TEST AND CHEESE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 13 May 1925, Page 4

TEST AND CHEESE.

CASE AGAINST RICH MILK

‘RUINING THE MARKET.”

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —Kindly allow me to clear up a misconception. lam not rewiving: the battle of the breeds; that was settled long ago, the honours being, easy— Holsteins for cheese, Jerseys iur nutter. The fighting is now over between nor-mal-testing, good cheese-ma King milk, that wil keep up our reputation anti markets, and high-testing milk that is ruining both. This rich milk is going to be a bit of a juggernaut, for it is openly alleged that it has injured Glaxo. it is a well-Known scientific fact that children and invalids can only assimilate milk wiien the butter-fat globules are minute, such as Holstein milk contains; but when the rich milk began to glut the factories the demand began to weaken, and to-day the two big Glaxo factories at Te Aroha and Matamata are closed down. Mr. Motion’s investigations at Home (already referred to) disclosed that our cheese, except when made in spring from normal milk, was crumbly, wasteful, soft and unsightly; and at the factories undeT his direction cheese from this milk have been made and shipped, and the result is awaited with interest; but, unfortunately, it is reported that skimmed milk has been added, which may prejudice its sale. We all know that to get even a look in for a prize at a New Zealand show skimming down to 3.3 is imperative, and then the managers avoid high-testing milk like poison (a manager told me he won a' cup through using foremilk only). So the judges here, like the British buyer, are taking no rich, crumbly stuff. Yet—and here is where the Chinese puzzle appears—we shove this unsaleable cheese, that wouldn’t be looked at in a New Zealand show, on to our only . customer and wonder why he squeaks. ' But. sir, quite on a par with this Chinese folly, and equally asinine, is our system of paying out on fat when we are buying cheese. If a gas company using coal, no two lots of which produce the same quantity of gas, were to charge on the costs of coal, the directors would soon find themselves under restraint.

Now for the proof. Milk testing 3 produces 31b cheese, value 2s 3d for each pound of fat costing Is 7d, factory gain on each lb of fat 8d; 3.7 milk gives 21b llioz cheese, value Is llid, cost of fat 19d, factory gain 4sd; 4.6 milk gives 21b 7R>z, worth Is lOd, costing JL9d, gain 3d. Hawera experience, as well as all New Zealand ditto, shows 5 milk to give 2.4, but Decker and the other ancient mariners make it 2.5. Well, 6 milk makes lib 14 l-3oa cheese, value Is 5Jd, costnig Is 7d, loss to factory IJd per lb fat; and 7 milk turns out only lib 930 z, value Is 2sd, costing 19d, a loss of 4£d per lb fat. Small wonder there was such a rush to buy cows testing. 6 and 7 up to £SO9 in price, so as to get in on this Tom Tiddler's ground, where the factories kindly present for each pound of fat from high testers, ruining our market with the same stroke. But the British buyer js bucking and someone is coming a cropper. I have iust received from a correspondent such important figures from c.o. records for 1923 that with your kind permission I shall deal with them again.—l am, etc., W. R. WRIGHT.