DAIRY RESEARCH.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 162, 10 June 1929, Page 5

DAIRY RESEARCH.

PALMERSTON NORTH WORK.

SOUTHERN CONFERENCE ADDRESSED.

An outline of the scientific and research work being carried on at Palmerston North by the central research organisation on behalf of the dairy industry was given by Professor W. Riddet, at the twentieth annual meeting of the South Island Dairy Association in Dunedin. | Professor Riddet stated that distance and time to a certain extent divorced the South Island Dairy Association from the central research organisation in Palmerston North. This institution was set up to meet the needs of the Dominion, and it was. attempting to give the same consideration to the people at the ends of both islands as to those in the vicinity of the station, j A great many people were quite unaware of the work carried on at Palmerston North. The speaker went on jto explain the relationship between the Massey Agricultural College and ! the research station. Several years beI fore the college was established the ' producers wanted a central organisation, which would work for improvements in the ordinary factory conditions. The Massey Agricultural College dealt entirely with the teaching side of dairying and the general work of farming, and the teaching work was under the direction of the College Council. The research work was under the jurisdiction of a dairy management committee, representing all the producers interested in the Dairy Produce Board, the Agricultural Department, the Massey Agricultural College, and the Department of Scientific and Industrial lleseai'ch. The organisation was set up in 1927, when the Massey College had just been taken over. Some time was taken up in the selection of a staff, and a year elapsed before they succeeded in getting a staff of well-trained men, but eventually a really good team was got together. At first work was taken up on lines which did not require an extensive use of laboratory assistants. Advantage was taken of the opportunity arising from the presence of some of the men in England to get them to visit laboratories in Great Britain and America and thus get first-hand information as to what was being done throughout the world. It was necessary to have the production of the material under the control of the Research Institute. HERD AT THE COLLEGE.

The Massey College had a hex'd of fully 80 cows, the majority of which came into profit in the spring. In about two years the number of cows in milk would be increased and they would supply a greater amount of material lor experimental work. The college milk sheds and factory provided a lot of equipment for team work at the Research Institute. For experimental purposes it was necessary to have a number of small machines as well as a large one. They tried as far as possible to start on a small scale. They had a chuni capable of turning out I lb. of butter , and some capable of dealing with half a dozen boxes. On the butter side they had not a great deal of accommodation for butter storage, but on the cheese side they had two low-tempei'ature cooling rooms and one normal temperature. The speaker went on to emphasise the importance of selecting materials which would resist the action of acids, and so on, which were encountei'ed under factory conditions, stating that this was specially important from a butter point of view. Butter went off flavour occasionally as a result of oxidisation. If they could find other metals which would take tho place of those that were affected it would mean a great thing for tho industry.

NATURE OF INVESTIGATIONS. Professor Riddet mentioned that while tho daii-y factory at the institute was being erected, and the workers were at Home, certain aspects of milk testing were taken up. Weights and tests of each cow were taken night and morning, and also the climatic record. The object was to find out to what extent variation took place and the reasons for such variations. In the course of >the herd testing they varied the management from time to time. The speaker mentioned that the milking of the cows exceptionally early in the morning and at a later hour at night did not pay in the long run. Reference was also made to the question of leaving the strippings in the cows. In the average case strippings left at one milking would come out at the next milking or the following one. Leaving the strippings was a losing proposition, and tended to make a cow go off her milk earlier than would otherwise be the case. Another point investigated was whether even milkings made for an even production of butterfat. That was largely tho case. A lot of information had been gathered as a result of watching the day-to-day tests. The speaker said that another matter investigated was the question of steam production on farms for the sterilisation of cans. Experiments had resulted in the evolution of a cheap scheme, which would enable the work to be done thoroughly. OPENNESS IN CHEESE.

One of the subjects taken up at the Research Institute, said Professor Riddet, was the probable cause of the openness in cheese, which was one of the most important blemishes in existence to-day. This problem was a most involved one because there were so many factors at work, /and they must be gone through slowly ana thoroughly. One factor had been taken at a time and gone into very closely so that the staff could ascertain whether it had any bearing on the subject. A number of experiments were necessary because there were little differences in the making of cheese and butter every day. The question whether pasteurisation caused openness in cheese was first investigated. It was necessary to start with a very high grade of milk, and therefore a start was made with the milk of the Massey College herd.

In a good many cases the quality of the starter said Professor ltiddet, was not so good as it should be. A point should be made of getting a good supply of starters, and they should be kept going all the while. Another important point was the question of lvater supply, which in some cases was not as pure as it should be from a bacteriological point of view. The speaker went on to refer to the question of the proper temperature of milk for separation purposes, stating that the best level was 95 degrees Fahrenheit. A very distinct loss resulted if the temperature fell below 80 degrees. An inexpensive way of increasing the temperature was to add hot water to it, but every care would have to be taken to ensure that it had been boiled. The loss of butter-fat was greater in the autumn than in the spring. INSTRUCTION COURSES.

The instruction of dairy factory workers was undertaken at the Massey Agricultural College. The teaching work was done by the members of the college staff and the men engaged on research work, so that the students were getting first-hand information concerning research work. There were courses in dairy farming, dairy manufactures, and herd testing. Professor Riddet explained the courses in detail, and mentioned that while they had few students from the South Island they would like to have some more. He thought the South Island Dairy

Association would be conferring a great boon on the factory managers and tho industry as a whole if it could assist in securing that boys engaged in the industry woTild be given some encouragement to take advantage of tho valuable courses of instruction provided at tho Central Research Station. If this could be done important results to the dairy industry would be evident in a few years. Pi'ofcssor Riddet was heartily applauded at the conclusion of his remarks.

THE WINTER SHOW.

PARTICULARS OF ENTRIES

Thero is every indication that tho National Dairy Show, which opens in Palmerston North next week, will bo equally as successful as its forerunners, and a Large attendance is anticipated. Several breed societies will be holding meetings during the show period and a comprehensive programme of attractions has been arranged for visitors.

When entries for the various competitions closed last week, the total received in each section was as follows: —Butter 339, cheese 193, competitions 91, fat stock 118, school classes 105, roots 224, vegetables 159, fruit 104, honey'sl, bacon 11, needlework 230, cookery 312, pickles 93, photography 114, canaries 97, pigeons 280, fowls and ducks 634. The following is the comparison of the entries received for 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, the figures being given in that order: —Butter, 274, 298, 307, 339; cheese, 175, 177, 126, 193; fruit, honey, vegetables, farm roots, 582, 530 713, 549; school displays, 59, 56, 86, 105; farmers, butter, home industries and preserves, 544, 51-5, /13, 405 ; needlework, 285, 309, 437, 235 ; photography, 122, 125, 107, 114; competitions, 117, 193, 102, 91; fat stock, 43, 127, 137, 118; poultry, 1356, 1588, 1267, 1011.

STOCK MARKET.

Levin and Co., Ltd., report that, at the Feilding sale on Friday, a fair entry of sheep and a small entry of cattle came forward. The fat pens wore well filled with good quality lambs, which sold at an advance on late rates. Fat ewes were inclined to be easier. There were only two small pens of light wethers offered, which sold at late rates. The store sheep consisted chiefly of breeding ewes and lambs, which sold under good competition, lambs especially being keenly competed for. Wo quote:—Fat lambs, medium shorn, b.f., 23s lOd; woolly b.f. do., 24s 3d to 27s 7d; fat ewes 22s lOd to 25s 8d; light fat wethers, 325; store lambs, 'woolly b.f., 13s 9d to 22s 6d; shorn do., 12s 6d to 14s Id; 5-year ewes r.w. S.D. rams, 30s '4d; Jersey cross heifers £4 10s; heifers r.w.b. £5 10s to £7; August calvers, £lO to £l2 10s 6d. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Coy., Ltd., report:—-A medium entry of sheep and cattle were submitted at Feilding for the usual weekly sale to a fair attendance of the public. Bidding was keen throughout and most of our yarding were sold under the hammer at very satisfactory prices. We quote:—Fat ewes, 24s 8d ; empty ewes, 13s 4d; wethers hoggets, 18s; dairy cows, £lO to £ll ss; dairy cows, guaranteed sound, £l2 to £l2 10s ; weaner heifers, £2 17s to £4 2s, £5 3s 6cl; store cows, £3 10s; fat cows, £5 15s to £6 10s; springing cows, £l3. NOTES. That the 1929 fruit season has been a particularly satisfactory one in Otago was disclosed at tho annual meeting of the Otago Fruitgrowers’ Provincial Council, Ltd., when it was reported that no fewer than 87,895 cases of apples and pears had been exported from tho province. This constitutes a record, and shows an increase of 5619 cases over the previous season’s figures (82,276 cases), which, at the conclusion of the 1928 season, was also a record. The South Taranaki farmers who visited Southland recently were evidently very pleased with what they saw, even allowing that their expression owed something to the stimulation of the hospitality they received, states an exchange. One said that Southland reminded him more of Taranaki than any other part of the country he had seen since he left home. Another farmer’s views had a practical side to them. “Well,” he said, “what I’ve seen has changed my views of the south. I have six sons at homo who are going on tho land, and the problem was where to find land to put them on. Now I’ve seen Southland I know where to look for the right sort of land—it’s here.”

Only tho butchers and others who attend tho Addington saleyards are aware of tho amount of “baby beef” that is consumed in Christchurch, says an exchange. A largo portion of tho space provided for tho vealers is filled every week by young cattle from a year to eighteen months or two years old, and theso find a ready market. They are not specially bred for tho market and tho greater proportion of them is usually heifers, which no doubt have been reared for dairy purposes but havo not developed on the right lines and havo been allowed to fatten for the market, where they bring profitable prices. Special rearing and fattening for baby beef purposes has not yet begun in Now Zealand, and as Home papers havo pointed out it involves a departure from tho usual method of raising and fattening cattle for adult beef, as the calf should be kept going until it is marketed and has no “store” stage. Taking it all through, tho first month of winter has been a remarkably good one m Canterbury, states a Christchurch exchange. For one thing, the rainfall has been very light. From Otago, it is reported that tho winter so far is the best for stock ever experienced. There has been no spell of wet weather, and tho temperature lias been so mild that grass is abundant and in good heart, putting sheep and cattle into such condition that they can' now stand tho worst of weather. This happy state of affairs is general throughout Otago and Southland. The Southland Boys’ and Girls’ Agricultural Club Association has made splendid progress since its establishment. A summary of tho results of tho first year’s work of the competitors shows that twentythree schools entered, tho number of competitors being 167, of whom 147 wore in tho final judging. Tho potato crops grown averaged sixteen tons and a-quarter to tho acre. EXCHANGE RATES. (British Official Wireless). RUGBY, Juno 6. Foreign rates of exchango on June 6, as compared with par rates, are as fob low:

June 6. Par. Paris, francs to £1 124.05 124.21 New York, dollars to £1 4.84 29.32 4.86 2-3 Montreal, dollars to £1 4.88g 4.86 2-3 Brussels, belgas to £1 ... 34.92 35 Geneva, francs to £1 25.195 25.224 Amsterdam, florins to £1 12.073 12.107 Milan, lire to £1 92.65 92.46 Berlin, reichsmarks to £1 20.335 20.43 Stockholm, knr. to £1 ... 18.135 18.159 Copenhagen, knr to £1... 18.205 18.159 Oslo, knr. to £1 18.195 18.159 Vienna, schillings to £1 34.52 45.584 Prague, knr. to £1 1633 24.02 Helsingfors, marks to £1 193 193.28 Madrid, pesetas to £1 ... 34.875 25.224 Lisbon, escutos to £1 ... 108 a L 4.504 Athens, drachma to £1 ... 375 25.224 Bucharest, lei to £1 818 813 Rio do Janeiro, ponce to milreis 51 16 Buenos Aires, pence to peso 47 3-lfl 47.62 Bombay, pence to rupee 17 13-16 18 Shanghai, pence to taol 273 23? Hong-Kong, pence to dol. 223 24 Yokohama, pence to yen 21 21-32 34.58 Batavia, guilders to £1 12.104 12.107