DRIED MILK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8101, 3 October 1904, Page 4

DRIED MILK.

ITS POSSIBILITIES.

Mr A. Falkner, of Kaiparoro sends tho Eketahuua Express an interesting article in reference to the dairy industry, in which he deals at some length with the vast possibilities opening out in connection with the dried milk process. Mr Falkner introduces tho subject with a comparison between the frozen meat and the dairy industries. He points out that 25 years ago it was the practice to boil down the carcases of fat sheep for the sake of tho tallow only, which was shipped to London, the meat being used as manure for the Boil. This he likens to a butter factory sending away butterfat only. A decade or two back, canning factories were commenced, to can down some of the best of the meat which was previously wasted. Ho compares this with a cheese factory, sending away butter fat and part of the solids of milk in a preserved state. At the present time it is possible to transport the carcase of the sheep in its whole state, by means of the refrigerator. Mr Falkner is of opinion that the dry process will have tho same result with milk that the refrigerator has had with mutton, the difference being that the drying has only once to be done, whilst refrigeration must be continuous and costly, further, whilst refrigeration demands specially constructed snips, houses and places of business, dried milk will require none of these. Having made these comparisons, Mr Falkner I proceeds to show the relative value of I dried milk, as against butter and cheese. Assuming, he says, that three farmers have each lOOOlbs of milk per diem. One supplies a butter factory, another a choese factory. He computes that the receipts will be as follows:— Butter. Cheese. Milk Dry Farmers' butter-fat ... 30/- 31/8 36/8 Byproducts 3/4 1/8 nil. Proprietor's returns ... 36/8 37/6 120/Explanation. Butter Factory.— lOOOlbs milk at 4 per cent test, 401bs butter-fat at 9d per lb, 30s; skimmed milk returned, 80 gallons, at id per gallon, 3s 4d; value of butter produced, 401bs, plus 10 per cent, overfun, 441bs, at lOd per lb, 36s Bd. Cheese Factory.— lOOOlbs. milk, at 4 per cent test, 401bs butter-fat at 9£d per lb, 31s 8d; whey returned, 80 gallons, at Jd per gallon Is 8d ; value of cheese, lOOlbs at 4*d per lb, 37s 6d (i.e. lOlbs milk equals lib cheese). Dry Milk Factory.— lOOOlbs milk at 4 Rer cent test, 401bs, butter fat at lid per ) 36s 8d; nothing to return. Value of lOOOlbs milk solids, 1201bs, at Is per lb, £6 (milk contains 12 per cent solids). Note. Skimmed milk, fed to pigs is worth id Eer lOlbs, and whey about half as much, ut the skimmed milk dried is worth more than the butter-fat. Mr Faulkner concludes by saying: It is not every country that can produce dry milk as a payable product, for the necessary conditions are (1) an abundance of cheap fuel (coal or wood) for the production of heat and steam; (2) good roads for the rapid conveyance of milk in laigc quantities to a central factory while fresh and in good condition, at all seasons of the year, as also for the conveyance of fuel to the factory ; (3) the cows should be grass- fed and not housed, to produce the best conditioned milk for treatment. New Zealand bush country would be well situated and conditioned, and the waste timber be profitably used as fuel, settlers thus improving their holdings by using up this waste produce. Contrast this with some parts of Australia, South Africa, Argentina and Canada.