BUTTER FOR EXPORT.

Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 77, 28 September 1887, Page 4

BUTTER FOR EXPORT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir — To write a letter concerning the whole process of butter-making would be a long ono. But to start from the beginning, and what is the principal part of the buttermaking is how you feed your cattle, and what yon feed them on to givo both strength and flavour, then to see them sheltered from cold and bad weather. Then, after you milk tho cow, how you ke«p the milk till it sots the cream, and how long you keep tho cream beforo you make the butter. These things are easily got over. When in my last letter I was saying tho Government should givo some encouragement for the making of dairy produce, my reason was simply becrase I see no improvements in these articles whatever, and then I thought it possibly could lead some of our big farmers to start this for our colony bo valuable an industry. As it is, I suppose, the big farmers have plenty of income without going to the expense, and tbo smallor farmers cannot afford it To start a proper dairy means some outlay — First, thoy must have a proper collar; second, they must havo a stall to keop their cattlo in in cold and frosty weather ; and thirdly, must bo able to plough, if not tho whole farm, a good part of, it. Tho real first-class butter exported from the continent, so far as I havo seen, all comOH from big farmers— holders of from 70 to 400 milking cows. The small farmers don't oxport their butter themsolves, but soil it to bawkorß, who go from house, buy up all tho butter they can got, and when they go homo thoy put all theso diffcront parcels into a tub and work thorn togothor, and when you sue it ready to bo put into the casks you would think it was all chnrnod in ono lot. I see no reason why tho small farmers' buttor here could not be exported in the same way So far as cheese is concerned, a farmer who keeps ten cows can make just as good cheese as those who keep 100 ; the only thing is he cannot make them as big. As the time is very near coming when no more millions of borrowed money will bo coming to our shores, it is not much too early to look after our national resources, and sco if we cannot make some money of them to help to pay our expenses. Your correspondent of the 15th Instant says in America they get a dollar a pound for the bost butter. That shows what valuo there is in first-olass butter, but we must do nothing to improve this valuable industry. Just trot along in the old trot, oat our butter as it is, or go without, so long till some ontorpriaing Yankeo, or somobody else, gets it into thoir head to send us some, liko they do with milk and ohoese. How far tho noble settlor in Now Zoalond has got his land and cattle oheap or dear, 1 know nothing about, and must leave that question for tho settlers to answer ; but ono thing I do know is that our dairy produce is not fit for export.— l am, &c, J.P.J. , 22nd Septorabor.