FARM AND STATION.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13095, 21 April 1908, Page 9

FARM AND STATION.

("Weekly Prffs and Referee.")

A SAVING IN CHEESE-MAKING. The. "Now Zealand Dairyman" has done* good service in pushing the question of the cooling of milk for cheese making. In August last Mr Ross, of Cardiff, at the suggestion of "The Dairyman," made certain experiments which went to prove the editors contention that cold milk produced more cheese than hot milk. and a further trial lias been made hy Mr Taylor, the manager of the llivert'.uie factory «it Inr.ha. The ••Dairyman' , points out that: "Tin- difference in the yield from the hot ai'.<l cold milk respectively (and the difference in temperature was only 20de-. F.) was 4Slb, which at tkl per lb, me/iivs 2-l-s per vat. In an eightviit factory this means that £8 lie a day is lost through not cooling all tho milk. In a week this amounts to £G0 4s. and in four weeks it amounts to £"240 16s. Fancy carrying on a. business that loses £'240 16> : every four wee&s that might bo caved." Tho "Dairyman , ' says that this leakage he* been going on for twenty years, and argues from the latest test that there- is no one in the Dominion fit to run a dairy university. If there is such a loss as alleged taking place in tho manufa?ture of cheese the head of tho Dairy Division fhou'.d have- taken the matter up if his attention, has been drawn to it. At the same time tho factory managers might easily have tested the mutter for themselves, as Mr Kotss and Mr Taylor have done.

A POIAIO-DRESaLNG MACHINE. Several potato-dressing machines have bn.ii invented, out nono of them have £.i<khl the test ot lengthened use. (jL-n-eraJiy the troublo lias boon iujuiy to tho tubers, liui as tho potato-dig- j ger has beeu> perfected there is no doubt the grader will follow, though to complete tho process of digging, grading, and bagguig potatoes tliero is lifting from thi> ground still to bo got over. A potato-dressing machine, brought out by Mr Alex. P. Gordon, was sJiown at tho Edinburgh Show of tho Highland fcj-ociety last year, and the "British Agriculturist" gives «m accouut of a practical demonstration of tho working of tho new apparatus. The machine- works on tho following principle:—Tho potatoes to bo dressed ore shovelled on to a hopper at the ond,' where they are, separated fiom any earth that may adhoro to them. They then pass on to slowly agitating riddles, whero they arc separated, into throe sizes. From tihenco the soed or table potatoes, as desired, are elevated on to j a sorting table, whore diseased or daniaged tubers can be picked out. Tho dressed potatoes then pass into a bag attacked to the ond of tho table. AVhen the bag is full, it can be lifted on to the sack-weighing machine, or disposed of as required. Tho sorting machino is fitted with an interchangeable spout, so that when tho largo size is being olovated on to the table, seed size can bo delivered at the side of the machine, or when seed eize is being elevated on to the table, tho largo potatoes delivered at the onio sido and small on the other. The use of an elevator enables the machine to bo placed fairly low, so that tho work of shovelling the potatoes on to tho hopper is rendered comparatively easy. Tho riddles of tho machine a-ro easily taken out to be cleaned, and they can bo replaced by any eizo of mesh wanted. There were a large number of farmers and potato merchants at the trial, and the machine was shown at work dressing Up-to-Dates. The general view was that the work could not have been done so well by hand. One or two, however, expressed doubt on this point, and as some bags had been dressed with the hand riddle in tho morning, a bag of the hand dressed, and a ban; of tho fnachine-drosscd potatoes were "tunned out, and, when compared, it was clearly demonstrated that the machine-dressed potatoes wore qnito as well done, if not better, then thoso sorted in the old way. Mr Gordon is a largo potato grower himself, and brought out the machine, owing. .to the scarcity.of labour in his district.

DANES AS FARM WORKERS. There area largo • number of Danes in. Now Zealand, a-nd in some parts of the North Island settlements of them. They have proved estimable colonists, and appear to have taken kindly to bush work and have followed it up by making homes of their own. A tribute to the value of the Dane as a farm labourer comes from Scotland, tho result of an experiment being mado in Lanarkshire. Danish domestic servants have been introduced into many rural households in Scotland within recent years with much success but they have been averse to doing the field work which prevails there. A farmer in Lanarkshiro ; however, after a visit to Denmark, thought tho men might also bo induced to come over.to wiis country and enter upon farm work, and he secured a number, and a neighbouring farmer intends to follow his experiment in the spring.

The employer of these Danes states that ''they can -all milk, and are always willing to do so when asked. They oarnnot- be classed with the ordinary farm servants of Scotland, as they arequite a superior class of men, most of them being tho sons of small farmers, who have attended the Agricultural Schools since leaving tho Board School, in Denmark iew farmers teaoh their own j sons the business of agriculture, and they must go to a stranger and gain the practical instruction. It is, therefore, evident that hundreds of such students axe eager to come to Scotland end learn -what they can of mixed farming and tho working of machinery beforo going abroad. In, getting any of my rrten throuch tho agricultural schools I ondy asked their ago and character to be sent along with their application, and I ' have nevor needed to apply for others. Being only ono mile from a considerable town, I had endless trouble with men going there at night and being unfit for duty in tb» morning, chiefly through indulgeuce in drink. But no Dane has ever given mo the slightest trouble about either drink or duty. They .do not work any harder than the Scotsman, but they keep pegging away, although their master may be a thousand miles' off. They are, on the whole,, good horsemen, and know everything about a cow, but nothing about sheep, and not very much aboiit machinery. But they are all very anxious to learn, and although tho language was a trouble for a few days at first, ifc was soon got over. They <iro all strong, well-iuilt men, sober, and very obliging, and they are invariably grateful for whatever wages are paid to thorn. I started them with £12 per half-year, with good bed arid board, end promoted them according to their capacity, and I havo never vet been disappointed with them. They do not prowl about at might, wasting;: lr.onpy, .time, and t-ilent, but are inclined to read and study for self-im-provement." If. Danish farm .labourers can Ik- attracted to Scotland for £24 p?r annum, more than doublo that sum, it brought under their notice, might induce some of them to come to - New Zealand, where there is evidently a scarcity of good farm labour at present.