THE FARMERS COLUMN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 18 June 1907, Page 1

THE FARMERS COLUMN.

MAKING BUTTEIt AND' CBEESE The National -Dairy. -Association (S Island), ' have the following interesting reference * to" the '•"■ question of;- cheese making v. buttermaking in their an nual repoi-t just ' ipued : — The higf prices ruling fee «eese during tn< last two years have caused a ( feelinj of unrest and dissatisfaction ■>• among milk suppliers to" the 'btttter factories; which is quite natural,. for suppliers tc cheese factories have been getting Is to Is 2d per lb for butter-fat, as ; against 9jjd to 10£ d paid to the -butter factories. Many butter factories in the N. Island have nGW turned to cheesemaking, and many more are sfo'ongly urged to do so. The position is a difcult one to deal with, for no one can foretell what cheese will be in the years that are coming. Factories have been recommended by some to erect duplicate plants and factories, and turn to cheese or butter-making as appears advisable. The idea of. duplicate plants, and a factory making cheese one year and butter another to catch the market seems dangerous and speculative in the light of even past history. We have ii\ past years known cheese dull of sale at 4d to 4^d f.o.b. realise 6d f.o.b. as the season advanced,' and we have known cheese outputs eagerly bought at 5d to s£d not realise 4d per lb. during the season. One result of the duplicate plant system, it is to be fear--ed, will be loss in quality and reputation of both products. We can never maintain our position or build up a sound and permanent trade on such shifty lines. Some writers, advocating l turning from butter to cheese, have said that Australia could not make cheese, and that Siberia and other countries could not. This is far from being the case. As to Australia, our own Government expert, Mr' James Sawers, lately visited [ Victorian cheese factories, and found they make excellent cheese, although not the kind for export. But he is convinced they could, if they wished to do so, as their milk supply comes to the factory in a better condition than to piany New Zealand factories. The United States' export of cheeee to the United Kingdom used 'to be over 32,000 tons ; it is now only about 10,000. Labour difficulties and low prices made the United States farmers eschew dairying; but higher" prices in prospect and the advent of the milking machine are now causing them to take again to dairying, and their export may be heavy. A London merchant says: — "Cheese may be in heavy supply and cheap next year, for Canada is opening up quickly and increasing her make of cheese. This, added to an average make in England, will keep prices moderate. This year two factors have made in favour of cheese — the unusually small quantity made in this country, and the 1 American nisat scare, and notwithstanding these no importer will make monsy." In dealing with this question of cheese versus butter-making, _ speaking dogmatically is unwise, but high prices stimulate production, and taking_ all we can see ahead into consideration, it is at least not improbable that cheese may be in heavy supply soon, and the cheese market collapses under such circumstances, as is well known to those who hava been in the trade fee some years past. It would seem wiser that for a year at least butter factories should stick to their butter-making, and maintain the good name and good trade we already have in the British market. It seems at least probable that the feeling in favour of cheesemaking _ as against butter-making now so manifest in Taranaki is the same in the United States and other countries,, and there is danger of over-supply. Having built up Buch an excellent reputation for highclass butter in New Zealand at many factories it seems a pity to change hurriedly to cheese-making before we are more certain of the trend of the cheese narket. ;