NEW ZEALAND DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8362, 16 September 1890, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND DAIRY ASSOCIATION.

A VISIT TO THEIR CREAMERIES. September 1 being the opening day of the season for t.. a New Zealand Dairy Association, a Herald representative made a tour of their creameries in company with Mr. Wesley Spragg, the Association's general manager. The creameries are four in number. They are situated respectively at Tuakau (35 miles from Auckland), Pukekohe (30 miles), Mauku (37 miles) and Papatoetoe(lOmiles). All these districts have been carefully chosen for the excellence of their pasturage, and general adaptability for dairying. Papatoetoe, lying near to Auckland, is pretty well famed for its fertility. The other places, more distant and less known, are each deserving of special mention as being highly productive of the natural wealth which is peculiarly connected with cows. The spring appears to be early this season. The paddocks everywhere are assuming the heavy dark green hue indicative of good soil, moisture, and favourable conditions ; and the dairy cattle appear to have passed a comfortable winter, as they are well - conditioned and sleek, and are giving promise of early performance at the milk • pail. At present only a few have calved, and only a small quantity, comparatively speaking, of milk is forthcoming, but in a week or so the supply will be ample. Now that the labour of the churn and the disappointment of the market is a thing of the past, surely a country life must be a desirable one. Unfortunately the bringing about of this condition of things] has not been without its drawbacks. The Association's expenditure for the plant and property needful for the enterprise has been followed by loss rather than gain, and as usual the people most helped nave been by no means the most thankful for the help given. The hard work which is a farmer's birthright has been duly balanced by the full exercise of the farmer's peculiar privilege of grumbling. It is a good sign and a hopeful. one for the future of the Association that the Association's efforts are most appreciated in those districts where they have been in operation longest. The first place visited by us was TUAKAU. This fertile little spot is situated directly upon the Waikato river. The wooded heights on the south of this grand stream contribute largely to the picturesque character of the place. It is the delight of the average Tuakauan to take the stranger up some slight eminence, so that he might feed upon the beauty of the scene. The claim for eminence in scenic loveliness is no vain one. If Tuakau were only better known to tourists and holiday-makers, it would certainly be a resort for such. The river, with its numerous islets, crowded as they are with the living green of indigenous growth, offers a contrast to the grey, dusty streets of our city, and should be seen once, at least, even by the most prosaic of our town toilers. The district is fairly settled, Its chief industries are connected with flax, fruit, and dairying. Many hundreds of acres of land are covered with the bleaching fibre, and the "snore" of one or more of the dozen flax mills greet the ear everywhere. Fruit, free from codlin moth and of the best kind, is produced here. W r hile last, but not least, in importance we find situated in the railway enclosure a branch creamery of the New Zealand Dairy Association. This has been in existence for five years, and has become an institution of the district. Its beneficial influence reaches out to the adjoining districts of Whangarata, Ilarrisville, and Bucklands, or over a radius of say five miles. This creamery, which is under the care of Mr. George Bycroft, only receives and "separates" milk. The cream is sent forward by rail to the Association's l\rgo factory at Pukekohe to be manufactured into butter. The building is compact and convenient, and is fitted up with all known requisites of the business, including four Laval separators of a capacity of 300 gallons per hour. Immediately the cream is separated is is carried away over a refrigerator, which cools and airs it, so that it reaches the storage can in the best condition for the short transit to the factory. The motive power is one of Tangye's engines. The floor is a solid block of cool clean concrete, channelled nnd'drained to make cleanliness more easy than any other condition would be. An excellent supply of water is furnished by a well adjoining. The supply of milk i* about 1200 or 1300 gallons a day during the spring and summer. This season's terms for the purchase of milk are twopence three farthings f>er gallon, plus or minus one-eighth of a penny for additional or missing one percentages of cream, ten per cent, being the standard. This enables settlers supplying extra quality milk to receive the reward they deserve. Thus a twelve per cent, milk is paid for at threepence, fourteen per cent, threepence farthing. One farthing is deducted per gallon for skim-milk returned. The general feeling among the Association's clients is that while this price and these terms do not promise immediate opulence, they aro better than anything else that can be done. In view of the extremely low prices obtained for farmers' butter during the flush of the season, this judgment may be considered correct. After an hour or two's stay in Tuakau, Mr. Spragg and our reporter took train to

PUKEKOHE, famed of yore for its puriri timber and excellent grass seeds ; famous now for its tens of thousands of acres of turf, almost rivalling the blue grass of Kentucky. This grass is, as spring-time advances, expending all its energy in sucking up from the deep loam the juices once fed upon by the forests which covered it, and judging from the heavy herbage all around, the food agrees with it. It is also famous for its herds of cows, which are generally marshrilled by a well-bred bull of Ayrshire or Channel Island pedigree. This strain of good breeding in the cattle is most noticeable. The district is once more famous, or perhaps infamous, for its roads. it is pretty well the old story. Every prosjiect pleases and man as exhibited on Road Boards is "vile." As we drove along we divided our time between admiring the hill and counting the holes in the road. Finally, we devoted all our attention to dodging the holes so as to avoid a spill. The object of our visit—the Association's factory—is about two miles from the station. It is under tho immediate charge of Mr. Sydney Morris, late of Chew Chong's factory, Eltham, and Mr, Gillander, the Association's engineer. As Mr. Morris was the designer of the Eltham factory, which of late received much commendatory notice, and as he was tho maker of the butter which took first prize for that factory against all New Zealand at the Dunedin Exhibition, his estimate of his new position will be interesting. Mr. Morris said that the Eltham factory was a nice little place and very convenient indeed, but not to be compared to the Pukekohe one. He could not imagine a more perfect place than the latter was. Its admirably conceived and constructed arrangements could not in his opinion be improved upon. He did not quite approve of what ho learnt was his predecessor's method of manufacture. The country and the cattle were all right, and ho intended to make butter which, like his Eltham make, would be second to none in New Zealand. A new arrangement for cooling and keeping the cream previous to its being made into butter was pointed out. From the description given it would appear that the cream coming from the separators passed over a long refrigerator, which reduced its temperature by twelve degrees; after this it is passed over a second refrigerator of very considerable surface, the trial showing that the cream was then reduced to the temperature of the water— namely, 58 degrees. From this point it is removed to an immense water vat capable of holding three tons weight of cream. The cans containing tho cream are here surrounded by a current of cold water. The ventilation provided gives an almost invaluable breeze of pure air over its surface. These conditions appear to bo almost perfect. To begin at the beginning the building is an extensive one, certainly the largest; of its kind in Australasia. For this excellent building the Association are indebted to the settlers of the district, who co-operated to the extent of subscribing some two thousand pounds for its erection. Its plan is admirable, and evidently nothing bub the best in material and workmanship would suit theso co-operators. After a season or two the system was given up here as elsewhere as a failure, and the building passed into the hands of the Association, who are doing

their best to utilise it for the advantage of the district. It is fitted up with a Cornish boiler, two Tangye engines, six of Laval's 150 gallon separators—that is, of a joint capacity of 900 gallons per hourthe cooling apparatus previouly described, four large Danish churns, three Delaiteuse machines, rotary butter-worker, and, as Mr. Morris said, everything required in a modern dairy. The supply of milk to the creamery portion of this factory is between three and fpur thousand gallons daily during the spring and summer. The terms of purchase are the Bamo as at Tuakau ; and payment is made for it, and at all the creameries, monthly in cash and not by barter. In this manner the farmer receives all the advantages which can be given him, and on the whole he recognises that lie is well treated. Visitors to this fine district should not fail to inspect the Dairy Association's premises. They will there see .the latest and most approved style of butter manufacture, and will find occasion for some pride in our northern enterprise. After luncheon wo went over to the Association's branch creamery at

WEST MAUKU. The execrable condition ;of the road, which is the main one to Waiuku, was again noticeable. Some little credit is duo to Mr. Spragg's skill as a whip that the journey was taken in safety. If it were not for the homesteads which nob only lino the road, but dot the landscape as far as the eye can reach, one would imagine from the state of the road that he was in a very benighted country indeed. The comfortable look of the holdings and the evident well-doing of the people makes the uncivilised condition of the road still more of a paradox. The West Mauku Creamery is situated on the banks of the Mauku River, on the road to Waiuku. About a mile further on was the scene of the Bald Hills engagement of disastrous memory. This creamery, which is about seven miles from the central factory at Pukekohe, obtains it« supplies of milk from East Mauku, Karaka, Patumahoe, Puni, and the nearer portions of Waiuku, etc. Its supply will, judging from the cows guaranteed, bo nearly two thousand gallons per day. The arrangements for dealing with the milk aro similar to those doscribed as at Tuakau. The separators are equal to dealing with 450 gallons per hour. Should the supply be increased much beyond the promises made these separators will be taxed to their full supply. The proximity to a splendid water supply such as the river affords is an immense advantage, and the local manager, Mr. H. Burton, should consider that the lines have fallen to him in pleasant places. The enterprise of the settlers in providing such a guarantee as has enabled the association to at once start business in their centre will make dairying matters more comfortable and more profitable than they would otherwise have been. The drive back to Pukekohe gave further opportunity for meditation on the ways of Road Boards?. The Association's fourth creamery is at

PAPATOETOE, on the Great South Road, about two miles from the railway station. The building is on the same plan as the one first visited at Tuakau. The motive power is steam. The four separators are of 420 gallons an hour capacity. Steam hoisting apparatus, vats, tanks, coolers, and the sundry requisites are again repeated. This district is well known. Its settlers have the reputation of being nob only thrifty, but well-to-do. The supplies of milk come from Tamaki, Otara, a portion of Mangere, Papakura Valley, and Manurewa. The quantity supplied last year, which was the initial season, was some nine hundred gallons. There is every prospect of an increased supply this year. The cream separated hero is cooled and forwarded to Pukekohe for manufacture.

AUCKLAND. To arrive at a knowledge of the absolute cream value of tho milk purchased by them, the Association has obtained ono of Laval's lactocrites, which has been erected at the office, City Flour .Mills, Auckland. The operations of this delicate machine are exceedingly interesting. By its aid it is possible to find every minute portion of buttermaking substance which the milk contains. The principle is one of chemical analysis, supplemented by centrifugal motion as in a separator ; and the condition of the weather, which has been such an important one under the old form of testing with tubes, does nob affect the result. In moderately skilful hands this test is as complete a one as.it is at present possible to conceive of. To facilitate business telephone communication has been made between tho office, Short-land-street, and the central factory in Pukekohe ; and as tho wire takes a detour through Bombay, the distance is about forty miles. This enables local orders to receive attention almost as promptly as if tho manufactory itself was in Shortland-street ; while for English shipments and all the arrangements which theso involve the convenience will be invaluable. For several years past this Association and its predecessor have handled and disposed of very considerable quantities of butter. Last year's export business represented over a hundred tons. On one occasion three hundred tons were shipped during the year. How valuable to the community this service has been, has hardly been realised. All interested in colonial progess must wish the enterprise success.