PRESERVATIVE IN BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 258, 24 July 1908, Page 3

PRESERVATIVE IN BUTTER.

- MORE EXPERT VIEWS. ■- -An interesting' discussion on . tho value of /preservative in export butter- is .contained in the annual report of Mr. R. Crowe, Superintendent of Exports for the' State of Victoria, as published iri the Victorian Government's '"Journaliof Agriculture" for. July. ; Mr. Crowe' says the.- quantity of butter stopped :for containing pvero.s per cent, of boricacid' was 4$ tons,;as compared with 10 'tons theprevious yean 1 The, average .content: of boric acid in all sampled analysed was 0.23 per cent. Referring to the prohibi- , tion of butter with preservative at the Philippine Islands, Mr. Crowe says:— . "Our shipments to Manila avoraged_about . 200 tons yearly,^and there was every indication of tho'trado developing. Now, according to exporters' evidence; weVare knocked completely out of the market."-This is most difficult ,to understand. I /firmly - believe that with pnder 0.05 per -ce'nt.' iborio acid, as permitted in many places,'butter from any dairying country;, should jrijachi 'in the Philippine Islands .is sounder,' more palatable, and in more wholesome condition than without. On tho other hand, ■ if.'there is all'round' prohibition, then our manufacturers should, ' and miist, bo able/to Supply . their "requirements'-'its : well "as"- any "other dairying country. We should even .be better , ablo to'do,so on account of our nearness." The British Market. 1 ' ; "Another bombshell," continues the report, "was recently cabled froni London announcing the likelihood -of prohibition . there. I havo no hesitation in saying that if this were '■.suddenly done our export trado wouldvfeceivo a great- blow'. Our 'geographical position as* regards the;chief market is the reverse of that of the Phillipines. Dairying countries in the Northern Hemisphere would be placed a.t a' great advantage.-: " \ '' "Wo all know that much can be done under the heading of.cleanliness, in the treatment of supplies pasturisation; the use of pure cultures, and. refrigeration; but-any one who has been' out in the field will .recognise the impossibility ■of 'controlling or checking the , action of each, and every supplier to the butter factory. ~ln order to' manufacture ; uniform quality, supplies'have to be pooled— this is/one of : the essentials of the modern factory system.; When the product of one or more careless suppliers is mixed with that from those' who' supply it in good condition, subsequent changes-aro largely checked by •the use of'preservatives. -I have very littlo sympathy with the use of preservatives, and 'nono with their indiscriminate application. If hannful, even in ; the opinion of an-in-finitesimal -minority;')their 'gradual 'and early - extinction is my earnest desire.- At the' same time we cannot close our eyes to tho plain bald facts' relating to the; subject. My advice to the powers that be who contemplate this drastic innovation'is to conduct experiments and see "what the effect of prohibitionwould moan; as already stated 1 feel sure thoro can only bo one result. Every, factory manager,/at some time or ,other, ha.s carried out experiments to find out which brand of . preservative"on the market-^was, the best, i and was surprised to learn the extent to which the control .sample without any had dotorioriaf'jd by long keeping." '