DAIRY PRODUCE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9483, 4 August 1891, Page 3

DAIRY PRODUCE.

THE DAIRY ASSOCIATION’S EXPERIMENTAL SHIPMENT.

The President of the Middle Island Dairy Association has received from Mr Charles Cox, the expert who went Home in charge of the shipment of butter and cheese per s.b. Doric, tho following report upon the condition of the shipment:— London, May 5, 1891. To the President of the Middle Island Dairy Association, Dunedin, New Zealand. Sir, —It gives me much pleasure to be able to present to you a report of my trip and the condition of tho market during ray visit to the Home Couutry, and while in charge of a shipment of dairy produce for your Association per s.s. Doric. Our voyage was an exceptionally good one, having fine weather nearly the whole of the time. Although the heat was excessive going through the tropics, the temperature of the different chambers where our produce was stowed was kept moderately cool. Wo left Port Chalmers on Jan. 17 for Lyttelton, where other consignments were taken on board, our cheese being stowed in No. 1 cool chamber, lower hold, which waa filled up to the hatch. About two dozen cases were placed in the orlop deck chamber with other consignments of butter and cheese put on board at Lyttelton. I was unable to get further access to sample, our cargo being stowed at the bottom and other lota on top. After leaving New Zealand the, engineer and I went through tho blast trunk-way into the orlop deck chamber several times during the voyage to ascertain as far as possible the condition of the cargo. Judging from the appearanca of the packages on the top of this hold I concluded that the produce was in a satisfactory condition. It might bo interesting to mention here that these trunks are provided with slides on one side for the purpose of allowing the cold air to penetrate into the lower chamber, and on the opposite side for the hot air to escape, the orlop deck chamber being provided with a number of pigeon holes on each side for the came purpose. The sixteen packages of butter belonging to the Taieri Dairy Factory, shipped in the cool chamber, were stowed in what is called the cheese chamber (No. 2 orlop deck) with a quantity of butter shipped at Wellington. Although the chamber is comparatively small, it answers capitally for the purpose of stowing away dairy produce, being close to refrigerators, and the temperature was well kept. The frozen butter belonging to the Association waa placed at the bottom of the freezing chamber, which waa afterwards filled up with frozen mutton. This chamber was kept well frozen on the voyage. I also enclose a register of temperature of the-different chambers. The thermometers are dropped through tubes from tho main deck, and are drawn up twice daily—morning and evening. When the tops were taken off, so as to draw the thermometers, I found no disagreeable smell arose from the chambers, which fact satisfied me that no gas or foul air existed. We embarked from Wellington on Feb. 5 and reached London on March 2G, completing the voyage in forty-two days. Immediately upon our arrival at the docks the dairy produce was discharged into the sheds there. It being very cold weather at the time the temperature in the sheds was very low. As soon as possible the produce was removed to the brokers 5 warehouses for disposal, where, I am pleased to Inform you, there was a good demand for both cheese and butter, and most of it was sold in a short time, realising very satisfactory prices. I have interviewed a large number of brokers, wholesale and retail merchants, in the dairy produce business, amongst whom I may mention Messrs Page and Son, Coey and Co., Tcengrouse and Co., J. Warrington, and M'Nair and Co., who have handled a largo portion of New Zealand produce. The general opinion of these gentlemen is, if the colonists continue to improve in their make as they have done in the past twelve months, and the produce (with one exception, referred to further on) lands in such good condition as recent arrivals have done. New Zealand goods will hold their own with any cheese the world can produce, and get within Is to 2s per cwt in prices of the best home-made cheese. CHEESE. Mr Cox proceeds to make some remarks upon the different parcels of cheese in the shipment, designating each by a number, so that tbo makers can get particulars of their respective parcels from the Secretary of the Association. He then makes the' following recommendations regarding cheese for tho Home market:— Shape and Weight.—That cheese should be of upright Cheddar shape, 561 b to 701 b each in weight. Colour. —That they should be of a uniform straw colour, not mottled, where a very prime Cheddar of 701 b in weight is turned out. White cheese is also suitable for the London market. Quality.—That they should be of a_ rich quality and clean flavour. Crumbliness should be avoided. Retailers complain of the waste with cheese of a crumbly nature. Packages.—l would recommend the Association to adopt one style of package, viz., the boxes with twelve angles. The octagonal boxes are very suitable, but where twelve angles are used instead of eight, I find they reached their destination less broken. bUttek. The condition of the butter shipments is then reported upon, and Mr Cox proceeds to impress upon shippers of New Zealand butter the following points : Quality. That all butter under the same mark should be of uniform quality; oilincss in particular should be avoided. Colour. —That if butter bo of a mottled colour, however good the quality, buyers will only, take it at much leas money than that which is regular in colour, and the colour should be primrose yellow. Packages. That tho most 1 suitable packages are kegs of about 601 b, casks 1121 b net, and Pond’s patent boxes. The kegs or casks should be bound with galvanised iron hoops, as ordinary iron becomes rusty and looks unsightly. * c Pure butter” should bo marked on the top of each package. Method and Time of Shipment.—That butter should be shipped as early as possible after it is manufactured, also at regular intervals to meet the requirements of the market. No doubt freezing butter on the voyage is a more complete way of preserving it than in the cool chamber. I was under the impression before leaving the Colony that freezing butter was a mistake, but if it is a prime article when manufactured I do not think that freezing has any bad effects. I have tasted some butter landed here a month ago (which I know to be a good brand) in u frozen condition, and it is to this day a first-class article. I would not advise butter of a second-class quality to be frozen. The temperature for butter shipped in cool chambers should be from 35deg to 45deg Fahr.

In conclusion, I would strongly advise the Association against shipping dairy produce as ordinary cargo. The ten cases of cheese shipped by the Edendale Company as an experiment in the s.s. Doric were stowed in No. 5 chamber between decks, alongside the steerage passengers’ accommodation, which must have been well ventilated; and there being only a small quantity of cheese it came out in good condition. When the produce is shipped as ordinary cargo it runs the risk of being stowed in a badly-ventilated chamber, or even with a large quantity in any chamber without the use of the refrigerator. Coming through the tropics there is a great danger of its being more or leas heated, which has in former shipments been the cause of such considerable loss.— I am, &c-, Charles Cox.