canadian cheese shipper to London as lo the secret of his success in getting regularity in his flavor and quality, and in producing a thoroughly good keeping cheese which improves wit'i time. The making, he says, has certainly something to do with it, but the great point was to get the farmers in the neighbourhood of bis factory to give their cows only clean running water to drink. He says there is nothing tends to produce inferior cheese so much as allowing cowg to drink dirty water, or water from stagnant pools This fact may be well known to you, but we think it well to mention it. The small sample which we send you, and which we trust will preserve its colour till it reaches you, is part of a Cinadian cheese made in September last year. We would draw your attention to tho rind of the sample, and would like you to imitate it as nearly as possible. We have noticed in the large New Zealand cheese, referred to in the former part of this letter, that the rind waa not so clean and sightly as the Canadian The quality and flavor, however, were very good. They fetched the same price as C mndian, that is 44s per cwt, but we must not forget that at present Canadian is very inferior. You will not probably receive the sample for a week or ten days after receipt of this letter. It is very difficult for us to describe the colour, but we enclose a little slip of paper which will give you an idea of the shade, although in the cheese colour there is naturally a little more red. If you also export butter, we sball be very pleased to receive your consignments, as we deal largely in this article.—Yours, etc., R. A. MoOALLUM.

London. 22nd August. 1890

Sirs, —We have your favour of 26th Juno with enclosure, and in reply beg to say we are principally engaged in the cheese trade, and just now are selling over 300 tons per month, and could easily dispose of 100 tons per month from you. We are quite willing to receive your consignments under safe advances. We leceive regular consignments of N.Z. cheese fiom merchants here, whose commission of course would be saved ; but from what we have heard, too high prices have been paid in Now Zealand for the product. We do not wish to receive consignments unless they should prove to mutual benefit. We enclose you this week's circular, showing the value of finest American and States cheese. If shipping butter please only send the finest quality, as secondary sorts sell at ruinous prices to senders. We now answer your qaeries. What size of cheese is the most saleable ? Sixty lbs or over. What colour, white, light, or dark ? White, medium color, and high color, finest quality white. Do not bay secondary white unless very cheap. How many cheese in each case ? Three cheese in each case ; when very large cheese two in a case, bin ail cheese 4 to 6 in a case. What shape of cases, whether round or squire ? Best style of case is octagonal. ilow many tons could you place per month ? A hundred tons or more. Whether it ia necessary always to ship per steamer in the cool chamber, the freight in which is very high, or whether they could be shipped as ordinary cargo? We recommend strongly by cool chamber. We had some sent from Sydney outside refrigerator, which was fo heated that all the fat was extracted, and they had to be sold at 20;). We had other that arrived fairly well, but we consider risk too great outside cool chamber. What shape of chsesa, viz., whether flit shaped or deep ? Deep upright cheese sell shillings por cwt dearer than fkt shaped.—Yours, &c , CRDICKSHANK & LOVELL.