MR BUCKERIDGE’S ARTICLES

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 7 May 1925, Page 4

MR BUCKERIDGE’S ARTICLES

(To the Editor.)

■ Sir,— Kindly allow me sufficient of your valuable space to try. and correct some errors which appear to be abroad in regard to the articles which I have recently written for your columns. In the first place, they were written to show reasons why a dairy science laboratory should' be established in Hawera, the principal amongst which was that we require more accurate knowledge than any of us at present seem to possess, if we wish to get the best results out of our dairying industry. The correspondence which has taken place amply demonstrates this and the establishment of the laboratory, which we can now look forward to, let us hope, next season, should place, many of these vexed questions beyond ail doubt., j 1 am quite content to await the issue and the laboratory’s verdict upon any assertions I have made upon any of the points discussed by me in the articles I have penned. There is, however, one point whieli we need not wait for the laboratory to adjudicate upon, and which I hope I may trespass upon your kindliness to allow me, to correct now. It seems to be the opinion of some who have read my articles that I have contended that high-testing (rich) milk gives a better ratio per pound of butter-fat than does low-testing (poor) milk. How this could have been deduced from the articles I have written, or from any of the addresses 1 I have given upon the subject, is beyond my comprehension. What I have said, and what I still maintain to be the fact, is that hightesting milk produces more cheese than low-testing, quantity for quantity. Let me illustrate this in as simple a manner as I know how. The test is the number of pounds of butter-fat contained in lOOlbs of milk. Why should lOOlbs of milk be used as the standard of measurement for the test? The reason is for simplicity of calculating the the cheese content of each supplier’s milk. Why should the same standard of measurement not be used to calculate the cheese contnte of ach supplier’s milk? If it were we would not have all the confusion that now exists upon the question. Take the following as

*According to Decker. tApprox. This means that from lOOlbs of milk containing 31bs of fat 91bs of cheese can be made, or 31bs of cheese for every 11b of fat, while from lOOlbs of milk containing 51bs of fat 1241bsi of cheese can be made, or 2-Jlbs of cheese for every 11b >of fat. If the cheese be sold at 1/- per lb you get three pieces of 31bs weight from. No. 1, which gives three shillings, while from No. 3 you get five pieces weighing only 2|lbs each, worth only two shillings, and sixpence each; but you get five halfcrowns for No. 3 as against three three shillings from No. 1. No. 2 gives four two shillings and ninepences. It does not need a magician to predict that most people would l be content with No. 3 before ,either No. 2 or No. 1. Thanking you in anticipation.—l am, GEO. H. BUOKERIDGE.

examples:Test. Yield. Ratio. (1) 3.0 *91bs. 3.00 (2) 4.0| tlllbs. 2.75 (3) 5.0 t!2-Hbs. 2.50