TOWN EDITION. The Ensign. GORE: SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1896. THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 83, 11 January 1896, Page 2

TOWN EDITION. The Ensign. GORE: SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1896. THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

The Department of Agriculture has -just issued in handy pamphlet form the official reports of tho various dairy instructors, graders, etc., upon theindustry for the years 1894-95, whioh we trust wil! be circulated throughout the ooiony as ' widely as possible. In addition to much information that is necessarily of the greatest value to" dairymen everywhere, a comprehensive set of charts setting forth tbe quantities and qualities of, and prices secured by, New Zealand dairy produce in the' British markets, side by side with that sent by every" other dairying country of any note in the world, is appended. In his report, Mr J. B, MaoEwan, Chief Dairy Expert, gives a brief resume oh the general state and adaptability of the factories, in the colony, emphasising the need for several reforms in the general conduct and management of them. -Upon' the much-discussed ques- ■ tion of paying for milk by results, Mr McEwan waxes eloquent — and justly so — for no mbre equitable and satisfactory 1 mode of purchasing milk is possible. He considers' that the paying for milk delivered at cheese" and butter-factories, according to amount of butter-fat contained, is a question of great importance to the dairymen qf New Zealand. The reliability, accuracy, and simplicity of , the BabcooH- tester has been proven be- ■ yond any reasonable doubt by many of the leading dairy scientists of the world, - after repeated and exhaustive experiments. The paying for milk according ' to quality for butter-making has been generally accepted. The adoption ofthe same system in cheese-making has mot ' with considerable opposition, on the '■■ ground that.butter-fatand casein entered i into the composition of cheese- Again,

repeated experiments' have been carried, on- with milk containing different percentages of fat,' and the leading authorities in Canada and the United States are agreed that as the percentage of fat increases in milk, so does, in almost equal proportion, the amount of cheese made ; but the Blight deficiency in quantity ' from the richer milk is made up by the increased quality, and therefore paying for milk accord.ing to quality indicates its true" commeroial value for both butter and cheese-making.. Accepting these • conclusions as , being satisfactory and trustworthy, it i* most-desirable that tbis fair, just, and equitable system be adopted, as it puts a premium on good breeding, careful -handling, and good feeding, and the delivery of tbe milk at . tbe factory in good condition, while it discounts dishonesty and every carelessness. Mr MacEwan is firmly convinced that dissatisfaction and distrust have arisen in many factories principally, he says, from two courses— firs t^by the fluctuations in the quality of the milk from week to week ; second, by a wrong system of taking samples and making the tests, combined in some cases with carelessness. That the quality of the milk will vary from day to day, and from week to week in individual cows and herds is admitted. Milking at irregular intervals, abusing or dogging the cows, climatic condition**, etc., will cause variations in quality and also other influences that at present cannot be explained. Touching upon business arrangements and general matter, Mr McEwan jayss : — "I submit that the present financial basis of running the factories is neither a solvent or satisfactory one. The value of a gallon of milk must always bo speculative, owing to the varying qualities and to the. fluctuations of the market. Tbe experience of the present season is a forcible demonstration. It is unsatisfactory to both suppliers and manufacturers, either on a proprietary or cooperative basis. The cost of manufacturing a pound of cheese or butter is, on an average, about the SB_e throughout < tbe year, independent of high or low quotations of the market. Allowing this, why not charge a fixed rate for the making of a pound of butter or cheese, to cover all expenses from the rebciving of milk to the finished product ready for shipment and an allowance for depreciation and interest on money invested? The manager could be engaged' either by salary or by bo much per pound, to oover all expenses of help and furnishings, and, required to give a guarantee to turn out a first-class, marketable artiole where conditions of equipment and buildings afforded this opportunity. The latter arrangement is the most desirable one, as the manager is then interested in the quantity turned out, and, being held re~sponsible. for the quality, will exercise greater care from the conditions of the milk reoeived throughout every stage of manufacture. By the adoption of this basis, more satisfaction would be given in paying for milk by quality, as there would be very little inducement to give lower readings than tbe actual test showed. On the present agreement at many factories 3d is paid per gallon of milk iestiiiß 3*6 per cant, fat, and a farthing more if it tests 3*B per cent., and a sliding scale continued either higher or lower. Is is hardly necessary to point out the strong inducement that exists to take very close readings. The paying for milk by quality will never be quite satisfactory until a feeling of confidence exists among all concerned and payments nre made for pounds of fat delivered instead of gallons of milk. To make any observations on the favorable conditions existing in this country for the producing of the best qualities of cheese and butter would be superfluous. Tbe natural climatic conditions are more favorable for the manufacture of cheese than butter, but by the use of freezingmaobinery and cool-roomß the unfavorable conditions in hot weather for' buttermaking can easily be overoome. There is room for improvement in every branch of the industry. The majority of the milk-suppliors do not realise the importance of their part of the work, and the necessity for delivering the milk at the factories in a clean, wholesome condition. The issuing of bulletins fronrthe Department, fcontoining reliable information ou the breeding, feeding, and handling of cows and tho care of milk, together with the holding of meetings to discuss these subjects*, would do much in the way of education. The system of instruction carried on at tbe presont time is of good assistance to tbe factory managers j but progress is necessarily slow where there is so much ground to cover. The establishment of an experimental dairy station is also desirable. Experiments could be carried on in cheese-making and butter-making at the different seasons of the year, thus affording the Department an opportunity of disseminating useful, reliable, and progressive facts, end keeping abreast of olher countries who are now our keenest rivals for supremacy and possession of the British market, and who are sparing neither money nor time to farther the interests of the dairymen in their respective countries." In his report, Mr 8. M. Robbins recommends that dairy instructors see as j many shipments as possible as they go aboard the various ships, as it gives them a good idea in which localities they (the instructors) are most needed. Dairy companies are recommended by Mr Bobbins to send tbeir managers at least twice in eacb season, to see shipments, in company with the Government grader, they being enabled there to see the different makes of cheese,'' and compare them with their own, which would do much to ; stimulate them in a bealtby competition with other managers in different parts of j the country, all tending to raise the i quality of the product, and increase care and diligence on the part of tbo managers. Dairy farmers, as a rule, according to Mr Bobbins, are very indifferent to their own interests as regards the use of proper appliances, care and attention to cleanliness, providing proper food for autumn and spring, also to seeing that the cows have plenty of pure water, with free access at all times to salt, it having been proved beyond a donbt tbat for dairy cows salt not only improves the quality of the milk but largely increases the quantity. The Babcock tester comes in for a due amount of commendation at Mr Bobbins' hands. He notes with pleasure the improvement in the quality of the cheese turned o.ut, .which has gone on right from tha beginning of the 1894 season. Great things ore looked for this season by the various inspectors, and while all of them agree that the output this season in places — particularly Southland — will be greater and of better Quality "than last, they emphasise the fact that there is still much room for improvement, and much remains yet to be done before all the factories are working on the same system. Were only the prospects for the prioe of our dairy produce as bright as those for our wool and grain, New Zealand would truly have good cause to he thankful, and there really* appears no reason why it should not be so. The price of our wool and grain depends a trifle less upon tbe efforts of the producer than our cheese or butter, but with the most scientific methods at their disposal, and the constant visits of experts and instructors to assist them, our dairy companies at the olose of the present season should have a very different tale to tell than tbe doleful narration of heavy losses sustained and low prices obtained in the outside markets during the past year.