DAIRYING AND CHEESEMAKING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 15003, 25 May 1909, Page 4

DAIRYING AND CHEESEMAKING.

("'The Dairy.”)

Mr J. J. Whittaker, president of the Bradford Produce Merchants’- Association, speaking on “ Dairying and Cheese-making,” said that, with all the improvements in machinery and the advances in chemistry, it had not yet been possible to get milk without the cow, and for the right understanding of' the question it was necessary to know something of stock. Discussing the question of tho flavour of the butters, he pointed out that his experience was that - tho best butter was made in tho old-fashioned barrel, chums, for, though it took longer, the globules of butter-fat in the milk were brought into contact most smoothly', and the flavour was mos* delicious when the natural globules were broken only on the tongue. Tne new machinery was more expeditious, but being more violent in its action, produced, he believed, inferior butter. Turning to cheese-makiug, Mr Whittaker said that, in comparison with the easy process if butter-making, the production of cheese was diffioult and intricate. There were so many conditions which required to be watched and guarded against that the greatest skill on the part of the dairymaid was requisite. With the

aid of many excellent pictures, the looturer described the production of an early ripening curd choose such as was most in favour in the BridLud district. There was, the lecturer jo* marked, a curious and inexplicao.e difference between tbo cheeses of di fieri ent dairies. ' Among the farmers under his control there were some makers whose cheeses were fit to eat seven days after being made, and which, indeed, were better then than at a later period. With others it required from a month to six weeks, to mature, or even longer. It was very bad etiquette for a buyer to examine moro than two cheeses in tho cheese-room, and, ixidee/1, if he did insist on doing so, he would probably be promptly shown off tho premises by the farmer’s wife. His own practice (the lecturer added) was to examine the oldest and, the youngest chooses in tbo room, and, aided by his knowledge of tho pedigree of tho dairy, ho formed his judgment of the value of the bulk of tna cheese. In conclusion, Mr Whittaker drew special attention to the. high, value of cheese as a fond. This uaa a matter which ought to bo known to every grocer and ought to be impressed by him on his customers. At his request, the city and West Riding analyst (Mr F. W. Richardson) had prepared a tabular statement which compared the food values of various groceries. This showed in grains to the ounce (aa ounce containing 437.5 grains), tha nitrogen—which represented the. fleshforming properties of the food—-and tha carbon—which represented tha heatgiving properties of the food. The table waa as follows';—

Herrings, Mr Whittaker continued, seemed to he agreed to be tho cheapest food which existed, having regard to its nutritivo. value, but cheese at 8d per lh was the next cheapest. This was to say that, at that price a person for a shilling got more actual feeding stuff than in any other form. Peas were also a very nutritive food, though lie, as a cheese faotor, wate less concerned to emphasise that fact. (Laughter.)

Nitrogen Carbon (Heatforming). giving). Uncooked meat . 14.3 53 Cooked meat . . m 110 Fat pork . , .. 63 189 Dried baooa , . 6.2 265 ■White &ah .. .. 12.6 ' 48 Poultry . .. 11.7 6.7 Bread . . S.R 119 Wheat flour . . 7.7' 160 Barley meal . . 8.8 ITS Bice . . 3.S / 175 Oatmeal „ . . 8.8 163 Maize , . . 7.0 169 Arrowroot . . 0.6 162 Peas . . 16.4. 156 Potatoes . . . 1.4 45 Butter . . . 0.7 ■ 299 Eggs .. . . 9.4 63 Cheese . . . 21.0 : 161 Jiiik . . 23 30 Cream » . . 1.8 100 Sugar . . . —. 173 Porter . . 0.06 IT