Milk for Cheese-making

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 291, 4 September 1933, Page 11

Milk for Cheese-making

Sir, —I 'have no intention of entering into a newspaper controversy on the breeds of dairy cows for cheese-making. Allow me to again stress the point that recognised authorities rightly maintain that a 3.6 to 4 per cent, butterfat in milk is the ideal for cheese-making. Your correspondent, Frank White, says I would not openly proclaim the Jersey milk as the best for making good cheese. I never mentioned Jersey or any other breed, but nevertheless any unbiased dairy-farmer knows that. Jersey milk is far from being the ideal for cheese. . The same applies to the low-testing Friesian milk. ' Most dairy-farmers keep the breed most suitable to the conditions of their country and the most profitable to themselves, whether it be Friesians, Ayrshire® or Jerseys. I agree that the cow with a moderate test is the one for cheese, of whatever breed. Will Frank White or your other correspondents say that hightesting milk has been the reason for lower prices in butter. Unfortunately, through bad marketing conditions, price is not paid for quality; therefore, no open-mind-ed person can claim that the price is regulated by the fact of the high or low testing breeds of cattle. I think Frank White is off the track. As we adopted modern methods of milking, namely, milking machines land maybe topdressing, with its richer grasses and clover in consequence), then pur quality deteriorated to such sn extent that pasteurisers were installed to try and remedy the evil of defective milk. This undoubtedly was wrong, but at last the industry has adopted the saner method of grading milk and having the source of supply in a clean and proper condition for the making of good cheese. —I am, etc., A J I* Greytown, August 30, 1933.