QUALITY OF SEASON'S BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1118, 4 May 1911, Page 8

QUALITY OF SEASON'S BUTTER.

STATEMENT BY DAIRY COMMISSIONER. Tho Dairy Commissioner (Mr. D. Cuddie) states that complaints have been. made in trado circles in rogard to fishiiiess in New Zealand butter this season, ond aro being advertised abroad, especially in tho Australian press. Few specific complaints, however, ho says, have, been made to the Department,. On the contrary, he has received communications from tho Home market to. the effect that brands, tho quality of which was unsatisfactory for■several years,past, have this season, by reason ot tho adoption of pasteurisation, proved of greatly improved quality, and have, owing lo a'paler colour, due to tho use of the combined churn, been most satisfactory to tho trado in general, which has fully borne out the opinion formed at this end as to tho 6eason's quality in general. Pasteurisation's Value. In an article in tho Agricultural Jour■nal just issued Mr. Cuddio says: "I have periodically visited the grading stores in order to note tho effect of.the general adoption of' pasteurisation, and to mo it has been palpable that it has had the effect predicted when factories were first targed to take up this means of overcoming flavour defects. The opinion of tho graders agrees with my; own. Individual members of the grading stall' have roi ported that somo of tho best butter that has ever left this country has been exported this year. It may be well at this juncture to mention why this Division advocated pasteurisation so strongly in . recent seasons. When I was in London in the height of tho butter season "of 1907-8 l> found, during the three months I spent,in investigating the marketing of Kew Zealand dairy produce, that fishiness was very/prevalent in many brands of our butter. It was this experience that convinced me of the urgent necessity of pasteurisation. It is significant , that practically nothing was heard in New Zealand of this'unsatisfactory defect at that time, though merchants at Home freely, stated that Ushinesa. waa never more. general. That season, however, the market was particularly buoyant—it was the season when our'butter soared : -. to. 1505., whereas this season the market has been weak'~aud disappointing. Then aiiy finality changed hands without criticism. To-day, with an improved product, criticism is apparently common. It is ono of 'the peculiarities of the London butter' market, by the way, that fishiness develops with singular rapidity when the demand is weak. Of course, it has to be Temember'ed that on a strong market the butter moves oft rapidly,' and ,nny -weakness has little time, to develop to a bad stage, whereas on a weak market tho' tendency is to hold stocks,, and this fre- , quently at an unfavourable temperature, , with tho natural >result that any ■weakness lias every opportunity of becoming more pronounced. There is little doubt that some of the butters found fault with havo boon for several weeks on the market, and consequently under ordinary circumstances would not bo improved in quality. Unfortunately, the ultimate pur- . chasers, from whom complaints aro mostly received, are not aware .nf the ago of the butter." . -- - ■ "Necessity for Dating." This leads-Mr. Cuddio to contend that dating is necessary; He writes: "This opens up the important question of the' iate-stnmphig of export butter boxes," not" anly as a protection to the shipper and the purchaser, but- to tho grading system. . Opponents of a compulsory system of State grading seize upon the complaints now being circulated against our butter as an effective argument against the system. A date-stamp, as part of the ordinary grade mark would prevent this. Of course, date-stamping would bo opposed by a certain; section of the, trade, but while it would-be inconvenient to them in arranging a* sale it would be an nbvious advantage to the final purchaser* From every point of view I am convinced ihat it would advance tho reputation of Dur butter and be of great benefit to tho industry." ■ • , ' . Some Weaknesses. ' Mr. Cuddio does not deny that several brand* of. New Zealand butter havo this season shown signs of what may be termed a fishy flavour prior to exportation. Reports- on these brands which have reached the Dominion have (he says) confirmed-tho opinion of the graders at this end. "On tho other hand, I can hardly credit the truth of certain reports circulated as to the general fishiness in this season's Now Zealand butter, for I am convinced that the more general adoption of pasteurisation has had an excellent effect- in. checking undesirable flavours. If is not claimed, however, that .pasteurisation-is effective under all cir'cumstances, for thero is pasteurisation and pasteurisation. In fact,'more attention to detail is required in making butter on this principle; and it is only natural to expect that, with their new-found knowledge of the some makers are failing to carr.y it out to the best advantage. Pasteurisation is the keynote to clean and uniform flavour,: but unless a properly prepared and clean starter is consistently-, used the system may easily be more harmful than beneficial. ■ With fuller experience of this method of manufacture, and' the strict attention to detail which its success necessitates, the irregularities noticed, this season will doubtless .be overcome."' . High Praise for Factories. The article continues: "It is gratifying to know, tin tho other hand, that a majority of -factories are aiming at a high ideal and-arc safeguarding tho reputation of' New Zealand butter. .Those lac-: tories which' have adopted the pasteurising system of . manufacture on., sound principles are-doing excellent, work, and aro receiving congratulatory reports from the Home end. Hero is one which has just tfen forwarded to me-. 'W& have always felt that if you decide to pasteurise the butter would more closely resemble Danish, and so compete with that butter, . and it has turned out to be the case. The quality of your butter is highly satisfactory in every way; indeed, I havo seen no New Zealand butter of such an even quality or so suiUbU, fot our , market.' Another factory working on similar lines has just been informed by its London agent that the quality cf its butter had, in his opinion, reached perfection. These instances aro only, however. , , examples of many similar reports that have come to hand. This goes to prove that the modern principles of butter-making which JTcw Zealand gutter-makers have now at command will enable them, given fair condit ,:;ons of the raw material, to mnnufac- - ture butter which will defy competition."