SKIMMED MILK OR WHEY?

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 537, 18 June 1909, Page 10

SKIMMED MILK OR WHEY?

WHAT the cheese suppliers lose,

A FARMER'S QUERY. "Farmer," of Shannon, writes to Thj Dominion as follows: —"Next season, I an going to take milk to a. factory that i: thinking of going in for cheese-making in stead of butter. Would you kindly giv< me your opinion on tho following:— 1. Is whey any good for fattening pigsp 2. Can you breed pigs with it? - -3. If not, what 'extra per pound of buttei fat would compensate for loss of pigs?' 1 This relative value of whey from cheese making and, skimmed milk for butter-making is, a burning question, just now. . It is on< of the weighty points raised, in nearly al tho discussions on tho proposals to chang< from butter-making to cheese-making. Th( answers given to the question by various farmers differ very widely. Mr. Buchanan for instance, told the ■ recent' Bunnythorpt meeting that the price he received fron: tho butter factory,. added to his profits or pigs, amounted to 13d. per lb of butter fat But Mr. Jlildon, at tho same meeting. declared that he would get the same returr from a cheese factory without the pigs. While there are some who go bo far as to-say that whey has no value at all as a food for pigs, the general view of farmers is that it is worth a farthing a gallon, a: against a halfpenny per gallon for skimmec milk. On this idea of vahies one can calculate'approximately the answer to our correspondent's third question. . It may be pui somewhat as follows:— For butter-making:'lib.''butter fat, lid.' plus 2 gallons of skimmed milk, id: total 12d. ' , r / For cheese: lib. butter fat, lljd., plus no'arly 2 gallons of whey, Jd; total, 12d. It is doubtful, however, if farmers wil! accept this statement of tho caso as doing justice to skimmed-milk; and, in all probability, if the Government carried out tests on hords of pigs, the balance would be more in favour ,of skimmed milk, as againsl whey, than is here indicated. It has tc ■be borne in mind,that skimmed milk contains all the casein of the new milk, as well as tho milk sugar; but whey:contains the sugar alone, - tho rest being practically all water. Both milk sugar and-casein an good foods, but, in order to consume tlies* elements, the pigs have to swallow ; .larg( quantities of the natural water of ,the mill also. . This large consumption of 'water is not advantageous, especially on - cold mornings. Every gallon 'of col'd milk or- .whej consnjTJsd by pigs has to be raised, in the ammai's body to the natural animal heat— a. proccss which is only accomplished bj means, of using up considerable heat-pro-ducing food elements. Chiof of" these-, is carbon, which is the principal constituenl of fat. - . . : Thus, in order to obtain the nourishmeni represented in' the* casein and sugar o] skimmed niilk, and, in the sugar of whey, i large amount of carbon, which'would otherwise make fat,, is used up-and lost in raising the teniporaturo of thb.excoss of cold water Tho milt, sugar itself, however, contains carbon, and, after, consumption, this goes tc make fat and heat in- the; body. But the question is, whether it wastes as much- heal and fat in the getting as it is capable ol replacing. Unless it gives a "surplus ovei cost," it is valueless, as a food, so far a: those, particular .ingredients are concerned One other possibility, however, worth considering, is whether, beyond the casein anc sugar, the .whey ahd skimmed;-milk ;: do : iio( contain valuable tdmcstfkppofSiiig, 'and v'digestive qualities-—qualities ncgligablo ir quantity, from the chemical point of view but effeotivo in thoir. work." For milk con tains -over 40 different ingredients,' besides tho 88 per cent, of water. Thesb may nm perhaps, themselves, add much direct to the pig's carcass, but may stimulate th< alimentary activities to make fuller use o the other foods availablo. That, at least is the vague impression, of practical men J. 110 principal food . ingredients of whey, anc skimmed milk> are ;as : follow :—One i-.ton o; skimmed milk contains,'lowt. of milk sugar and about l-3cwt. of casein. Ono ton o! whoy con-tains lewt. of milk sugar The fattening properties of . whey are pro bably much over-estimated. It should, perhaps, be more likened to an "appetising beverago that is good' if taken in addition t( real foods. Skimmed milk-is probably wortl more than doublo the value of whoy,'for th< casem is a typical lean-flesh fohning food Ihe value of each, is greatly increased, il fed warm, but this increases the cost. . Pics can not bo properly -bred,' reared,' or. fattened, on skimmed milk or whey alone The addition of liberal supplies of meal oi good forage are .recognised as essential tc the greatest profit. ■ V .