HIGH GRADE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 143, 18 June 1936, Page 11

HIGH GRADE.

BUTTER AND CHEESE

UPWARD TENDENCY.

CONFERENCE OF DAIRYMEN. MR. W. M. SINGLETON'S REVIEW (By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.) HASTINGS, this day. The period of low prices mid marketing difficulties from which the Dominion was emerging had hastened the accomplishment of many desirable reforms in the dairying industry. With this remark Mr. W. M. Singleton, director of the dairy division of the Department of Agriculture, concluded an address delivered to-day at the National Dairy Association conference. That period, lie said, should be kept in mind as the greatest good to economic production and better quality that New Zealand had yet experienced. If the Dominion di<l not merely hold, but could improve the position she had gained in the dairying world, the struggle of those arduous vcars had l>een well worth while.

Mr. Singleton said that New Zealand had so developed the habit of recording an annual increase in Sttporis of dairy produce that it was pleasing to note that the season just closing was no exception to the rule, the butterfat equivalent of butter and cheese graded being higher than for the previous season. New Zealand had thus resumed an upward trend after a slight decrease in gra dings of both butter and. cheese for 1034-35 over 1933-34. _To find another seasonal decrease in total butterfat represented by exports one had to go hack to 192.>-2(>. though there had been occasions when cheese receded somewhat, the falling off in this product being more than compensated by the increase in butter. Dealing 'at considerable length with subsidies on dairy buildings and equipment, Mr. Singleton quoted figures furnished by the Labour Department showing that up till June 0 the applications dealt with under both headings numbered 856G, of which 538 had been declined. The estimated value of the building work amounted to £344.981, of equipment to £328,044, and the amount distributed to the dairy industry was £59,081.

High Yields. The check testing which divisional officers had been doing at dairy factories had been productive of much good, and one result was better equipment in some testing rooms and more careful work by the testing officers in a number of factories. Abnormally high yields were not now «enerally held as indicative of good management, although they were in a number of instances associated with manufacturing dairies otherwise well managed. It was the division's intention to continue its efforts to get these abnormally high yields reduced to figures which would correspond to a niore satisfactory degree with the butterfat retained in the manufactured product. Consideration of yields of butter and cheese as per pound of butterfat had disclosed certain irregularities in practice at creameries and cheese factories. '£he reading of the fat column was made after a manner which gave the supplier less credit at one creamery or cheese factory than he might get at another. It was considered that one of the regulations could bo so amended that the readings should be more uniform. It was intended to require that in the test-j ing of cream the butterfat column should be read to the exact percentage or to the nearest per cent. There were companies which gave the supplier credit for as many as three places of decimals, and others which j credited no decimals. These irregularities had some influence on the nominal pay-out, and on the yield of butter or cheese as per pound of butterfat. He purposed recommending amending regulations which would require payment for butterfat to two places of decimals or their equivalent.

Complaint lias been received from London regarding butters being somewhat bitter in flavour, due principally to the incorporation of more salt than desirable. The regulation prescribing the limits of salt content in butter for export had been of considerable economic value to the industry, hut it appeared that a slight modification of the limits was well advised. The regulation provided 2 per cent as a maximum and 1.5 per cent as a iflitiimum. There was\ considerable opinion that a range of from a 1 per cent minimum to a 1.8 per cent maximum would be in the interests of quality. The proposed alteration would make no difference to most creameries, since the average salt content of New Zealand butter for export was about 1.0 per cent. We have a few companies apparently chasing yield and who seem to he striving for the maximum salt content, so as to reduce the percentage of butterfat in their butter. These needed the restraint which the lowering of the maximum would provide. It was his intention to endeavour to get this amendment gazetted. Quality of Cheese.

Touching upon cheese Mr. Singleton said the season should have been favourable to the manufacture of high quality cheese. Hot weather like that of the previous summer was not experienced and the comparatively cool nights were favourable to a good quality oi milk. The quality of resultant cheese in the principal cheese-producing districts, however, was probably less satisfactory as a whole than usual.

Although openness was the most general fault in the cheese, it was reported that mould seams were the cause of a great deal of waste and irritation to traders. More care in the handling of our cheese was necessary. Many of these mould seams were at the bottom end of the cheese and could not be associated with the lip due to the style of hoop used. Dropping green cheese on their corners when removing them to the trolleys or when placing or turning them on the curing room shelves should be avoided. Apart from the two defects referred to above the' characteristics of New Zealand cheese receive favourable comment.